One more rep, one more penny
#92 - maths, maths and some applied maths too
Hi there,
Our house has been taken down by an illness, a nasty cold, that has pervaded close to half of my schoolmates as well, bringing my ability to think rationally into question - do I rest up fully for 1 day to get rid of the cold quickly and get back to normal, or work at a capacity of 70% upwards for the full week? I ended up choosing the latter and have had a pretty jam-packed 7 days.
Self-dialogue has also reminded me to be kind to myself - on Monday night, I didn’t do as much work as I intended. Disappointment was mixed with compassion “But you were ill Adi, give yourself a break (literally)”. There was second-order kindness to come, with me then asking myself why I’d become so obsessed with work and not physical health, before comforting myself that I only want to do well in life - the internal dramas we all go through are stupid and entertaining.
Highlight of the week: doing well in the Senior Maths Challenge 2023. Making note of this even before the results are announced will help me with the perpetual learning curve of separating efforts and results. Having been in the best position to do well with the entrance exam prep boosting my problem-solving skills, I enjoyed being able to attack questions I would’ve previously found daunting. That isn’t to say there were no questions I couldn’t do; and of course, it’s good that there is room for improvement. #growthmindset
My Maths Admissions Test is next Thursday, so preparation is beginning to heat up. Now’s the time to get the gear up to 5, steam ahead for a bit and then chill into the final couple of days. As such, I worked through 2021’s paper yesterday (and gladly noticed some progress from last weekend’s round) and convinced myself to do 2012 today.
Having not done two of the 2h 30 min papers in a single weekend before, I knew I was running uphill as I hit ‘start’ on the stopwatch at 2 pm. Thankfully going back a few years meant a simpler paper and I was showered with endorphins and dopamine from being able to muscle my way through the questions with a bit less headache than yesterday’s tough paper. Still, having done most of the questions with 30 minutes left, I was close to saying “That’s enough for this, I’ve tried my best; let’s check answers and then shut shop rather than needlessly running out the clock”.
This is where the mightier Adi stepped in.1 He said “Looks like you’ve left quite a few marks on the table with the end of Q5, give it another go before you call it quits. At least then you won’t regret not spotting something and not being persistent enough when you come to marking to get a score”. And as luck would play out, I managed to figure out 3 of the 9 marks I’d previously given up on, with some patience and diligence.
Thinking about it shows the power of saying “One more rep” when you feel like stopping. Whether that’s with studying - “I can’t focus anymore, I’ve had enough…I’ll do 5 more minutes then close my book”, in exercise - “let me do just a few more squats before I go” or even just ironing clothes, making it a habit to do just a little bit more can add up into a lot of progress.
It is perhaps the point behind ‘training to failure’ in the gym, to maximise as much as you physically can before you call it a day. However, even there, you could argue that you can push yourself for just 1 more.
The benefit you gain from eating 1 more vegetable (I know, I’m still a 17-year-old kid who doesn’t like peppers) or doing 1 more Maths problem seems trivial in the moment but it is training that muscle of persistence and conversely, weakening the part of the mind that doesn’t like discomfort and wants to stop trying as soon as it feels difficult. It’s developing the mindset of “when you really feel like stopping, that’s the signal to do 1 more”. And I can tell you, it feels fantastic when you know you’ve pushed yourself, overcome a mental barrier and have been a higher version of yourself.
It reminds me of an example I referenced in #72 about paying attention to the small things
Before we end, another story from the week encapsulates the difference in the value of ‘one more’ when it’s at the end of an action or at the start of one. As we saw with my MAT question, keeping my mind switched on for just a few more minutes to return to Q5 with a fresh pair of eyes was fruitful, despite the economics theory of “the law of diminishing marginal utility”.
However, when you are about to start working and have the choice, it can be useful to consider where ‘one more’ will make more of an impact. It was the situation I found myself in on Thursday afternoon, sitting in school waiting for my parent-teacher meeting appointments. I could’ve chosen to do some maths test work or spent some time preparing for the Physics exam the day after. I chose the latter, which prompted a question of “Why?” from a friend sat next to me.
“The better use of my time now is doing my first hour of Physics revision (I know, didn’t end up doing loads for this one) instead of the hundredth hour of MAT work. It is where I’ll make more progress and what will ‘move the needle’ more”.
When your mind has had enough, when your mind wants you to stop, when your mind thinks you’re spent, just say “Let’s do one more”. One more each time makes a lot more altogether.
Podcast of the week 🎙️
There’s a lot more behind the man who we usually think just admires stars; his comforting voice shines light on some big questions and ideas of success
Article of the week 📰
Would you make 300 phone calls a day?
A welcome reminder about how we can use social media ‘well’ and help ourselves succeed along the way
Quote of the week💬
You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over. Richard Branson
Thanks for reading ‘one more’ blog post of mine. Wishing you well in mastering those marginal gains this week.
Adi
Imagine me reading that line out to you, like a story, with manly pride and guts bounding through my voice.