Without the fundamentals, the details are
useless. --James Clear
The Courage to Focus on Fundamentals
--by James Clear, syndicated from jamesclear.com, Aug 02, 2014
I
was in the gym one day, training like usual, when my coach made an important
observation. It didn’t take me long to see how this discovery applied to other
areas of my life as well.
Here’s
what happened.
We
looked across the gym and saw someone performing lateral raises with dumbbells
while standing on a Bosu ball. (This is an exercise that focuses on smaller
muscles in the shoulder and doesn’t do much for the rest of the body.)
My
coach watched for a moment and then said, “Imagine how good you have to be for
that exercise to be the thing that gets you to the next level.”
His
point was that this person was focusing on an exercise that improved a few, tiny
muscles in their body while ignoring the more important foundational movements.
Even an Olympic athlete who had mastered the basic movements (squats, bench
press, etc.) could not honestly look in the mirror and say, “You know what’s
holding me back? I’m not doing enough lateral raises.”
In
other words, the problem is that too many people waste time on the details
before mastering the fundamentals. And I’d say the same in true outside of the
gym as well.
The Courage to Master the Fundamentals
Everybody has the same basic body and needs, and we have to have the courage to train the fundamentals, the basics, at least 80% of the time. Sure, add some spice in there now and again, but focus on the basics.
— Dan John
Committing
to the basics and mastering the fundamentals can be hard. And I get it. I’ve
struggled to fall in love with boredom and focus on the basics many times.
For
example, as an entrepreneur it is very easy for me to spend my days working on
the details. Should I make a small tweak to my website design? Should I answer
these 50 emails? Should I switch my payment processor so that I can save an
extra 2 percent on fees?
All
of these things have a place, but that place should not be at the top of my
to-do list. Instead, my time would be better spent focusing on the fundamentals.
For example, writing two really good articles each week.
Avoid the “Edge Cases”
In
the words of my friend, Corbett Barr, people waste too much
time debating edge cases. Edge cases are the what-ifs, the could-bes, the minor
details — the things that might make a 2 percent difference, but mostly distract
you from the real work that would make 80 percent of the difference.
* If you’re considering a new diet, but you’re worried that you might not be
able to stick with it when you go out with your friends on Thursday nights, then
you’re worrying about an edge case. Thursday night isn’t going to make or break
you. It’s the work you put in during the other 20 meals of the week that
matters.
* If you’re starting a business and you’re debating over business cards or
shipping methods or a thousand other things that could delay you from finding
your first paying customer, then you’re stuck on the edge cases. You can
optimize later. Meanwhile, delaying this decision is bringing in exactly zero
dollars.
* If you’re trying to “get all of your ducks in a row” or figure out “the
right way to do this” then you’re probably giving yourself an excuse to avoid
the hard decisions. Research is only useful until it becomes a form of
procrastination. In most cases, you’ll discover better answers by doing than by
researching.
The
greatest skill in any endeavor is doing the work. And for that reason, most
people don’t need more time, more money, or better strategies. They just need to
do the real work and master the basics.
Don’t Fear the Fundamentals
Most
people avoid the fundamentals because they don’t have the guts to become great
at them. When you eliminate everything that is unnecessary, there are no details
to hide behind. You’re left with just the basics and whether or not you have
mastered them.
It’s
easier to tell people that you’re “working on a new strategy” or you’re “doing
more research.” It’s hard to say, “I’m focusing on the basics, but I haven’t
made much progress yet.”
Do
you have the courage to simplify and become the best at the basics? Stop wasting
time on the details that make the last 10% of difference.
What
good is a lateral raise if you can’t do a proper press? What good is a fancy
business logo if you haven’t found your first paying customer? What good is a
better guitar if you haven’t built the habit of practicing each day?
Without
the fundamentals, the details are useless.
Be The Change: Take inventory of your to-do
list. Which tasks will best serve your highest purpose?
