Deliberate Practice

Once a client has reliably mastered consistency, you have the momentum you need to start expanding on their skills: either the quality or difficulty of their goal.

We subscribe to the concept of deliberate practice, that a task can be broken into it’s component parts and then practiced. The more deliberate, meaning strategic, you are about what you practice, the more improvement you’ll see.

In a goal like running, most coaches think about developing individual energy systems (like Friel’s endurance, anaerobic endurance, muscular endurance, force & power).

In a productivity goal, like Inbox Zero, your client will learn how to categorize and quickly process emails. Each category of email should be considered a new skill.

Remember, if you’re giving direction to a client, do it with humility. You are remote! That means you can’t see when you’ve given your client incorrect or inappropriate advice.

Instead, invite your client into the skill development strategy. Here's an example:

Today is a long run. Based on your last week, you should run ten miles at an easy pace. Does that fit with how your body is feeling and your available time?