Do you have 10 years of experience, or 1 year of experience 10 times?
It’s a question worth considering.
If you stay in the same field for many years, but are basically just going through the motions, you’re not really gaining experience. You’re experiencing repetition.
The difference, to my mind, comes down to challenging your beliefs on a regular basis.
Of course, if something isn’t working, you’ll likely do it differently.
But what if something is working? Do you over-formalize your way of arriving there? If so, you miss out on the possibility that it could work much better, done another way.
Not to suggest that all repetition is bad.
I don’t know what the appropriate number of repetitions of any given process is. The tipping point between learning a thing and becoming complacent.
I think it’s worth carving out at least a part of your working experience to experiment with new approaches, new tools, new mindsets.
It’s not just a good way to promote your growth. It also helps to keep things interesting, which, I believe, is the key to long-term success.
What’s something you do—that works fine—that you could try doing differently next time?
Anti-repetitiously,
James
Recent Comments