Maximum Effort or Maximum Efficiency?

The ancient philosopher Seneca once said, "It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and it has been given in sufficiently generous measure to allow the accomplishment of the very greatest things if the whole of it is well invested."

If I were to ask any reasonable person, "When attempting to improve at chess, would you prefer to spend as much time and energy as possible or to get the most out of each moment you spend?"

They would say, "Of course I would choose efficiency! Why wouldn't I?"

However when we look at how most players spend their time, their actions tell a different story.

Let's take two players who are dedicated to improving their game.

Player one spends every moment of his free time studying chess, playing games, and forgets to eat because he's so desperate to improve as quickly as possible.

Player two spends an hour a day playing and reviewing his games, an hour a week with a coach at least 400 points above their level, follows personalized action plans for ten to thirty minutes a day, and has time to prioritize their physical well-being.

Each day for the first week, both players gain the same ELO points.

Which player invested their time more wisely?

Which player do you think is better set up for long term growth?

You see the problem is that we often think that if we work as hard as possible, everything will magically work out for us.

It's true that if we put in maximum effort, we will see improvements, however we will eventually be at the mercy of the law of limiting returns.

Inevitably, our rating plateaus. When our rating does improve, the results are miniscule and we feel stuck.

There's a story of the man in the hole that comes to mind.

He's walking along the path, noticing the colors decorating the trees when suddenly he falls into a deep, dark pit.

He climbs as high as he can but each time before he reaches the top, he falls back in.

Eventually he gives up on escaping the chasm and screams for help.

A stranger comes along and offers to return with a ladder after his ten hour shift is over.

The man in the pit is appreciative but decides to keep yelling for help in the meantime.

Not long after, a friend hears his familiar voice, walks to the edge of the pit and slides down.

The man exclaimed, "What are you doing? Now we're both stuck down here!"

The friend replies with a smile on his face, "Yeah but I've been stuck down here before and I know the way out."

In today's modern world, there are practically limitless resources available to help improve your game.

Whether we like to admit it or not, it's a double edged sword.

Because there's so much information, choosing the most pertinent piece for your development at this particular moment can be challenging if not a practical impossibility.

You might think watching the highest rated GM's can help you improve the fastest but if you're under 1200, you're playing a completely different game and are likely unable to fully appreciate the complexities they're sharing.

You can go it on your own and you can make it to extremely high levels of play.

You save money, but you lose years that you'll never get back because you'll be wasting time sorting through endless information just trying to see if it's even helpful or relevant in the first place.

So let me ask you, "When trying to improve at chess, would you prefer to put in maximum effort, or achieve maximum efficiency?"

If you have a friend who is rated significantly higher than you, it may be worth asking them if they would be willing to spend an hour a week with you and offer some resources that have helped them get to where they are.

If that isn't an option for you, I might be able to help.

I'm in (or very close to) the 99th percentile of all Chess.com members for bullet, blitz, and rapid.

Chances are that I've been where you are before and I know the way out.

You don't even have to yell. All you have to do is ask.

I offer a free consultation for anyone who wants to learn.

Prior to your free consultation, I review your games, compile resources, and create an action plan to get you results as efficiently as I can.

To paraphrase the ancient philosopher Seneca from his book On the Shortness of Time, "People are often greedy with their money and frugal with their time when it should be the other way around."

"Of the two, time is the only one we can never get back and because we cannot hold it in our hands, we waste it as we please."

Are you still okay with wasting your time, or is it time for something to change?

If you are tired of doing the same thing over and over again and you want different results, write, "Coach me!" in the comments below and I'll reach out so we can schedule your free consultation.

Until next time, keep learning, keep improving, and most of all, enjoy every moment!