Deliberate Practise

Seems obvious, right? Water the roots to get the fruits.

I heard this for the first time on a podcast when I was out for my morning walk and I was intrigued.

It made me think of the concept of ‘deliberate practice’ popularised by Anders Ericsson in his book PEAK.

Basically, what Ericsson was saying is that to accomplish a goal or to gain expertise at something, one has to expend consistent, specific and focused effort until you achieve the goal or you become an expert. His studies reveal that ‘experts are always made, not born’.

So for example, if your tennis serve is the thing that lets you down during matches and you want to improve it, you allocate time, consistently, go to the tennis courts consistently, and intentionally practice your serve.

You practice your serve over and over, learning and adjusting until you get it right.

It means that during those deliberate practise sessions there are no backhands or forehands. You specifically and exclusively practise your serve!

And when you do this, you are watering the roots to get the fruits.

Which roots do you want to be watering? Go do it! And then let me know how you go.

A cluttered desk is a sign of genius

I came across an article this morning and it made me laugh.

Growing up, we were always told to have a neat and tidy desk.

In my business optimisation work we teach 5-S which is a system for increasing productivity by making sure that there is a place for everything and everything is in it’s place.

And then I find out that a messy desk is a trademark of genius…

So, I feel better now. Why?

It’s because I go through periods of feeling guilty about having a messy desk, especially when I am creating something new or working on a project with a client.

I always know where everything is and when I’m done I do the 5-S process on my desk, ready for the next immersion. It’s very satisfying.

But I’ve always wondered whether I should strive to have a neater desk AT ALL TIMES.

And now, I wonder no more. I could be a genius in the making 😉

Here is the link to the article: https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/a-messy-desk-is-a-sign-of-genius-according-to-scie.html