Related: First Principles thinking


returning to fundamentals is always beneficial for learning a new skill, or upkeeping ones you already have

I saw this concept in actions while I was in marching band, where even if we could play through a piece extremely fast or had been practicing a drill for weeks/months, our instructors would eventually bring us back to the basics

each skill or family of skills have “fundamentals,” some of which are easy to identify and others less obvious

for example, for marching band: step-size, posture, horn angle, breathing - all (physical) basics, but ones that separate a mediocre performance from a competition winning one

  • proper breathing better playing
  • step size crucial for maintaining and changing formations
  • horn angle, posture important for breathing, showmanship, and clean-looking formations

you should never assume that fundamentals will always stay sharp! It pays to train them diligently, and revisit them once in a while (or regularly if you’re aiming to improve it significantly!)

Here are some related notes/projects

  • improving typing speed - writing is most of my admin work: emails, protocols, fiction, blog posts, LaTeX, formulas etc. Not tripping up over letters, punctuation, accent marks, and particular syntax actually reduce the time I spend on writing…assuming my head’s still in the game!
  • revisiting fundamental math concepts - especially useful for coding/computer science!