Don't Do Only The Boring Stuff

Be good at the boring stuff, but just don't do only the boring stuff.

The boring stuff can get very monotonous, as in making a sketch every day or two, checking in on your fitness routine or reviewing a weekly budget, etc.

The days I look forward to making a sketch are less than the days I don't look forward to making a sketch, and the days I neither look forward nor not look forward to making a sketch are even more than both previously mentioned combined.

I just try as much as possible to stay around the neutral zone between both extremes and get on with the task at hand. Because an underlying component that's hard to see at the moment is every practice session develops my "skill muscle" in this domain.

I think the principle of compound interest can be called compounded practice in the skill development domain, whereby progress isn't happening linearly although our efforts seem to dictate so.

Unlike sustainable habits that focus purely on maintenance, sustainable progress leading up to mastery comes with a needed tension inherent in almost any worthwhile pursuit.

The mundane, repetitive actions that build fundamental competence versus the exciting, innovative leaps that provide meaning and clarity are in some ways two sides of the same coin.

Most days, the passion isn't burning; the task just is and it's in this "neutral zone" that the real work happens.

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Blind Faith On A Proven Process

Our brains prefer linear narratives because we've evolved to make sense of cause and effect in our environment.

We expect that if we put in X effort, we'll see Y progress.

But in creative skill acquisition that's usually associated with the right hemisphere of the brain, progress is rarely a straight line.

It's more like a staircase hidden in fog. You climb, walk on a plateau, and climb again.

How do we maintain commitment when we can't see the immediate results of our efforts?

Of course, none of this could be possible without the sheer act of showing up and keeping the momentum alive through consistency.

It's a bit like having blind faith in a process you can't fully see, only the difference here is that the evidence of past breakthroughs gives you reason to trust the invisible work happening beneath the surface.

At least for me, without engaging in activities that are exciting, challenging, or creatively stimulating, the monotony usually slips towards burnout and stagnation over a relatively short amount of time.

What makes this particularly interesting for me is how it challenges our cultural obsession with inspiration and natural talent.

Reliability Of Showing Up

I've grown tired of this mythology that excellence should feel exciting and effortless, so much so that I've begun to view periods of uninspired work as necessary medicine instead of a warning sign.

When we encounter the inevitable stretches of uninspired work, we interpret this as evidence that we're not meant for this pursuit or that we lack natural ability.

In reality, the capacity to show up during these neutral or sometimes negative motivation states is probably the most reliable predictor of long-term success.

However, don't do only the boring stuff. Pure routine without novelty leads to stagnation. The skilled practitioner learns to weave variety into their foundation of consistency.

In my case, I'd plan on dedicating four days a week to observational drawing (the boring stuff) and reserve the other three for experimental techniques/different mediums.

Whatever your case may be, the principle framework is embracing the boring foundation while at the same time introducing elements that stretch your capabilities and maintain engagement.

The latter mostly works on preventing the psychological fatigue that comes from endless repetition.

The former builds the technical foundation that makes almost everything else possible.


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