The Truth About Doing Just One Thing to Change Your Life
There's no such thing as 'one change' to fix life
You might have read the title and thought 'You don't say? Thank you, Captain(ness?) Obvious!'.
No?
Well, you should have.
The first title I was working with was 'the most anticlimactic article to date' - but that's so vague, and so long (as if the current one isn't...), and I can't respectably keep using clickbait titles, anyhow...but yes, either way, there really isn't much in here that should surprise you. It's half driven by an urge to rant (this article is, I mean). It just annoys me so much when I read article titles that go along the lines of 'I made this ONE change daily to turn my life around 180 degrees' (when they say 360 I refuse to read because even if you have solid advice, I can't take you seriously because you forgot that 360 degrees means a full revolution) - because that's nonsensical and misleading.
As with pretty much everything in life, it's never that simple or straightforward, of course. If you've got any background in economics, think 'opportunity cost' - and you can stop reading now. That's basically the central idea I'm getting at with this article. If you've got no idea what that means, however, stick with me.
Basically, every time you're choosing one thing, you are, in essence, saying 'no' to a bunch of other stuff. So, if I were to say 'yes' to an all-nighter watching movies (ha. Haha. I never said I would use *realistic* examples all the time...), I would be saying 'no' to a solid 7-8 hours of sleep and optimal cognitive functioning for most (if not all) of the next day. (I have dreams that are better than movies, sometimes, but it's not even that that sees me wholeheartedly committed to getting my Zzzs). Now, if the movies were *that* good, maybe the price I'd have to pay would be worth it, but otherwise...enjoy the movies, the extra space on the couch besides you, and all the caffeine you'll probably turn to the next day.
I think the idea I'm getting to is becoming clear.
It's the same thing with the 'one' change people make – except it's not just one thing! Maybe I'm overreacting, but it does grate at me significantly that there is so much misinformation – in terms of letting people think that things could be that easy.
Now comes the part where I use a personal example to drive home my point (because, you know, that's just my MO). This is actually me killing two birds with one stone – I always keep talking about how 'all' I do to get through the academic part of med school is 'use flashcards'. It's this app called Anki, which uses the principle of spaced repetition to teach you things – Google for more information on how this works, if you want, but basically take it from me that it's an effective way of studying, especially when you have to memorize information. (I can understand how a drug works in one go, but if you want me to classify the hundreds of drugs that are available and give you some idiosyncratic adverse effects...yes, there is memorization involved.)
At the heart of it, my study strategy is that simple – it is just one thing – do flashcards – and honestly, at first I did not think it was 'much', but then it hit me that actually, I was guilty of not being 'entirely truthful'.
There is more to it. 'Doing flashcards' actually means a lot of things:
Typing notes
Making time to make cards
'Learning' them on the same day (because that's the only way to keep up)
Getting up early to 'Review' the cards
And that's just a condensed list of steps involved - I haven't even gotten to the list of opportunities cost, which includes, but is not limited to:
Struggling with carrying a laptop on a daily basis that I cannot just put down
Fighting the fatigue at the end of the day and not giving into temptation to 'chill' because hello Anki
Being exhausted on some days because I haven't slept enough because I had to get up early to study, regardless of bedtime
You get the idea, right?
It's really not one thing.
I don't blame the people who say they've done only one thing because I appreciate how it can become so routine that you don't think about an alternative, but now that I've come to this awareness, I just wanted to write about it. So many times I've felt stupid for not being able to do 'just' one thing daily, but now I'm realizing that it's not so simple. Which not only makes me feel better, but also reminds me that I should think carefully before committing to anything.
I realize that I'm being a little discouraging by propagating this message, but that's not my intention. I'm just the type that prefers to know exactly what she's getting into/what a choice will entail, because I am not inclined towards 'winging it' and spontaneity isn't my natural mode. I don't know how to justify this, actually – not that I'm really bothered to, honestly. I feel like there's a bigger lesson here on making decisions that can be drawn – before committing to one thing, it doesn't hurt to remember that 'yes' to one thing means 'no' to a lot of others.
There is, of course, the flip side of how one should not think too much or they'd never step out of their comfort zone – which I agree with fully, but like I said, it's just about the awareness.
Balance is key, ultimately. (Hold your 'gee, thanks', please – I did warn you that I wasn't about to introduce some Earth-shattering concepts...but you're welcome, anyway).
And I'm done.
I really just wanted to voice my dispute with the concept of 'it just takes one change to alter life' - because it's never one thing. I've also meant to advertise Anki a little more (not because they're paying me to do it, unfortunately...it's free on PC and Android, anyway)...and I've achieved both those targets.
Clearly, what I haven't done is 'master the art of smoothly concluding articles', but I'm okay with 2/3, so...adios. Take care, and thanks for reading!