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I subscribe to a similar sentiment about the best way of getting good at something, simply doing it every day as consistently as possible, because of my experie
by nluken 2y ago
I subscribe to a similar sentiment about the best way of getting good at something, simply doing it every day as consistently as possible, because of my experience in sport. I ran competitively for many years and my working model of growth and improvement largely mirrors my experiences doing that. Obviously there are differences between becoming a faster runner and becoming a better developer, but the structure of "getting good at running", as my teammates would often joke, applies more than one might think to unrelated tasks. I would note that for this framework to be effective, you do, of course, have to enjoy the task you're practicing so much. Not at every possible moment, but generally if you don't like what you're doing, you're not going to stick to your commitment.
I do struggle sometimes to let hobbies be hobbies as a result of having such a clear path for general improvement, but just like you express in your writing here, the daily practice/routine is immensely useful. Congrats on a great year!
- simonw 2y agoFor me it was Duolingo - it showed me that doing something for a few minutes every day could add up to big achievements over time. I wrote this about streaks last year - https://simonwillison.net/2024/Jan/2/escalating-streaks/ https://simonwillison.net/2024/Jan/2/escalating-streaks/ - and then went on a full year long streak of posting something to my blog every day, which felt pretty good.
- ramijames 2y agoTom Scott has been a long-time hero of mine. It is so hard to underscore how hard it is to be so consistently great. He produced interesting, informative content that I'd recommend across all age-groups for a decade. Absolutely incredible.
- ramijames 2y agoThanks :) I also struggle with keeping hobbies as just hobbies. I obsess and find that whatever I'm interested in totally takes over. It can last a long time. Running was also one of those things. A decade strong of obsession over small improvements.