Everyday Systems

NoelFigart wrote:Several of the questions that have been asked lately in the No S Diet forum have gotten me to thinking pretty hard about the concept of "The Basics".

I don't know if you've ever studied anything where you get drilled on what's called "The Basics". (Martial arts, dance, and music all leap to mind).

What's interesting is that people who master the basics CAN go on to tweak for their performance for that top 1% in whatever the endeavor is. But people who are fascinated by what they do get fixated on the tweaking because it's more interesting and subject to (ultimately non-productive) analysis than the basics.

But it's the (sometimes tedious) practice of the basics that gives the results. For most endeavors there is no "secret" to excellence -- merely a willingness to consistently go to working on "The Basics". It's 80% of almost anything you do.

My roommate, a musician, has commented that you cannot practice the scales too much. I know there's no such thing as practicing the basics too much in martial arts. In weight training, eat right and lift stuff that feels heavy to you. As a dancer, you do thousands of pliés. Knitters might get into the fancy lace knitting, and all kinds of advanced techniques, but we return again and again to making sure our stockingette is smooth and our stitches consistent.

Reinhard talks about this, I notice, quite frequently in his discussions of the No S Diet -- that it is the big and obvious stuff that's the issue rather than the tweaking.

But I think it's rather applicable to a lot of life in general.