become a knowledge athlete
about 2 years ago, I became obsessed with sports & fitness. I grew up with a bad knee, and I worked like hell to play basketball again. I somehow found my way into getting trained by a Toronto Raptors exercise coach. he put me on a rigorous training regimen, and helped me plan my entire life - every hour outside of training was treated just as important as the hours that were used to train.
I was expected to eat well, meditate, keep active, and rest deeply. it wasn't something I was forced to do, but if I wanted to see results, I had to do it.
and see results I did - I got bigger, stronger, and faster over the course of a summer. I increased my vertical by over 5", reduced my pain, and learned that consistency and hard work pays off.
most importantly though, I learned the lesson of indirect consequences. I could have worked as hard as possible during these sessions, but if I didn't keep up my energy outside of them, I would fall behind.
if athletes are expected to work like this, it seems counter intuitive that most knowledge workers are just clocking in and clocking out. the natural conclusion to be the best seems like treating yourself as if you were a knowledge athlete.
work deeply, spend time studying your craft, feed yourself the right foods, stay active, and rest deeply. expect to receive outsized returns not long after - because the percentage of knowledge workers that actually care is close to zero.