How to make progress exciting again (even if you're stuck)
Summary
TLDRThis script discusses the challenges of maintaining consistent progress over time and offers strategies to keep motivation high. It suggests that while discipline is key, passion acts as a catalyst for success. The speaker proposes taking breaks or making strategic changes to routines to overcome stagnation and procrastination. Examples from fitness, learning instruments, and language acquisition illustrate how alternating focus can lead to more efficient and enjoyable progress, ultimately suggesting that embracing change can be a natural rhythm to drive personal growth.
Takeaways
- π Consistent progress over time is often more challenging than making initial progress due to the potential for boredom or loss of motivation.
- ποΈββοΈ The enjoyment of a new activity can diminish over time, leading to a decrease in motivation, which can be particularly problematic for activities requiring long-term commitment like fitness or learning new languages.
- π Procrastination can be a sign that we need to make a change in our routine, indicating a need for variety or a reassessment of our goals and progress.
- π Motivation and passion can act as 'extra fuel' for disciplined individuals, enhancing their progress towards goals.
- π Taking a break from an activity can sometimes rejuvenate interest and motivation, but it's important to consider the potential negative impacts on progress in certain areas like fitness.
- π οΈ Strategic changes to routines, rather than complete breaks, can help maintain progress and prevent stagnation while also addressing a lack of motivation.
- π§ Assessing whether you are making progress and are satisfied with your routine is crucial before deciding to make changes.
- π― Having clear goals and understanding what you want can help in planning and making strategic changes to routines to keep progress exciting and motivating.
- π Using metaphors like a jigsaw puzzle, house construction, or gardening can help visualize the process of making strategic changes in various areas of life to maintain overall progress.
- π€ΈββοΈ In fitness, periodizationβa systematic planning of training cyclesβcan help prevent plateaus and keep progress interesting and effective.
- πΌ For skills like playing an instrument, changing practice methods or focusing on different aspects of learning can keep the process engaging and promote continued improvement.
- π Applying the concept of strategic changes to studying can make learning more dynamic, such as alternating between different subjects or types of exercises within a study session.
Q & A
What is the main challenge discussed in the script regarding making progress?
-The main challenge discussed is making consistent progress over a long period without quitting or getting distracted, which can be hard but doesn't have to be.
Why does the initial excitement for a new activity tend to fade over time?
-The excitement fades because the novelty wears off, leading to a decrease in motivation and eventually, if not addressed, a sense of dread or procrastination regarding the activity.
What is the role of motivation and passion in maintaining consistency in progress?
-Motivation and passion act as extra fuel, helping individuals to push through the desire to procrastinate and maintain consistency, especially when progress slows down.
Why might taking a break from an activity be beneficial?
-Taking a break can rejuvenate an individual, potentially reigniting their motivation and passion for the activity, allowing them to return with a fresh perspective and renewed energy.
What is the concept of 'periodization' in the context of fitness?
-Periodization is the practice of making planned changes to a workout routine to keep progress consistent and prevent stagnation or boredom.
How can strategic changes to a routine help maintain motivation?
-Strategic changes can provide new challenges and variety, preventing boredom and helping to sustain interest and motivation in the activity.
What is the 'limus test' mentioned in the script for evaluating a routine?
-The 'limus test' involves assessing whether you are making progress and whether you are happy with your current routine. If both conditions are met, it suggests continuing with the routine until one of the conditions changes.
Why is it important to consider whether you enjoy what you're currently doing in your routine?
-Enjoyment is crucial because if you're not enjoying your routine, it may not be the best use of your time and effort, and you might be missing out on other activities that could be more fulfilling and productive.
How can the concept of working on a jigsaw puzzle be applied to making progress in life?
-The jigsaw puzzle concept suggests that you can work on different areas of your life (like different parts of a puzzle) even if you get stuck in one area, ensuring overall progress continues.
What are some examples of strategic changes one could make in their fitness routine?
-Examples include changing the type of exercise (e.g., from squats to lunges), altering the sets and reps, or modifying the grip width during exercises to introduce variety and maintain progress.
How can the idea of 'unwalked paths' be applied to personal growth and development?
-The 'unwalked paths' concept encourages exploring new areas of interest or skills that one has not yet pursued, which can lead to personal growth and prevent stagnation in one's development.
Outlines
π Consistent Progress and Motivation
The paragraph discusses the difficulty of maintaining consistent progress over time and the natural ebb and flow of motivation. It suggests that while discipline is crucial, passion and motivation act as 'extra fuel' that can enhance progress. The speaker introduces the idea that taking a break or making strategic changes can be beneficial, rather than pushing through lack of motivation, which may indicate a need for change. The importance of measuring progress and the psychological benefits of change are highlighted, with the suggestion that changes should be strategic and goal-oriented.
ποΈββοΈ Fitness and the Benefits of Change
This paragraph delves into the concept of making strategic changes in fitness routines to maintain progress and excitement. It explains that even professional athletes and serious fitness enthusiasts modify their routines to keep things fresh and avoid stagnation. The paragraph introduces the idea of 'periodization' and emphasizes the psychological benefits of change, such as increased enjoyment and motivation. It also provides examples of how to make these changes, such as alternating between different exercises or adjusting sets and reps, to keep the body challenged and progress ongoing.
πΈ Exploring New Horizons in Skill Development
The speaker expands the discussion to include skill development beyond fitness, such as learning to play an instrument or a new language. They suggest that after establishing a solid foundation in a skill, it's beneficial to explore related areas to keep the learning process exciting and to prevent plateaus. Examples include alternating between learning songs and improving fundamental skills on an instrument, or focusing on conversational skills and then moving on to studying idioms in language learning. The paragraph encourages mixing and matching different aspects of learning to maintain interest and progress.
π Embracing Life's Natural Rhythm for Progress
In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the broader concept of progress and change in life. They liken the alternation of activities to the natural rhythm of life, such as the changing of seasons or the alternation of day and night, and suggest that embracing this rhythm can help us achieve our goals. The paragraph concludes with a reminder that while consistency is key, the desire for change is also a natural part of growth, and that making strategic changes can help us overcome procrastination and maintain momentum towards our objectives.
π Additional Resources for Fitness Enthusiasts
The last paragraph serves as a brief notice to the audience about additional resources available for those interested in fitness, such as a free fitness routine, a fitness book, and a fitness app. This paragraph is more of a call to action for the audience to engage further with the content and philosophy discussed in the video script.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Progress
π‘Motivation
π‘Consistency
π‘Procrastination
π‘Strategic Changes
π‘Periodization
π‘Repetitions (Reps)
π‘Sets
π‘Isometrics
π‘Guilt
π‘Puzzle Metaphor
Highlights
Making consistent progress over years without quitting or getting distracted can be hard, but there are ways to make it easier.
Initial excitement for a new activity often fades over time, leading to procrastination and reduced motivation.
Consistency and hard work are crucial for achieving significant results, even when motivation wanes.
Procrastination can signal the need for change if progress feels slow or stagnates.
Taking a break from an activity can rejuvenate motivation and prevent burnout.
Strategic changes to routines can maintain progress and keep activities engaging.
Assess whether progress is being made and if the current routine is enjoyable before deciding on changes.
Small, strategic changes in routines can lead to faster overall progress by exploring different aspects of a skill or activity.
Alternating between different areas of focus can help overcome plateaus and provide new perspectives.
For fitness, periodization involves planned changes to workout routines to keep progress consistent.
Exploring different exercises or variations can prevent progress from stalling and maintain motivation.
Changes in routine should align with personal goals and interests to be effective and enjoyable.
In learning new skills, a solid foundation should be built before exploring different aspects or related skills.
Mixing primary focus with secondary interests within a routine can maintain engagement and progress.
Scheduled breaks during study or work sessions can improve focus and productivity.
Understanding and embracing natural rhythms and cycles in life can enhance progress and overcome challenges.
Procrastination can sometimes be a sign of the need for a strategic change rather than just a lack of discipline.
Transcripts
hey Friends making progress can be hard
sometimes right or more specifically
making progress can be easy making
progress consistently over years and
years without quitting or getting
distracted that can be hard but it
doesn't have to be there are ways to
make progress easier and more
consistently and be more motivated
throughout the process and here's how
and the answer may be a little simpler
and more intuitive than we think so at
some point in your life you might have
tried something that was fun and
exciting at first maybe a fitness
routine a new sport with friends or even
just learning a new skill like a new
language over time you may notice a
trend you look forward to this thing at
first like a game you can't wait to get
off work or school and start playing it
again and then the effect dies down a
bit you still like it but not quite as
much as you did when you first started
and then you're neutral about it and
eventually if you work hard you dread it
and it's not a big deal for things like
video games or things we do for fun
because we can just come back to it
later but it can be a pretty big problem
for things like Fitness and learning new
languages because they require more
consistency and because require
consistency you'll sometimes
procrastinate even if you're an
extraordinarily dedicated individual
sometimes you'll just feel like putting
it off and around this point for things
like Fitness and work and learning you
might be told to push past that keep
doing push through the desire to
procrastinate and be lazy and you can
reap the reward that's on the other side
of that you may have heard motivational
quotes like boring is what wins
consistency really matters or put into
work even when it feels hard and this
can be very valid advice consistency and
hard work are where a lot of results
happen however and I decided I'm going
to move around for this video I think of
motivation and passion as extra fuel if
you take two equally disciplined
individuals the more passionate one is
more likely to win because their work
time and their playtime are going to go
towards their goal and more importantly
while procrastination can be an issue if
left unchecked of course procrastination
can also be a sign that we need to make
a change if we lack the motivation that
we once had it could be a sign from our
mind and body that we need to do
something different and they're not
always wrong maybe we're not as
motivated because progress is coming
slower than it should and we feel that
intuitively even if we haven't
recognized it up here maybe progress has
stopped altogether or maybe we're not
even sure what progress we're making and
we need a better way to measure these
are all things that can affect
motivation thankfully there's a pretty
easy solution for all of this just take
a break from whatever it is you're doing
maybe do something else for a few months
and then come back and you might be
rejuvenated but wait a second you might
think whoa Hampton hang on hold your
horses Nelly
wouldn't taking a break actually slow
down our progress and in fact if we stop
we might actually go backwards in
progress and yes in Fitness for example
this is a very valid concern the reason
many coaches advise trainees against
changing their routines too often is
because it makes progress harder to
measure Plus in many fields improvements
often come from doing the same thing
over and over again and making slight
improvements over time we tend to get
diminishing returns as we get more
advanced but it's better than stopping
and again this doesn't matter as much
for things like Hobbies like playing
guitar or cooking and I like both of
those things but I don't do them for a
living and I'm not like super focused on
improving so I can take a break pretty
much whenever I want and come back later
but for areas where we want or need to
make consistent progress like our job
our studies our fitness and health it
can matter a lot so instead of stopping
our routine we can make changes
strategic changes instead of pausing our
routine we can modulate it so if you
want a visualization if your progress
line is slowing down over time you can
pivot and even though you're not going
the exact same direction you're still
making faster progress over time but how
we change is super important they need
to be strategic changes there are good
ways and bad ways or better ways and
worse ways and it depends on our goals
the first thing you might want to
consider is if you should make a change
at all because you might not have to yet
the limus test I use is are you making
progress and are you happy with your
current routine this can apply to
Fitness studying or anything in which
you're trying to make progress because
if you are making progress and you like
what you're doing then I would just keep
doing that until one of those two
conditions change this one's an easy one
don't worry too much about what other
people might say because your situation
might be different however if progress
slows down or especially if it slows to
a crawl then you may want to consider
changes and even if that's not an issue
or you believe that doing what you're
currently doing is the best way for you
to get results then you might want to
ask yourself a follow-up question which
is do you enjoy what you're currently
doing is it the best way to spend your
time and effort and if not then you may
also want to consider changing changes
and I'll explain why those two
conditions are important the key is to
make subtle strategic routine changes in
areas you want to improve anyway so
think about your current routine what
are you improving what are you working
on and even if it's nothing don't worry
that happens you can start whenever next
consider what you think you should work
on we usually already have a few
thoughts in the back of our minds maybe
we know we want to lose or gain weight
but we haven't had the time yet or we've
always wanted to learn a new language or
an instrument most of us already have
goals that we haven't pursued yet or
haven't pursued to the degree that we
want we all have unfinished side quests
so to speak and these unw walked paths
as I'll call them if we leave them too
long they can Fester into guilt
procrastination and low self-esteem
because we know we want to work on them
and we just haven't kind of like an
unrealized dream but if we go through
life knowing that we'll make changes
sometimes and these paths actually
become full of potential and give us
even more room to blossom and grow think
about working on a large jigsaw puzzle
after you start to connect a few pieces
you'll start noticing there are many
different areas you can work on it might
seem pleasing to your mind if you say
start left and work your way right but
it doesn't have to work out that way and
it usually doesn't you can work on one
spot of the puzzle and after you get
stuck or progress slows down then you
can work on other parts that you already
know that you want to work on you may
not be making progress in the same area
but you're still making overall progress
in areas you want or need to do anyway
if you want to finish the whole puzzle
right so overall progress is not stopped
or even slowed and more importantly
you're making more progress faster
progress than if you spent your effort
and time trying to Brute Force the
places where you were stuck in fact the
new pieces you connect and the new areas
you complete might help clarify or give
context when you eventually go back to
the places you were stuck and of course
this is just a metaphor but it really
helped me when I started to see my life
this way and you can use the metaphor of
a puzzle or you can think of a house
after you lay the foundation you can
work on different rooms or you can think
of a garden where you can cultivate
different plants but let's go to some
real world examples and since we're a
fitness channel supposed to be a Channel
we can start with the fitness example
and it might seem familiar to you
because if you've ever worked out then
you most likely have applied this to
your Fitness at some point even if
unintentionally the vast majority of
people I know don't stick to the same
workout routine for their entire lives
from people who rarely work out to
professional athletes for example people
who are less serious about Fitness might
try different workout Trends they may
work for a little while then they take a
break or they move on to something else
and if that's you don't worry too much
exercise isn't going anywhere gravity
isn't going anywhere you'll be here when
you want it hopefully and people who are
serious about their Fitness track their
progress like the weight they can lift
or the muscle they've gained and they
actually make plan changes to their
routine to keep progress consistent this
concept has been around for a long time
but is sometimes called periodization so
as you can see we can benefit from
adding changes to our routines but we
have to make the right ones for our
goals but in the context of this video
I'm talking about making changes if you
already want to make them maybe your
progress is slow down or stopped or
you're sick and tired of doing the same
thing and you want to try something else
and from that you can see that even if
there were no physical benefits there
are still psychological benefits again
it's a lot more fun when progress feels
exciting but there are physical benefits
because you're practicing things that
you want to practice anyway and in any
case you can make strategic changes
within your goals to keep progress
moving and the ideal changes will depend
on the goals you have because say if you
just want overall Fitness then you have
much more freedom to explore different
exercises let's say you're working on
squats and you have some stall progress
you could perhaps work on lunges you're
still working your legs and you're still
building strength and muscle and
Mobility so you won't lose much if any
progress in your squats and you're just
coloring a different part of the board
again this works for you if you want
overall Fitness or even overall strength
if you stay diligent and Progressive on
your lunges you'll come back as strong
or stronger with your squats if you
alternate between squats and lunges and
do this around one or twice a year then
you can effectively double the number of
exercises you're working on because
you'd swap back and forth and wouldn't
have to cram them all into the same
trading sessions by the way you can swap
back and forth between two things but
you can add more if you want you can
swap between three or four but that's
really only if you don't really care
about specializing in any particular
thing you just want to explore on the
other hand some people really want to
focus on a specific exercise maybe you
just want to really get your bench press
numbers up if you change the push-ups or
weed dips that might work all right but
you want to bench press maybe you're
competing or maybe just really like the
exercise I totally get it I've been
obsessed with certain exercises before
many times in this case you can keep the
exercise but change the sets and Reps
you do if you've been focusing on the 6
to9 rep range you can try increasing the
weight and going down to 3 to 5 or
lowering the weight and exploring 15 to
20 reps you can think of it as building
strength muscle or endurance but
functionally it's just exploring
different rep and set ranges but again
explore things that you want or need
later if your goal is strength and
building some muscle probably wouldn't
hurt and vice versa but if you really
don't want to change any of that then
you can just change things like the grip
width you can alternate between standard
and narrow I guess narrow bench press is
more like this depending on the person I
train a lot with isometrics so for me
the change is easy I just change the
angle and from here we can see that
progress never really stalls or stops
because there are so many different
Dimensions to our progress even if you
reached your theoretical genetic limit
on a muscle highly unlikely by the way
you still work on your endurance or
muscle capacity or mobility and you can
mix and match these for example if you
want to change the lower reps and higher
weight you can still include some higher
rep sets in your accessory work after
you do your main sets hope this isn't
too much detail some people dislike the
following but I recommend sometimes
pursuing the changes that interest you
yes hard productive work is not always
fun sometimes we have to do things even
though they're hard however our work the
grind doesn't have to be miserable all
the time either it's possible to enjoy
what we're doing while we're working
hard yes consistency is very important
it's how we make and measure progress we
accomplish tremendous Feats over small
increments of improvement Over time
however if you have been consistently
working on something for a while you may
naturally have a desire to explore for
Fitness maybe you want to challenge
yourself on different exercises or if
you primarily like strength and Mobility
maybe you would like some bodybuilding
at some point by the way muscle can be
really useful even if you don't want to
be a bodybuilder I mentioned that
earlier but it's something I want to
discuss more in my content like a lot of
the things we do for muscle building is
also increasing muscle capacity so
you're still building strength you are
building functionality and stability
sometimes and very notably more control
because you can hold or move the stuff
longer more times the types of changes
we make within our routine could be a
whole video within itself let me know if
you're at all interested but what about
some examples outside of Fitness after
all the title and concept was about how
to make progress exciting again how do I
keep feeling excited and motivated about
other things in life well firstly we may
have to ask our some questions and more
clearly Define our goals to understand
what we want and after we know what we
want or think we know what we want then
we can make a plan to better move in
that direction so let's say for example
you always want to learn to play an
instrument like the guitar you might
want to ask yourself if you specifically
like the guitar or if you just want to
play music because if you like overall
music and you have Ambitions to learn
different things then you could
alternate between instruments like
bringing the piano for a few weeks or
months however if you specifically want
to get better at the guitar and improve
faster which I kind of recommend then
you can just change the way you practice
ractice after you build a foundation and
you can play fairly competently you'll
realize there are many things you can
explore you can alternate between
learning songs and developing
fundamental skills for example to help
you learn songs faster you can brush up
on chord theory if that ever gets tiring
or boring then you can work on figure
style playing that applies to many of
these things by the way the exploration
usually comes after you build a solid
foundation like when I mentioned
building a house usually you want to get
the foundation down first before you
explore too much it'll help you remember
understand and use the skills that you
develop later on for things like
language anguage you could learn
multiple languages at the same time but
that might feel odd you probably will
feel more comfortable becoming
proficient with one language first and
the learning one language can help you
with other languages because there are
many shared Concepts but you could focus
on conversational skills for a while and
then study idioms or read related
cultural books or you can work on
writing a notable thing is that you can
mix and match these while watching this
video you might think well I don't want
to alternate too much I might forget
what I've learned you might want a more
holistic day-to-day learning experience
that covers everything with some
frequency and you can have that you
don't have to change everything you can
just change the focus if you want let's
say you practice for an hour a day or 20
minutes a day depending on how much time
you have you can spend 75% of that time
focusing on your main thing and then 25%
of the time on the other things you want
to work on so maintime practicing
conversation other times grammar or vice
versa practicing chords are practicing
conversational skills and then the
remainder can go into learning a song
you like or writing or vice versa by the
way I know a lot of you watching this
are in school and this can also apply to
studying homework and essays and stuff
because of the nature of school you
usually have to do multiple subjects at
once so you can't alternate too much but
within the context of a single study
session or homework session this is a
place where plan breaks can really help
before you start working set a timer for
30 minutes and when it goes off walk
around stretch and take a break set a
timer for that too like 5 minutes and
when it goes off you can come back
that's why I did in college and it
helped like hours sometimes I don't even
remember the subjects there are many
different potential fields that I'm
talking about and covering right now
we're just talking about learning in
general progress in general change in
general but some Fields may have ideal
ways to learn and you don't have to mess
up that formula I'm not suggesting you
go against everything you know to work
but if you're able to you can tweak some
of those variables to keep you more
interested and if that is keeping you
learning and progressing in an enjoyable
way at a good consistent Pace I'd say
it's pretty close to Ideal so as you can
see adding slight strategic changes to
our routines can be super helpful when
learning new things and developing new
skills I relate to the idea that after
we get into a good Groove and we're
comfortable
we finally found a routine that we like
we may not want to change I don't want
to disrupt that but after we're settled
in for a while we may naturally want to
explore and that's when we can consider
adding changes we're not wasting time
for building things that we wanted to
build at some point anyway understanding
this changed how I see the world almost
everything alternates to some degree and
it's this alternation that drives our
progress people can walk one foot and
then the other foot we don't think about
changing our steps we're just walking
forward we wake and then we sleep and
this keeps us growing and healthy
doesn't have to be only few things
either Wheels turn and pistons move up
and down this Powers engines and drives
us forward seasons change spring summer
fall winter and the cycle sustains life
on Earth by recognizing and embracing
this natural Rhythm of Life we can
simulate it to help us towards our goals
and overcome challenges procrastination
can be an issue not everything we like
to do is fun and it can sometimes stop
us from doing the things that we know we
need to do however sometimes it could be
a sign that we want to make a change or
need to make a change in this change can
help us keep moving forward I have a
free Fitness routine on the website as
well as a fitness book and a fitness app
if you want to incorporate some of these
philosophies into your training had a
beautiful day
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