Macro-level thinking in Chess

Chess is incredible for developing big-picture thinking. Macro-level thinking. 

But it does next to nothing for micro-level thinking.

And so there is immense benefit to taking up Chess, but also a bit of a rut you can fall into:

Macro-level thinking is not enough. Macro-level thinking without micro-level thinking can make you neurotic. The best way to balance neuroticism is developing and practicing conscientious.

And so that is why I am proposing that if you are a Chess player, you make sure that you are practicing conscientiousness in your everyday life, everything from making your bed every morning to brushing your teeth everyday to holding down a steady job.

See, conscientious people do really well in school and in jobs. These are the people who can get shit done, pay attention to detail, and just overall deliver in every area of their lives. 

Big picture thinkers, the neurotic types, these people have the potential to be great thinkers, entrepreneurs, leaders. But they can too easily fall by the wayside and end up as alcoholics, junkies, big fucking disappointments. Because they haven't developed the conscientiousness that allows them to survive in this fucking system. And that's actually a good thing. Because you don't want a leader who hasn't climbed the ladder himself, hasn't gotten his hands dirty. You want a leader who can see the big picture, but has also done battle in the trenches. A leader who can meet deadlines, get shit done, deliver. But can also distance himself enough at times to steer the ship.

You need both. 

And again, Chess does not give you both.

In Chess you guide the pieces. But there are no microlevel tasks to be done. Sure, there's tactics and calculation to be done after you've devised a strategy. But there is no real time action. Nothing to train you to deliver, to actually do shit. And so there is a danger that you'll end up a perpetual big-picture thinker, a visionary. Your head in the clouds but unable to wipe your own ass. You don't want to be that guy.