Do Simple Things Well

Developing a skill is a worthy pursuit. Many of us will take on a new hobby or seek to expand their professional abilities. Although there's virtue in the process, it's fair to say that achieving and advancing proficiency more quickly should be preferred to less quickly.

Often we are (at least I am) guilty of jumping right into the journey and brute forcing our way through to a new skill. When excitement is high, it's easy to dive headfirst and just start doing. We make quick progress in the beginning, sure. But then there comes the plateau. What can we do to avoid stalling progression?

After reflecting on two very different pursuits of mine, I came to a realization. Perhaps gain doesn't come with pushing against boundaries, but rather repetition with precision.

Better Reps With Less Weight

When I think of plateaus, one area that stands out is the gym. I've gone to the gym consistently for nearly two decades and it's a core part of my life and identity.

I remember in my younger nears the satisfaction of increasing weight and seeing the results. Then, progress began to slow. I found my max-weight thresholds for each workout would remain around the same level. Perhaps I would retreat when my diet wasn't great or when work interrupted my routine. But when I would again find my stride, plateaus would reemerge at similar levels.

My first thought was that this is just what happens as you age. Our athleticism peaks in young adulthood and it's a slow decline thereafter. While I do feel my age increasingly with each passing day, this didn't sit well with me. It wasn't until I spent time working with a personal trainer following a back injury that my view began to shift.

Rather than reaching for max weight, I was directed to focus on better reps with considerably less weight; let's say half. I began to focus on quality rather than quantity. When I would work in heavier sets, I was surprised to learn that the top end of my strength was improving in the absence of loading my workouts.

Then I noticed this phenomenon elsewhere.

Slow But Quality Guitar Practice

Perhaps more obvious than the prior example, I found that my greatest gains in ability and agility in playing guitar came from focusing on precision over speed or complexity. I would wind the metronome backwards to a painfully slow tempo and continue with a scale, exercise or lick until I could execute without error.

In this approach, I found that there were areas in my play where I was unaware improvement was needed. Sure a note was missed occasionally when reaching for speed but surely I could execute well at a lower tempo? I found this not to be true. I tended to make similar errors even with lower difficulty.

It can be challenging to reduce the difficulty level of any practice. Experiencing the emotion associated with the perception of moving backwards isn't pleasant. However, I believe this is a very practical skill in and of itself to develop. By disconnecting your desire to be proficient today and being willing to humble yourself with basic practice, perhaps higher gains are possible. I see this as long-termism over short-termism.

In Professional Life

The previous two examples I mentioned relate to hobbies. However, I believe there's a great deal of practicality to simplistic approaches in professional pursuits.

There is an enormous quality deficit in this world. If you're a business owner, I challenge you to reflect on what services you're being charged for that you feel are being provided competently. If you're not a business owner, you'll still experience this with consumption. What experiences, services and products do you feel meet or exceed your expectations?

I suspect you'll struggle to place but a few items on this list. 

We're desensitized to mediocrity. It exists all around us. Perhaps in fatigue, we're desperate for other parties to simply breakeven with our expectations. Or possibly there's a deeper insecurity in that we feel inadequate ourselves therefore how could we possibly demand excellence of others?

The Risks of Mediocrity

First, the issues I've found with this:

People or businesses who check the boxes but nothing more are liabilities. There will come a time when a generally or barely adequate performance isn't sufficient. These events tend to be periods of high stress or demand on your business or personal life. By embedding those who aren't capable or unwilling to step up, you've introduced weakness and vulnerability into your life. I've found that this mediocrity slowly and quietly accrues like an undetected disease and then manifests itself all of a sudden and catastrophically during hard times.

Another issue I've experienced is the pursuit of 'just good enough' breeds entitlement. Entitled people are difficult to manage and reason with. They're not generous and tend to be very short-term oriented, self-centered individuals; perhaps by definition. For example, "I've poured this pre-brewed coffee in a styrofoam cup. Now tip me." This person has but only the possibility of meeting your expectations. The anticipation of additional reward for at a maximum, adequate performance is an infectious rot.

Will an entitled employee have the business's back when times are tough, accepting lower wages or none at all while working to get out of a rut? I don't expect that to be the case. Surely loyalty exists in the workplace and these employees exist. But identifying and avoiding those entitled persons will contribute towards resilience that will pay multiples during hard times.

Complexity Is a Myth

One source of mediocrity, I suspect, returns to my earlier metaphors. There's a desire to appear more advanced than is reality. In the external world, this manifests as poor service and product. 

Businesses offer an elaborative menu of complex products and services when perhaps the problem set demands a simpler solution. Many of the businesses that I contract with represent themselves as problem solvers of the difficult and complex. I find that their execution rarely meets their own specifications and generally falls well short. But what if I never needed the complex answer to begin with?

So many of my problems need simple but thoughtful solutions. I don't need all the bells and whistles, nor do I wish to pay for extra. When businesses peacock, I'm left with a feeling that there's cost bloat.

How I See the Solution

Businesses jump to the hard thing first without mastering the simple thing. Sure, there are complex problems out there that require complex solutions. But this is exaggerated.

Whatever your domain, try to be the best at the simple problems. Narrow your focus if necessary and pursue mastery in the basic before progressing to the advanced. I believe from my own experiences that there is an enormous quality deficit in this world. There simply must be considerable untapped demand for simple things done well. These things are the foundation of our society and right now I believed the simple jobs are underserved.

Final Thoughts

Returning to the starting blocks and mastering a simple task is challenging. When you're in the gym, you feel social anxiety when loading less weight. When practicing an instrument alone, you feel your own judgement in acknowledging your true ability. It's not easy.

After more than three decades on this planet pretending I'm more than I was, I'm ready to under promise and over deliver, to master the simple, and build the necessary foundation for greater challenges in the future. I'm ready to do simple things well.