Two Key Elements for Every Practice
Build One Perfect Chunk
In our busy lives, it’s sometimes tempting to regard merely practicing as a success. We complete the hour and we are happy…. “Mission Accomplished”. But the real goal isn’t practice it is progress. As the legendary basketball coach from UCLA John Wooden said “Never mistake mere activity for accomplishment”.
One useful method is to set a daily SAP – “Smallest Achievable Perfection”. In this technique you pick a single chunk that you can perfect – not just improve, not just work on but get 100 percent consistently correct. A tennis player may work on the toss, a business person may work on the 20 second pitch he would make to a client. The point is to take the time to aim at a small, defined target, and then put all your effort towards hitting it. For our athletes, we ask them to involve their coach in helping to pick out a few of these “SAPs”.
Remember, we are not built to be transformed in a single day. You improve little by little, connection by connection, rep by rep. As John Wooden also said, “Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. See the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens and when it happens, it lasts”.
Embrace the Struggle
When you visit talent hotbeds around the world – whether it be sports or music you will see the same facial expressions. You will see the ultra-talented with eyes narrowed, jaws tight, nostrils flared intently reaching for something, falling short, and reaching again. Deep practice has a telltale sign…a feeling that can be summed up in one word: “Struggle”.
Most of us instinctively avoid struggle, because it uncomfortable. It feels like failure. However, when it comes to developing your talent, struggle isn’t an option – it is a necessity. This might sound strange but it’s the way evolution has built us. The struggle and frustration you feel means you are the edge of your abilities and in order to improve you must be there….on the edge. That uncomfortable burn of “almost, almost” is the sensation of constructing new neural connections. You need a level of difficulty to help your brain improve. Next time you can’t quite “get it right” remember to embrace the struggle and the find that SAP (smallest achievable perfection).