It’s fascinating how many questions I ask myself that I actually already know the answers to.
“If more information was the answer, we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.” – Derek Sivers
Like many of my students, I often fall into the trap of searching for the “perfect” answer to a question. I’ll spend hours Googling, reading books, watching 27 YouTube videos, and asking ChatGPT, only to eventually realize:
“Oh, I already know the answer. It’s just about executing on it.”
I’m happy to report that the time I spend down these rabbit holes is getting shorter and shorter (maybe only 15 YouTube videos are needed now 😄).
Once I have the same realization for the 30th time, I shift my focus from searching for the ideal answer to executing what I already know. Here’s how:
1) Is this something I truly want, or is it just something society says I should want?
This is my reality check to avoid chasing after shiny objects.
Looking cool by wearing expensive things or driving fast cars? Couldn’t care less.
Going to the gym regularly to feel better, live longer, and improve my health? Oh, I definitely want that.
2) Have I already had a time when I did this consistently?
Yes. The best I did was going three times a week, along with some yoga, stretching, and running.
I don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just return to the habits that worked back then.
3) Do I have unreasonable expectations?
Oh yes. Always.
Either I don’t go to the gym at all, or I expect to be going 17 times a week and doing 35 one-arm pull-ups after just a month. Am I the only one?
It’s helpful to write these expectations down and see how ridiculous they look on paper.
Then, it’s time to adjust them and make them more manageable.
4) What is a manageable load I can stick to over the long term?
Twice a week, 45-60 minutes at the gym seems reasonable. Sure, adding in running or restarting yoga would be great too, but I’ll focus on one thing at a time.
5) When will I actually do this? Schedule it.
I lost count of how many million dollar businesses, work out routines and healthy diets I started “next week”. Which, in other words, means never.
So, I commit. I write down exactly when I’ll go to the gym next. It helps even more if I make a bet, tell a friend, or share it with my wife.
Then, I just need to execute. No excuses. No rambling. Just go, do it. The sooner, the better.
Your Turn
“Great idea,” you might be thinking as you read this. And you were about to close the email, go about your day, and forget everything in a few minutes.
Not so fast! This only works if you follow the same 5 steps. No one else is going to do the work for you.
So:
What is something you know improves your chess game, but you don’t do enough?
Make sure you actually want to improve your game. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Write down your expectations. Start small. Schedule it and execute.
Bonus: share it with me, or if you are a SCIS student, in the community.
Keep improving,
GM Noël Studer
PS: I’m back to the consistent gym grind since… yesterday. I even met a reader of the newsletter while working out. Pretty cool. Next appointment: tomorrow at 11:50 AM CEST.
PPS: This article was initially sent out to my Newsletter list. If you want to get chess improvement advice for free in your inbox, join 17,000+ chess improvers by signing up for Friday Grandmaster Insights here.
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