The principle that changed how I think about growth
How to apply progressive overload to learning
Everyone understands progressive overload in the gym. You can’t lift the same 20kg dumbbells forever and expect your body to change. Growth requires increasing the challenge over time.
But most people approach their skills, careers, relationships, and personal growth completely differently. They repeat the same level of effort for years and wonder why nothing changes.
Progressive overload in exercise science means:
Increasing weight
Increasing intensity
Improving technique
Reducing rest time
Your body adapts because the demand gradually exceeds your current capacity.
Then connect it to learning.
The main lesson
Increasing reps
Someone who wants to become a better writer might spend a lot of time thinking about writing but never actually increasing their output.
They write occasionally.
They consume content about writing.
They save advice.
But they never increase the difficulty.
This is what I used to do all the time.
A better approach would look like this:
Month one:
Write 200 words every day.
Month two:
Write 500 words every day
Month three:
Publish one article every week or month and ask for feedback.
The skill improves because the challenge improves.
Experts are not just people who repeat something for a long time. They improve because they practise in a structured way, focusing on weaknesses, getting feedback, and constantly increasing the challenge. - K. Anders Ericsson
The question I have started to ask myself is:
“What is the next weight I need to lift”? (literally & metaphorically)
Not:
“How do I completely change my life?” because that’s too overwhelming.
Instead:
What is one small increase I can make today or this week?
Takeaway for this week
Add 10% this week. Or add 1% today.
For the next seven days, choose one area of your life you want to improve.
Find your current baseline.
Be honest.
How much are you actually doing?
Then increase it slightly.
Not by 100%.
By around 10%.
Examples:
Reading:
10 pages a day → 11 pages a day
Writing:
15 minutes a day → 17 minutes a day
Gym:
50 kg squat → 52.5 kg squat
The goal is not to destroy yourself.
The goal is to prove to yourself that you can become someone who improves consistently.
You can find more habit ideas here.
My own challenge
For me, this newsletter is part of my own progressive overload.
Writing consistently is a skill I want to develop.
I could wait until every article is perfect.
I could spend months planning.
Or I could start with a manageable weight and improve through repetition.
The first issue does not need to be perfect.
The first video does not need to be perfect.
The first attempt at anything does not need to be perfect.
It just needs to exist.
Then you improve.
Then you add weight.
Then you grow.
The same way a person becomes stronger in the gym, a person becomes stronger in life.
One repetition at a time.
Every Week, I share one idea that's making me a better student founder. No productivity hacks. Just lessons I'm testing in my own life.
P.S. I am creating Habit of the Day, a habit tracking app that focuses on consistency not streaks.
Try it out now, and give feedback :)