Are you tired of spinning your wheels, wasting time, and not hitting your goals? Yeah, me too. Today I’m sharing two simple ideas that’ll get you to the finish line faster.

Listen to episode #609:

Download: https://smartpokerstudy.com/directdl609

The Straight Line

What’s the fastest route from Fresno to LAX? A straight line. Just under 4 hours, no stops.

But fill-up your gas, grab an In-N-Out lunch in Bakersfield, chug a 32oz Coke, find the rest stop closed, and hold it all the way to Castaic… suddenly that 4-hour trip is 5 or more.

You didn’t take a wrong turn. You just let poor planning pull you off your path, one small detour at a time.

Poker improvement works the same way. If your goal is to crush tournaments and your biggest leak is bubble strategy, every hour you spend on board texture or SB defense instead is a detour. You’ll still get there eventually… but slower, and maybe never.

♠ Assess where you are and where you want to go

♦ Decide on the ONE skill that gets you there

♣ Ignore every unnecessary stop along the way

Retardmaxxing

I picked up this term from Louis Zhao’s YouTube video “The Paradox of Retardmaxxing.” The definition: stop overthinking and take action.

It’s Maverick’s advice to Rooster: “Don’t think, just do.”

You know what will move the needle on your journey. Stop thinking about the other things you could be doing, and just do that thing right now that moves the needle the most.

This is Elisha Long, the person who (as far as I know) put “retardmaxxing” into play:

I’m Retardmaxxing My Book

I’ve been starting and stopping my next book for two years. That ends today. I’m doing nothing with poker except finishing it. No new podcasts, no videos, no Smart Minute emails until it’s done.

The next time you hear from me, you’ll be able to buy it.

While I retardmax my book, I hope you do some retardmaxxing of your own and hit your next goal faster than ever.

Ganbatte!