Intensive Training

When I start out on a new activity, or a new project I find it very useful to initially undertake some intensive learning and training to make the likelihood that I will follow through and continue much, much stronger.

New activities require much new learning, new ways of thinking, new powers of judgement and a refinement of distinction between good and bad, right and wrong. We have a lot to learn and we usually have to go through the new processes very slowly. With repeated practice we become faster and more adept but in the beginning, when we often encounter the most difficulty, this process of learning creates frustration and feelings of inadequacy. If not handled intelligently then these feelings can undermine our good intentions and cause us to give up quickly and not to follow through.

In addition, even if what we intend to learn does not prove too challenging then we still have to contend with the problem that we already have a lot of momentum in our lives that takes us in existing and differing directions. We have to divert some of our momentum and personal power into this new thing that we have decided to commence. Initially we have to overcome the inertia of the effort of learning and we have to create momentum in the form of habitual action. It takes a lot of power in the beginning to overcome inertia but once we overcome it the power invested can keep it going with a little less effort. We want to overcome that inertia and create that momentum as soon as possible. Doing it piecemeal takes longer and requires more effort to get the ball rolling.

To overcome these difficulties I find it best to start a new activity with an initial period of intensive focus/learning/effort. Most people can learn anything given enough time and so intensive training allows us to condense the amount of effort and learning over elapsed time so that gains come quicker. We reach the state of ‘having ability’ at something far quicker through intensive effort at the crucial beginning period, where we find ourselves most apt to founder.

30 Days to Success

In terms of a method to get things started I can recommend that you read Steve Pavlina’s article ’30-days to Success’ that details his method for getting started on new habits with 30-days set as a finite period for doing something everyday with the get out clause of quitting at the end of that time if it doesn’t work out. This proves much easier to commit to rather than starting with a high level of commitment to a vaguely indefinite finish.

Before starting out on a new process do some preparation beforehand. Determine the resources needed to help you progress with ease and and to easily avoid known obstacles in advance. Get expert help through seeking knowledge and personal accounts in books and over the web or, if necessary, with a person who has some level of expertise and ability as a trainer. By preparing ourselves in advance we build some anticipation and we also begin to foresee what things might cause us to have difficulty and we can sometimes eliminate those things before we start. Remember that learning something new and establishing a habit proves challenging enough so we want to do all that we can to make that process as easy as possible. However, take care not to let perfectionism in preparation end up as a tool for procrastination. Do enough to let you get through the ground steps and enough to cover about a month’s worth of development effort.

Get Playful

Once prepared sufficiently to cover the ground steps then commit to intensive training initially. That could mean simply setting aside a morning or afternoon, a whole day or a whole weekend where the new activity becomes the prime focus. This free time (free of distractions and of obligations, without a schedule, rigid goals or high expectations) allows us to become playful. Without that playfulness we easily become frustrated and disappointed and will more likely quit. Can you remember how, as a kid, you used to just play and fool around? If you don’t then go and watch some children to remind you! Get back to that playful and curious state when starting something new. I once read that the telescope was invented by children playing with lenses thrown out by a lens grinder. They fooled around with the lenses doing things that one shouldn’t do (such as putting one lens in front of another lens) and with accidental experimentation discovered something amazingly useful: the telescope. Hence the benefit of playfulness – we don’t set rules, we get curious and we don’t have expectations. Probably in our human history many other inventions came about through kids fooling around. With unstructured time and no purpose other than to have fun they can experiment freely and sometimes something good, even amazing, will come of it. An adult looking on or shown the discoveries can work out their usefulness and apply the persistence that few kids have to transfer the discovery into a useful device.

Nurture Your Efforts Carefully

When you begin, and if you can, select a quiet environment with no onlookers. This helps to avoid feeling uptight at a lack of ability and stops any tendency to want to cover-up for mistakes with excuses. Go at your own pace during this initial intensive effort and set the pace by committing to thoroughly master the initial steps and the basic fundamentals. By persisting with mastering all of the little steps you will find subsequent development much easier as you have a stable base to build on. Even if you end up lowering the intensity of effort later on, a thorough grounding can stay with you for much longer and until you start up again.

For the initial month make the habit a daily one. This will prove difficult at times so take care with what you commit to as your daily discipline. Use this to keep that vital momentum going. During those slots stay playful. Apart from the expectation that you will continue with this initial training daily, keep your expectations for results low. Focus on mastery of each point and of each fundamental before progressing so that it soon becomes a part of you.

A Change in Perception

By using intensive training we can quickly learn and build momentum that will likely see us continue with the process even though other distractions will vie for attention and time. At the end of the month we have the option to quit if unsatisfied. Learning and making gains very fast makes us look intelligent and very skilled. The process will make you feel good during the critical opening stages of starting something new. It will also ensure that you change your identity from someone who, at the moment, cannot do a certain activity into someone who definitely can do something on that activity. It will take you assuredly from total novice to established beginner.

If we peck away at a problem without thought, planning and strong effort then it takes a long time, if ever, to get things done. Alternatively we might occasionally give a mammoth effort (e.g. running five miles when we haven’t exercised for a five years, or spending six hours playing an instrument when we have practised for six months) but find it too difficult because of the frustration and difficulty involved. Consequently, we feel even less inclined to do it in future because of the painful associations of inadequacy. A sustained effort to build momentum over a month will work and it will build a habit that proves easy to continue if the desire remains. At the end of a month we end up with a good collection of real results and a record of definite progress.

It will tend to go wrong if you don’t fully commit to doing it everyday, no matter what, for the 30-day period. If you do not plan for continuation from the start then you can easily scupper yourself. If you don’t remain playful with low expectations and if you don’t commit to mastering the very basics then you will likely end up feeling inadequate and that will bring things to a swift end.

Starting things can prove difficult and to have the courage to commit but without the good sense or good systems to follow through on courage causes us to defeat ourselves. Initial intensive training makes the likelihood of starting something and then sticking with it much more likely.

If you have enjoyed this article then please comment or recommend it to one of the social bookmarking sites below. To ensure that you receive all future posts please subscribe to the RSS feed (use the button in the header bar above)