By Charlie Davis
Mastering any craft arguably takes just two things: time and diligence. To do your job better you simply need to focus on dedicating yourself to those two things.
Yet how often do we parade around the time investment of doing the work or the topic of how diligent we must be if we want to learn how to do the work right? Instead, we focus our efforts on finding little “hacks” or shortcuts for decreasing the amount of time (and grit) required to do what needs to be done.
It should come as no surprise that the most common distraction we put in front of ourselves is the fallacy that the biggest, best, or shiniest tool for the job will make us better at it. Of course, there are some hacks for productivity that can make a difference, but finding the “right” tool for the job isn’t typically one of them.
As writer and Google developer Mark Pilgrim explains in this interview with The Setup, the tool doesn’t matter as much as the work you want to do with it, so focus on the work:
I’m a three-time (soon to be four-time) published author. When aspiring authors learn this, they invariably ask what word processor I use…Whatever. Picking the right text editor will not make you a better writer. Writing will make you a better writer. Writing, and editing, and publishing, and listening — really listening — to what people say about your writing.
Undoubtedly the worst kind of procrastination is the kind where none of your energy is actually going toward doing the work; whether that’s not mentally thinking about it or not physically doing it.
Every time a new tool for a job is announced — whether it’s new software, a new email client, or even a new gadget like an iPhone or smart watch — that little procrastinator inside each of us starts to pull our attention toward it.
When it comes to the single-most telling attribute for greatness, diligence tops the list. Invest in your ability to consistently do the work with whatever tools you have.
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