What I Learned: Everything Works
Stop trying to optimize. Just do the damn thing.
Hi everyone,
I hope you're all having a great weekend. For those of you who have read some of past posts, you might know that I've recently got into running. This is a new endeavour for me, so I'm learning while I go. That being said, I had a small epiphany on the treadmill a few days ago. It's not revolutionary, but something I could probably stand to remind myself every now and then.
When you're trying to learn a new skill, almost everything works. Just doing the thing consistently, over and over again, produces like 90% of the results. Yet so many of us (myself definitely included) spend countless hours trying to find the "optimal" approach before we even begin.
I think this is a particular trap for conscientious people. We care deeply about doing things the "right way". I fall into this pattern constantly. Want to learn a new skill? First, I need to research all the best techniques. Oh, there's an app? Better compare the top 5 options. What are the common mistakes to avoid? The list of clickbait-y headlines I fall for goes on and on, all in the hope that I'll find some secret that lets me learn faster or better.
But here's the truth: In almost all domains, it simply doesn't matter. Just showing up and doing the thing, over and over again, works. That's it.
Think about how fast progress comes in the beginning of learning anything new. Going from 0 to 1 is literally an undefinable amount of progress. 1 to 2 is 100% growth. Of course, this rate is logarithmic - it will slow down eventually. That's probably a good time to start learning how to optimize. But in those early stages? Everything works; anything is fine.
Given where I was when I thought about this, lets take fitness as an example. When people start weightlifting (including past-me), many get paralyzed by questions:
How often should I work out?
How long should my workouts be?
How much weight should I lift?
The answer to all of these? It doesn't really matter. Just do it consistently. In the beginning, you're so primed for growth that basically just walking into the gym will get you results - as long as you keep showing up.
Now, I'm not saying optimization doesn't exist. No one wins Olympic gold without obsessing over every minute detail of their training and recovery. But 99.99% of us aren't training for the Olympics. We just want to get fitter, learn a new language, pick up a hobby, or develop a skill. And for that? Our brains are amazingly good at learning through consistent exposure.
In today's internet age, you could spend years researching the "perfect" way to do something. Meanwhile, someone else who just started doing it - however imperfectly - is already seeing real progress. So I say to you, what I constantly need to remind myself: stop optimizing! Everything works! Just do the damn thing!
In truth, I don't think I'll ever stop trying to optimize what I do. It's in my nature, and often, it's something I value and like about myself. But this post was meant to act as a reminder to myself that sometimes I might over do it. If you're anything like me, hopefully it was a healthy reminder for you too.
Have a great week everyone!