Very often, we have to unpack difficult things whether these are challenges or novel ideas.
One thing that’s helpful is the ability to move from the abstractions to the concrete aspects of the new stuff you are trying to figure out.
For instance, finding out why you are learning a new programming language or grappling with a new gadget helps with the abstraction, while learning what the benefits or costs are, and how to derive benefits or avoid costs, helps with the concrete. I find that questioning along these lines helps every time you have something new to chew.
Pat's Blog 