# Chapter 99

Stop skipping steps - James Clear

Skipping steps, cutting corners, taking short cuts, not following the full procedure, but we aren’t talking about cheating here, although there could be an element of that nuance found, but we are talking about ducking, missing, sidestepping, avoiding and bypassing all the steps required for optimal success in a process or event, in search of getting there more quickly and with less effort expended. See it isn’t cheating per se, its more not being willing to follow through and take the time to do it correctly, or it is just plain and simple trying to achieve the same or better results with less effort.

This is an argument that following clear simple steps consistently and without skipping any, can produce amazing results. You can think of it as a checklist, or a todo list, or a system of not-yet, do-this-before, that-follows-this kinds of structure to your day or week or life. I strictly follow this kind of system or routine which enables me to accomplish all the important pieces of my life and work first or early in my day.

This can be called mastering the fundamentals. And since I am not a person who needs or wishes for much variety, few things give me more of a sense of accomplishment, than following ALL the steps of my morning system. Whether it is my extensive system of building core strength, or writing followed by RSS feeds followed by email later in the day, these systems and routines make so much possible.

This is how the chicken farmer’s son moved from MooCow GA, to Russia, now to Macedonia, overseas for 25 years, finished my doctorate before I was 45 while planting a new church in a new country in a new language, etc etc. The consistent daily pursuit of the right things, over and over. Awesome.