I hear an argument that goes something like “Generally you get can 80% of the results for 20% of the effort. Thus, there’s little reason to do something every day, if it’s not really going to supercharge your results by that much”. Then, they link doing something every day as a form of unnecessary effort, meaning that additional work after a certain point is wasted.
Coming from a family of workaholics with a creative passion and a hunger, I wholeheartedly disagree with this notion. Much of my family is successful in a financial sense of the word, but riches often come from a loftier idea than just money. What I’m getting at is a requisite for success is being able to support yourself, but it isn’t sufficient to live a life full of purpose and meaning.
I think a large part of the happiness from my family is mastering their craft, and engaging with the world creatively. The way I’m thinking about craft is in a broad sense of the word. Just because your canvass isn’t made out of linen doesn’t mean that you aren’t shaping the world around you to your vision. Your craft is your lifeblood, your essence. Things that you could do regardless of material riches. Everyone I’ve met who is thriving is doing something they care about.
I take this observation to mean that if you can’t integrate what you’re doing into who you are, you probably aren’t doing something that can have abundant returns on time.
Let’s take a step back, and talk a little about my family, which I’m sure will give some insights into how I approach the world.
My grandmother is about to turn 80. She’s been working in real estate for most of her life, and continues to do so. I think a big part of her staying so lucid, energetic, and intense is a desire to continue. I see firsthand how the purpose associated with her work keeps her vibrant and almost crazed. Those billionaire guru types like Michael Munger, Warren Buffett, and Larry Ellison have a similar level of intensity into the twilight of their lives (unless PT gets his way…. which I’m hoping for). While she’s continuing to get recognition, awards, and money, it is pretty clear that the money isn’t what is important.
I see my aunt as also having a similar level of mastery of the things that she approaches. She was a pharmaceutical sales prodigy, learning the insights into how doctors worked, prior to sales becoming more regulated. She’s brilliant at figuring out what motivates people, and is constantly learning. Although her life has changed a lot, she’s still cultivated her talents and tons of charisma. Despite taking on a more housewife-like role in her family, she’s started teaching comedy classes, and writes sketches. Did I mention that she’s made a documentary?
My mom also has a unique trajectory. She used to be a schoolteacher before writing several books, selling fashion stuff on Amazon, and then finally becoming a high conflict divorce coach. It’s clear she loves what she does, and works upwards of 60 hours a week on related content. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say she’s the best in the world at what she does.
This might be Jewish woman syndrome that explains their success, but I don’t think so. I think instead it’s an unrelenting approach to what they’re doing, and a persistence. I imagine that’s what most successful people have going for them. People like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and many others make much more than what’s necessary to live comfortably in the financial sense. The differentiator is that they can’t imagine not continuing to do their craft.
Now that I’ve given a bit of a picture of my familial influences, I want to approach why I think an unrelenting approach is good in all good things.
I think the biggest and most obvious benefit to doing things every day is compounding betterness. When people regularly take days off, there is a slight decline in their abilities, they distance themselves from game day, and segment their lives between work and whatever else. I imagine this separation takes a great deal of energy and compartmentalizing.
By contrast, those who apply themselves every day don’t have to engage in these distinctions, and can instead devote their energy to finding ways around problems and continually improving.
Another benefit is perseverance. When you hold yourself to progressing every single day, you can piecemeal a problem over a longer time horizon (think 7 instead of 5 days). This means that there is more time for creative solutions to drip, and then explode into your mind.
A third benefit is psychic. Immersing yourself in what you do allows a depth of knowledge otherwise not accessible to you. I saw something somewhere that said that people low on the totem pole are more stressed than those higher up. If that’s the case, steps that push you towards higher levels will ease the stress that comes from not being good at things. In other words, the less time you spend being bad at something, the more rewarding it feels to do the action.
What do you think? Does daily work lead to better outcomes and more self-actualization?
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