Practice doesn't make perfect. What does it make?

You've probably heard the saying that "practice makes perfect". But you inherently know that isn't true. A joke that illustrates the point: When I was younger, I wanted to play the guitar really badly. And after years of practice, I can finally play the guitar really badly. :-)

An even more clichéd idea that's gained popularity recently is "perfect practice makes perfect". But you know that isn't true either. First, because the ideal of perfection is unattainable (and, conveniently, unnecessary). And second, because it implies that we need to practice at a certain level to subsequently perform at that level. Obviously, we become better at things when we practice, screw up, and improve, and we normalize our advancement by continuing to practice at higher levels. But we don't become better by practicing "perfectly", especially when we're beginners.

The phrase I've been using since attending a Functional Movement Screen clinic taught by Gray Cook over a decade ago is "practice makes permanent". Gray said this when he was discussing how we shouldn't add weight to a dysfunctional movement because doing so causes the body to become stronger in its dysfunction. That is certainly an accurate assessment and a better interpretation of what practice produces, but it's still not entirely true. Because no matter how much a movement has been engrained or strengthened, it can be changed if the practice surrounding it changes (and a lot of time passes).

So if practice, perfect or otherwise, doesn't make perfect or permanent, what does it make?

After beginning to read Principles, by Ray Dalio, I'd suggest that the most useful perspective is that "practice makes progress".

In the introduction to the book, Ray uses the simple graphic below to illustrate how he became successful, by a variety of definitions including "conventional commercial success" as well as, in his own words, "meaningful work and meaningful relationships that I value even more than my conventional successes". While he doesn't explicitly say so, the red lines in the illustration signify practice.

What's my point?

Our regular practices subconsciously develop into habits.

Habits are wonderful conditions. They enable us to rapidly (and mostly subconsciously) categorize all the stimuli that we experience every day and to make decisions quickly and with minimal thought. Of course, that's also why habits are terrible conditions. ;-)

When we approach practice with the intention to improve, we develop habits that help us more easily achieve our goals. However, when we approach practice with the mindset that we'll improve simply by going through the motions—in the style of "practice makes perfect"—then we often prevent ourselves from making significant progress because everything, from the practice itself to the habits that practicing develops, happens by chance.

Subtly shifting our terminology, and therefore our mindset, from "practice makes perfect" to "practice makes progress" puts the control back into our hands not only regarding how we practice but also how we develop and change our habits.

That takes effort up front, but it produces a huge payoff in the long-run.

Putting It Into Practice

Do you feel like you've been spinning your wheels and not really getting anywhere lately, particularly relating to your health and fitness?

If so, first remember that we all experience times like those, and you're not alone in your struggles.

Then, if you're ready to get back on the train to progress, spend some time thinking about habits or practices where you've been simply going through the motions. Where have you been subconsciously believing that rote practice will make perfect instead of intentional practice leading to progress?

For example:

• Are you paying attention to your technique, volume, and effort at the gym, or are you zoning out while your body goes through the motions of an exercise and moves on to the next?
• Are you actively trying to make your meals better (see the Bonus Points section), or are you eating (or drinking) the same foods (or the manmade products passed off as food) and wondering why your body composition isn't changing?
• Are you following a specific bedtime ritual to improve your sleep quality, or are you crawling into bed at a specific time but then scrolling through Facebook until well after when you had wanted to turn out the lights?

When you've recognized where your practice has been more rote than intentional, reflect on the #1 action you can implement to make a change in the right direction. It doesn't need to be anything complicated. In fact, it should actually be as simple as possible. Now write down what that action is, put it someplace you'll see it often, and start practicing it intentionally at your next opportunity.

Or as Mr. Dalio succinctly stated at the end of the introduction to Principles, decide:

1. What do you want?
2. What is true?
3. What are you going to do about it?

​