Folks,

Differential learning teaches us something counterintuitive: how we get there matters less than why we're going there.

Want to run fast? Great!

Try running with your hands above your head. Now try with high knees. Next, long strides!

This might seem counterintuitive—we wanted to run fast, not look crazy! But here's the problem: when we stick to what feels "right," we settle into bad habits and inefficient movement patterns. We settle.

The role of differential learning is first to disrupt us, then ask us to come up with new ways of doing the same thing. In time, we find our way to new, more effective ways of doing things.

It's no different from when I worked at football clubs. One of the first things I do is find a slight downward slope on the training ground and use it to my advantage. Want players to feel fast? No problem—I face them down the slope! Want them to work a little harder without noticing? I face them the other way.

How can you use it to your advantage?

If you're training, try pedaling on the bike in the gym with your hands raised. Or, if you're running, try swinging only one arm and leaving the other by your side. Complete 30 seconds, then try a new variation.

What do you notice? You might feel lighter, more balanced, or surprisingly faster when you return to "normal." The disruption forces your body to find new solutions you didn't know existed.

I use this a lot to disrupt my thinking. Right now, while I practice for my audiobook, I read slowly, then fast, then loudly before settling back to "normal." I can't say for sure what works or what doesn't, but I can tell you this: being open to learning something new about what I'm trying to do changes how I approach the work entirely.

What routines and assumptions could you challenge this week?

Simon

P.S. I'm delighted to announce that my book, Good Coach, Bad Coach, will be available shortly. Here is a sneak peek at the cover. I'd love to know what you think.