The cost of commitment
Progress requires commitment.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
Confucius
Switching our focus fuels stagnation.
If we train for a marathon one week, powerlifting the next, and yoga after that, our fitness won’t get worse, but we’ll never make meaningful progress.
In any worthwhile pursuit, there are severe switching costs. If we shift our focus to something new, we abandon all of the progress we’ve made and start over from scratch.
When we feel stuck, get bored, or face any kind of adversity our first instinct is to switch our focus and try something else. Pushing through these rough patches and sticking with one pursuit is hard, but it’s the only way to make meaningful progress.
Switching costs
When we stay with one company through thick and thin we’re rewarded with a rich collection of knowledge and skills that make us more valuable not only to our current employer, but to others as well.
If we switch jobs every time things get difficult, we’re constantly starting over and never gain the deep experience needed to progress our careers.
Even when we sit down to work on a single project we’re penalized with switching costs for moving our focus from one thing to another.
A task that would take one hour to complete if we gave it our full attention could take two or three times as long if we try to multitask. The quality of work is better if we maintain a singular focus too.
The benefits of committing to one thing and following through far outweigh the costs, but there are challenges with staying the course too.
Staying the course
Focusing on one thing has opportunity costs. If we focus on one thing, like training for a marathon, it means we’re saying no to all of the other things we could be doing like powerlifting, yoga, etc.
Committing to one worthwhile pursuit also requires that we deal with the inevitable difficulty of attempting something challenging instead of jumping to what’s new and exciting when things get tough.
While switching costs can be avoided by maintaining our focus, the costs of commitment cannot (and should not) be avoided. The costs of commitment are necessary sacrifices to make meaningful progress, but switching costs are merely wasted energy.
If it was easy to stay consistent and become remarkable in our chosen pursuits, then everyone would do it.
Only those of us who can avoid the temptations of switching to the next best thing and endure the monotony of staying the course can achieve meaningful progress in worthwhile pursuits.
Prompts
We are the 2-3 pursuits in your life that require your full commitment?
In what areas of your life so find yourself shifting your focus?
Do these areas of life deserve your focus? If so, what do you need to commit to in order to make meaningful progress?
Deep Dive
Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing by Pete Davis
Our generation is defined by infinite browsing. Davis offers an alternative approach.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you next Sunday.
Kevin