Practice makes perfect. Right?

Wrong. 

Repetition without intention is dangerous. Like stumbling through the dark. Blinded. 

Are you headed in the right direction? What if you trip? What if you’re reinforcing bad habits? 

Developing muscle memory is great. But the purpose behind the practice is the goal. Honing your craft, levelling up, improving your life. Brick by brick.

As a writer, I see it like this: 

(Think ⇾ Draft ⇾ Final) + (Track ⇾ Measure ⇾ Improve) = Practice

How can you apply this formula to your career? How can you apply it to your life? 

Think:

• What am I trying to improve?
• Why is this important?
• Where can I find inspiration?
• Who can I ask for advice? 
• What’s the strategy, the tactics?

Draft:

Turn your thinking into a game plan, a roadmap to follow. 

But don’t get stuck in strategy. Give yourself constraints. Start with an ugly first draft, revise a few times, and then put it into action. 

Final:

Hit publish, hit the gym, hit the books. Whatever it is, let your practice begin

Track:

Commit to your practice for a block of time—let’s say one month. Be consistent and put in the work each day. 

Follow your plan and track the results. 

(I gamify the process with a habit tracker, filling it out daily in my bullet journal. At a glance, it shows where I’m progressing and where I’m falling behind.)

Measure:

Don’t just track your practice throughout the first time block. Measure it along the way. 

If your block is for 30 days, reflect at the end of each week. Journalling is a powerful method, but do whatever works for you. Note anything remarkable:

• Gains and setbacks
• Highlights and distractions
• Revelations and hesitations

With each, ask why? Why did you win here but lose over there? Why are you distracted? What’s stopping you from doing that scary-important thing?

Let the answers guide you. 

Improve:

Once the time block is over, sift through the data. What are the biggest takeaways? Look for:

• Small steps
• Large leaps
• Glaring gaps 

Do a thorough analysis, create a clear picture. 

Where and how did you improve? More importantly, where and why did you fail? Give an impartial account—set aside ego and seek lessons, not faults. 

Then reiterate. Start the process over, taking what you’ve learned and applying it to your original game plan. 

Continue the practice, intentionally. Over and over and over again. 

Keep building.