“The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.”   
George Will

 Back when I first put my perfect diet and fasting program together, I was thrilled to get started. It actually took me a while to get going because I needed to buy all the right food and make all the necessary changes to my eating schedule. Finally, when I actually got started, things weren’t as smooth as I imagined them.
I began missing meals and eating out. Sometimes I would miss my eating window and eat anyway. Whenever I would mess up my schedule, I would pack it up and tell myself not to worry about it. I convinced myself that I’ll start clean and fresh next week.
That was actually the problem itself. If my day wasn’t perfect, I would throw the whole plan out the window and try to start over. I had a 0 or 100 mentality.

Sometimes it’s important to think back to the grading system in school. You don’t always need an A+ to pass, a C will do the job. Of course that doesn’t mean to not try and actively improve, but it’s important to remember that passing means progress.
The whole point of the process that you came up with in order to achieve your goal was to make progress, not get a perfect score.

Key Points

• Consistency is more important than efficiency 
•  Progress is your goal, not a final end result
• The bare minimum at first is sometimes better to get you started
•  Making progress is the goal, not making progress fast
• Nothing complicated works, stay simple

Don’t be Perfect, be Consistent

“Being perfect is a state, not a method.”
― Amir Arabi

Consistency > Efficiency 

Of course whenever we’re trying to learn a new skill, we’d like to approach the learning process the best way we possibly can. It’s important to note however that we taking baby steps early on is often the easiest way to approach it. The reason to this is that the simpler and more available the ability to start is, the less friction you’ll run into.

Is writing everyday the best way to learn how to write better? Probably not. Expert instruction and deliberate practice are far superior than just free styling. 

However, if someone writes everyday and free styles while someone else takes expert instruction infrequently, the person who writes everyday has an advantage. This advantage lies in familiarity and repetition . The more you do something, the more it becomes muscle memory and familiar to you. Of course, the downside to this is that bad habits might form along the way as a result, but at least you got better.

The point here is focus on doing it often FIRST before focusing on doing it well.

Start Simple & Focus on Progress

Don’t worry about perfect timing. Don’t worry about the perfect place or the perfect setup. Just get started with the bare minimum.The information that you collect from just playing around with what you need to is already progress. Even if you’re not making progress at the skill itself, you’ll at least be making progress in understanding somewhat the commitment it takes to practice the skill. 

For example, if I want to practice speaking Russian, I should just open up the translator app on my phone once a day and throw in some basic words. I might not be making much progress in learning Russian, but at least I’m introducing myself to it. This will help me at least get a feel for what I’m getting myself into. Sometimes, getting a feel is the best way to start developing a plan.

Just remember to avoid becoming overly ambitious about what you’re trying to accomplish. Complexity and multitasking are the enemy of consistency. 

Stay safe and start small!

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