There is a rather broad tendency that I can’t help but notice these days . . . mostly on twitter but that’s just an indicator species. I cannot get thru an hour of internet activity without someone giving me a list of things to do. “Five ways to a happier healthier me. Seven habits, oops, no 8, to be more effective. Ten ways to get more this. Nine ways to stop doing that.” It’s an intellectual version of painting by the numbers.
I may be more sensitive to this due to my general lack of formal education. And I mean that literally, as most education exists of pre-set paths and forms. Virtually every academic “course” consists of a series of one size fits all lessons, with little work-booky things for students to do at the end. And this style of learning has created a broad culture, like a sort of intellectual kudzu, that has invaded most people’s thought processes. There seems to be an eagerness to go “back to school,” i.e., the state of everything being all laid out for you.
While there is something to be said for to-do lists, checklists, and processes for repetitive tasks, at a certain point these things (diets for one) reach the end of their effectiveness. Would a jockey start a race with a list of “action items” for the horse? Of course not. The goal is to win, and you do what you can with whatever resources are available to you. You take advantage of your horse’s innate ability. The real way to win the race is to dig deep and act on your own internal desire, and passively following orders on a to-do list runs counter to that approach.
There was a classic “to-do” list given by a general in World War two, when asked for instructions by his troops: “Your objective is to win the war.” He gave no other instructions. Worked well. At Nike, the original corporate mission statement was very simple, yet there were no lists of anything: "Beat Adidas.” (Btw, having succeeded at that, they have a new one.)
My complaint about these lists is that they have a tendency to stunt the growth of individual initiative. They deflate your confidence; they imply there is a greater wisdom outside yourself, and you can achieve your best effort via obedience. A to-do list is useless if you have no ultimate goal in mind, unless your goal is to look busy and not really try to succeed.
I followed method book instructions for years, it wasn’t until I tossed them out and started focusing solely on the goal, not on the process, and used my own innate problem solving skills, that I started to make real progress as a bass player or as an author.
Sadly, there are an enormous amount of curriculum junkies out there who genuinely believe that this is the way to go. They certainly have precedent on their side, as they act as they were acted upon for so many years at school, sending out tweets of lists of things to obey today.
Lists of things to do have their place, and are very handy if your goal is to get a modicum of skill quickly to do a passable basic job and avoid the most boneheaded of common initial errors. But following a list of instructions, no matter how severely and exactly you do it, will never put you in the front of the race. That spot is reserved for those who act creatively and decisively in pursuit of a specific personal goal, and don’t wait for permission to do so.
Of course, if your goal is to achieve a sense of belonging via demonstrating total obedience, I have a an easy 1-step program / action item for you: Buy my books. ;-)
© Justin Locke
