Story of the Week
A Tale of Two Golfers
Back when I was an architect, Sunday mornings at 6:30 AM meant one thing: tee time at Corica Park Golf Course with my coworkers George and Terry.
Terry was obsessed with golf. His desk overflowed with Golf Magazine issues, he watched tutorials during lunch, and he kept a putter at his desk to practice between meetings.
George was different. Nothing in his office suggested he even played golf. Monday through Friday, all business.
Based on appearances, you'd expect Terry to be the better golfer, right?
I did too — until I saw them play.
Before each shot, Terry would recite tips from his latest golf content consumption: "Keep your left arm straight, rotate your hips..." By the end of most rounds, these tips transformed into expletives.
George's approach? One practice swing, a slight pause, then boom — straight down the fairway. No overthinking, just execution.
At the end of each round, George consistently shot near par while Terry and I lagged behind.
After one particularly frustrating game, I asked George his secret.
"I invested in a good coach for a few lessons," he told me. "Learned exactly what I needed, then stopped consuming golf content. I don't try to learn more about golf — I just play."
While Terry spent hundreds on magazine subscriptions, premium cable packages, and the latest equipment, George made one focused investment in quality instruction, then put it into practice.
The Lesson That Changed Everything
This revelation hit me hard: More information doesn't lead to better results. Often, it's the opposite.
In today's world, information isn't scarce — attention is. The ability to filter out noise and focus only on what's essential is the real superpower.
George didn't waste mental energy consuming endless golf content. He learned just enough from the right source, then spent his time actually playing and improving through practice.
Terry, despite knowing far more golf theory, couldn't translate that knowledge into performance. He was paralyzed by information overload.
This pattern extends far beyond golf — I've seen it in business, creative pursuits, and personal development. The entrepreneur consuming endless business books but never launching. The writer taking course after course but never publishing.
The common thread?
Mistaking information for implementation.
Three Principles I Learned From George
After that golf outing, I began noticing the "Georges" in every field — people who achieved remarkable results by focusing on the right things at the right time. Here are a few observations about the “Georges” of the world:
1. They practiced finding Just-in-Time Information. They sought specific knowledge only when needed for their immediate next step — not "just in case."
2. They valued action over information. They understood that doing something imperfectly teaches more than perfectly understanding how to do it.
3. They focused on one skill at a time. Instead of trying to improve everything simultaneously, they isolated specific components and mastered them individually.
These principles transformed my approach to learning and business, helping me launch successful podcasts, YouTube channels, and products (all while consuming less information, not more).
What if you could accomplish more by learning less? What if mastery isn't about acquiring more information, but about developing better filters for the information you already have?
These questions led me to develop the framework in my new book, Lean Learning: How to Achieve More by Learning Less. If you're tired of feeling overwhelmed by endless content and are ready to start seeing results, I think you'll find it valuable. The book launches on June 3rd, but you can pre-order your copy today!
Thank you so much for the support! I truly believe this is the book that the world needs right now, and I hope you not only enjoy it and my writing style but also adopt a Lean Learning approach in your life! It’s the best way to get unstuck.
Click here to pre-order the book before the launch and get access to some exclusive pre-order bonuses that are only available for a limited time!
