Yesterday, I started a new hobby. I participated in a player evaluation skate for Ice Hockey. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I’ve played hockey before. I played and refereed Inline Hockey for the last 5 years and played occasional pond hockey growing up in Michigan. That being said, this was the first time that I ever participated in any sort of organized or sanctioned ice hockey. This was different. In today’s post, I’m going to go over the importance of research and more importantly, the importance of getting started, or in my case, stepping out onto the ice. If you’re not a hockey fan, the message is still relevant, but the analogies might be a little confusing. If you want to learn hockey – I highly suggest it!

Prepare Yourself for Something New. Research, Research, Research…

Like anything else, before getting started, there is a period of initial research. You need to gather a list of things that need to get done. Whether it’s requirements for a project, or finding a meal or a workout plan, you need to find out the requirements needed to get started. In my case, I had to acquire ice skates, hockey pants and shoulder pads. In addition, it’s a new skill set that needs to be learned. Mainly, I need to learn how to stop. I looked at 5 different pairs of hockey skates in my price range. I probably watched 15 videos on Youtube and read at least another 15 reviews in total for the skates. I wanted to make sure that I was setting myself up for success the best I could. I spent weeks deciding which pair to buy, and ultimately, I decided to just buy the pair with the best price and decent reviews. I found myself in a state of paralysis by analysis. Nobody knows how long I would have researched something as little as blade technology. After spending way too much time evaluating the decision, I decided that it was best just to get started. For the rest of my purchases, I just bought the first decent piece in my price range. Let’s be honest, I’m not good enough to where those slight differences will matter anyway.

There Comes a Time When You Need to Get Started

In addition to the gear, I need to acquire a new skill set. I need to learn to ice skate. Naturally, I went straight to Google and Youtube. I watched all sorts of videos on different ways to stop and different ways to learn. I even watched a video on “How to put on Hockey Gear.” Again, I spent HOURS researching these topics trying to prepare myself. When it came down to it though, I didn’t even know if I put socks on before or after skates. I finally arrived and still didn’t know how to put on my gear and that’s that point. Just start. I learned more in an hour of skating last night that I would have learned in countless hours researching “how to hockey stop.” I still can’t do it, and maybe the research set me up for success, but I bet it didn’t validate the time. There are countless resources on getting started so I’m not going to go too far down that rabbit hole.

80/20 That Bad Boy! Find the 20% Effort that Yields 80% Success.

When it comes to self discipline, you’re learning a new behavior or skill. Properly using your time and being most productive is a huge part of discipline. In particular, Pareto’s Principle… the 80/20 rule. 80% of your success comes from 20% of your effort. Spend time on things you’re good at, or utilizing a skill set you have, and you’ll be a lot more successful than if you were to spend time on things you’re not. In this case, it’s about how I learn. I’m a hands on learner and need to try things to learn. Whether it’s learning Ice Hockey, SQL, or even how to set up a business or team, I need to get my hands dirty and see what works. Focusing my time on those practices will yield me my best results.

Knowing yourself is going to be what sets you apart. Some people learn from research more than others, but most people fall into analysis paralysis and don’t get started. Make sure that your initial involves creating a plan of attack and follow through with it. You are the type of person that follows through with your commitments, so make one to yourself. Commit to getting started and doing it with your own skill set in mind.

Thanks for Reading!

– Tim

Photo Credit: Dean Jarvey; Ben Tesch; GoToVan