Insight, leverage, action, and feedback

Becoming more effective at anything — whether it’s becoming a better learner, a better employee, or a better musician — is driven by four interdependent factors: insight, leverage, action, and feedback.

Insight is the keen recognition of what needs to be done to accomplish a goal.

Leverage is correctly identifying the subset of all available actions that are going to have the most impact.

Action is the completion of these high-leverage activities.

Feedback is confirmation from someone other than yourself or something measurable that lets you know how valuable your insight & course of actions were — this is how you learn.

Feedback and action are the foundation on top of which insight and leverage mature.

Without these four components, you may be at a plateau (without realizing it).