The “Progress Equals Pressure” Formula

Making progress is all about putting pressure on a problem: applying the force of your skills to a specific problem area (pressure = force / area).

Most people know you have to build hardcore skills to do hardcore things.

But what a lot of people with hardcore skills still don’t know is that you also have to shield yourself from nerd-sniping (xkcd.com/356).

When you build hardcore skills, you increase the surface area of things you can do – but many of these things are just fascinating distractions.

And if you allow these side-quests to steal your attention, they dilute the power of your skills. Making progress is all about putting pressure on a problem: applying the force of your skills to a specific problem area (pressure = force / area).

Leveling up your skills will increase your force, but if you want that to carry over to an increase in pressure, you have to stay laser focused on the problem area that you’re trying to cut into.