5 Things About Productivity and Success that I Learned from Watching Baseball

credit: Ed Schipul

Analogies are helpful. They can help us think about things in new and useful ways. They help us to understand complex things that we’re heavily biased about by using something we have little bias about. Whenever I find a useful analogy, I try to share it. So, as I paid a lot of attention to baseball this year (to watch my beloved team win the World Series, of course), I observed some great pieces of advice in action on the field that are quite useful in life in general.

Here are a few particularly good ones.

1. Productivity is not the same as high-volume, high-frequency output. For a batter to succeed in 1 out of 4 at bats is considered good. That means that even the best, most productive and successful batters will be unsuccessful 3 times as often as they are successful.
2. Being active and busy is not the key to success. A majority of the physical activity in the game is concentrated in 2–3 players at any given time. The rest of those on the field are observing, preparing, and waiting. They understand when to take action, and are prepared when that time comes.
3. The big, showy actions are rarely as valuable as the small, strategic ones. A baseball hit powerfully for 450 ft, wowing the crowd can earn the same amount of runs — or fewer — than a bunt hit 10 feet in front of home plate at the right time. One is more rare and takes a lot more strength and energy. The other requires preparation, intelligence, and timing, but little power and energy.
4. When you act is as important as how you act. Swinging 3 tenths of a second early or late at a pitch can be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful at-bat. Time spent getting a feel for timing and conditions is time very well spent.
5. In many cases, having the discipline to not act is more valuable than taking quick action. The best at-bats for a batter tend to involve standing and watching pitches go by without taking any action. They involve restraint from the urge to take quick and decisive action.

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