N2
思うように
おもうように
As one hopes, As desired, As one thought
毎日漢字を練習しているが思うように上達しない。
I am practicing kanji every day, but I am not making as much progress as I thought.
Explanation
Means 'as one wishes, the way one hoped'. It asks whether things go as you expected. In practice it is mostly used with a negative: 「思うようにいかない」「思うように進まない」「思うように体が動かない」, showing reality falling short of hope, with frustration: 「練習しても思うように上達しない」 (No matter how I practice, I don't improve the way I want). Before a noun use 「思うような」: 「思うような結果が得られなかった」 (I couldn't get the result I wanted).
Mixed up with
「思うように」 almost always goes with a negative, and is the most natural way to say 'it's not going well, I'm stuck'. It is rare in positive sentences.
「思い通りに」 is common in both positive and negative sentences; when positive it means exactly as wished, with more sense of control: 「すべて思い通りに進んでいる」 (Everything is going as I wanted).