Before I start, I will admit that this post is a little more abstract. There is almost no mention of concrete examples, but if you extend the concepts I talk about, you should be able to establish the practical message being this.
Someone once said that insanity can be defined by doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.
That may be a little too harsh. While I think it irrational, I personally succumb to that pattern at times. Personally, I think the reason boils down to either fear or laziness; fear of the uncertain outcome if we did something differently, or the unwillingness to crunch out the work to start from scratch again.
Even if those generalisations fail to paint a complete picture, the necessary steps to correct the situation remain the same…
Step 1: Find out what’s not working
A machine breaks down, and you don’t know why. It could be any one of the hundreds of components within the machine.
The first logical step is thus to diagnose the problem. The easiest solution would be to see if anyone else had a similar problem, making your problem easier to identify. For a fitness related example, see the post “Keep a Training Log”.
Step 2: Find out if anyone else has figured out how to fix your problem
Don’t waste time innovating when you can spend time imitating and implementing. In many areas, especially health and fitness related goals, the path has been walked by thousands of others. Use their experience, and use it well.
Step 3: (if needed) Come up with a novel solution based on contextual information of past performance
Of course, as I noted in ‘Stop searching for the Perfect Answer’ and ‘A Matter of Faith’, sometimes, you can’t find answers from the outside world. Now is the time when recording down your history helps (link to keep a training log). Use it, and innovate a way out of your problems.
Final Words
I didn’t reveal much new insight in terms of the methodology. This simple process is applied in so many areas of study, from engineering to literature (seriously).
What I find funny is the fact that people don’t apply these principles to other areas of life. For some reason, applying a step-wise process as above to an area like planning your diet seems trivial and “not worth the time” to most people.
However, the most successful people routinely question assumptions, test predictions, and grease their skills; They always get the basics right.
Unfortunately, humans are true creatures of habit. We try to rationalise our aversion for change and justify habituation. Add to that the fact that “getting the basics right” is often the hardest task to do.[1] Only the people who break out of this pattern truly achieve anything in life.
The good news is, it takes less self-discipline/effort than you think. Oftentimes, once you get the momentum going, the positive feedback leads to unstoppable inertia.
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[1] If you observe the top practitioners of any field, you will find this consistently true. The best guitarists have the most flawless picking technique. The best drummers manage to hit the drums hard and fast without breaking their tendons. The best runners take balanced strides with no excessive sway. The best typists can use all 10 fingers. The best programmers use the most efficiently run code.
Getting the basics right is hard, which is why so few people can do it.
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