On the first day of class, Jerry Uelsmann, a professor at the University of Florida, divided his film photography students into two groups.
The left side of the classroom formed the "quantity" group, graded solely on the volume of their work. The final grade would depend on the number of photos each student submitted by the end of the term: 100 photos for an A, 90 for a B, 80 for a C, and so on.
Meanwhile, the right side of the room constituted the "quality" group. They were graded only on the excellence of their work. They had to produce just one photo during the semester, but it had to be nearly perfect to earn an A.
To Uelsmann's surprise, by the end of the term, all the best photos were produced by the quantity group. Throughout the semester, these students continually took photos, experimented with composition and lighting, tested various methods in the darkroom, and learned from their mistakes. Through creating hundreds of photos, they honed their skills. In contrast, the quality group spent most of their time theorizing about perfection, and in the end, had little to show for their efforts other than unverified theories and one mediocre photo.
WHY IT MATTERS: It is easy to get bogged down trying to find the optimal plan for change:
- the fastest way to lose weight,
- the best program to build muscle,
- the perfect idea for a side hustle.
We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action.
GO DEEPER: There is a difference between being in motion and being in meditation.
MEDITATION-MODE VS MOTION-MODE
While in meditation mode, you're planning, strategizing, and learning. These are all beneficial activities, but they don't produce a result.
Motion-mode, on the other hand, is the type of behavior that will deliver an outcome.
- If I outline twenty ideas for articles I want to write, that’s meditation.
- If I actually sit down and write an article, that’s motion.
- If I search for a better diet plan and read a few books on the topic, that’s meditation.
- If I actually eat a healthy meal, that’s motion.
Sometimes meditation is useful, but it will never produce an outcome by itself. It doesn’t matter how many times you go talk to the personal trainer, that motion will never get you in shape. Only the action of working out will get the result you’re looking to achieve.
If meditation-mode doesn’t lead to results, why do we do it?
Sometimes we do it because we actually need to plan or learn more. But more often than not, we do it because meditation-mode allows us to feel like we’re making progress without running the risk of failure.
Most of us are experts at avoiding criticism. It doesn’t feel good to fail or to be judged publicly, so we tend to avoid situations where that might happen. And that’s the biggest reason why you slip into meditation rather than motion: you want to delay failure. It’s easy to be in meditation and convince yourself that you’re still making progress.
You think, “I’ve got conversations going with four potential clients right now. This is good. We’re moving in the right direction.” Or, “I brainstormed some ideas for that book I want to write. This is coming together.”
Meditation-mode makes you feel like you’re getting things done. But really, you’re just preparing to get something done.
When preparation becomes a form of procrastination, you need to change something. You don’t want to merely be planning. You want to be practicing. If you want to master a habit, the key is to start with repetition, not perfection. You don’t need to map out every feature of a new habit. You just need to practice it.
This is the first takeaway of the 3rd Law: you just need to get your reps in...
more tomorrow,
Hunter
more tomorrow,
Hunter