A thing I’ve learned from weightlifting (also from Destiny, but that’s a whole other thing), is the value of showing up several times a week and putting in the right kind of work.
Learning is training, and the quality of your reps is important. David Perell makes the connection better than I could:
Athletes train. Musicians train. Performers train. But knowledge workers don’t.
Knowledge workers should train like LeBron, and implement strict “learning plans.” To be sure, intellectual life is different from basketball. Success is harder to measure and the metrics for improvement aren’t quite as clear. Even then, there’s a lot to learn from the way top athletes train. They are clear in their objectives and deliberate in their pursuit of improvement.Learn like an athlete
Knowledge workers should imitate them.
In short:
- Train intentionally: choose one learning project per quarter.
- Do the reps: learn every day.
- Train in public/on Instagram: write/blog/etc. about your journey.
Economist Tyler Cowen also commented and shared his routine.
My personal routine this month is: read fiction and non-fiction every day. Write or revise every day with an eye towards building up my muscle for publishing articles on this blog.
Also: floss every night. 🤷♂️
Related: applying a fitness training mindset to software development is a great way to reach “I know this”!
