There was a string running across my 11-year-old’s bedroom.
One end disappeared into the top bunk. The other was superglued to the light switch. Judging by the amount of glue involved, I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking at.
He sleeps on the top bunk and wanted a way to turn off the light after he finished reading without climbing down. Obviously, he could just get out of bed. But where's the fun in that? His plan was to pull the string from bed and flip the switch.
It didn't work. The string pulled the switch sideways instead of down. The engineer got stirred up in me, so we spent a few minutes talking about angles, pulleys, and how he might redirect the force. Then he went to bed thinking about version two. He might have rolled his eyes.
I liked the whole project because his first instinct wasn't to put in more effort. It was to build a system that required less of it.
I've been doing something similar with my running, although with fewer pulleys.
After enough years of training, I've slowly removed a surprising number of decisions from it. Tuesday and Thursday are workout days. Sunday is the long run. Easy days are easy. Strength work happens. I don't wake up each morning and decide whether I feel like doing those things. Most of those decisions were made weeks ago.
I used to think that was discipline. I'm starting to think it's something different.
Discipline is useful when you have to win an argument with yourself. It's early, or you've had a long day. You're tired, and you don't want to run. You go anyway. But a good system means you don't have to keep having the argument.
That doesn't mean the system always wins. If something hurts, I adjust. If I'm sick, I rest. Life gets a vote. But those are exceptions. Most days, there isn't much to decide. I know what I'm doing because I already decided.
We tend to admire effort. The harder something looks, the more disciplined we assume the person must be. Sometimes that's true. But after years of running, I'm increasingly interested in the opposite question: How much effort can I remove without changing the result?
My son found a 3M adhesive hook and went back to work. He put it below the switch, changing the angle so the string pulled down instead of sideways.
Last night, I was in my bedroom when I noticed the light down the hall go out.
I think he got it.
Happy running!
George
