The Long and The Short Of It 369. The OK Plateau
Oct 21, 2025
Jen and Pete explore the concept of the OK Plateau, where skill development stagnates due to automaticity. They discuss pushing beyond comfort zones to enhance skills and share tools for incremental improvement. Through examples like memory training and strength coaching, they reveal how micro adjustments can lead to elite performance. Listeners are encouraged to self-audit their skills and consider the trade-offs between being 'good enough' and striving for excellence. The importance of coaching in nudging clients off plateaus is also highlighted.
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Automaticity Stops Progress
- The OK Plateau is when practice becomes automatic and improvement stalls because conscious effort drops.
- Automaticity keeps you competent but prevents further growth without deliberate change.
Push Speed, Then Fix Errors
- Practice at a faster, error-prone pace to extend your limits rather than staying where you make no mistakes.
- Focus on reducing errors at the new speed instead of maintaining mistake-free comfort.
Use Deliberate Practice
- Use deliberate practice: isolate weaknesses and make practice uncomfortable to force improvement.
- Target specific weaknesses rather than repeating comfortable routines.
