Written by: January 25, 2026
How to upskill faster in life and business:
Principle-First
Learning how to learn is a superpower.
When you understand where you are on the learning curve, you practice differently.
And when you practice differently, you improve faster.
With the Winter Olympics around the corner, it’s the perfect moment to study how athletes become world-class—then borrow the same mechanics for anything you want to get better at.
There’s a simple, battle-tested framework that explains how mastery is actually built: the Four Phases of Competence. It works for almost everything.
SUPERHUMAN SCORING
In every edition of System Sunday, I assess the featured system across three superhuman dimensions: impact, setup, and maintenance.
Unlike your typical review, I focus on factors that influence personal growth. Get to know the evaluation system.
Impact (10.0/10)
Most adults stop learning new skills for one reason:
Being bad at something feels uncomfortable.
We compare our Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 20—and quietly opt out.
What we forget: everyone who looks effortless today once looked awkward.
The faster you step onto the learning curve, the sooner effort turns into ease.
As Ed Latimore puts it: “Embarrassment is the cost of entry. If you aren’t willing to look like a foolish beginner, you’ll never become a graceful master.”
I’ve watched this play out repeatedly in my own life:
- Developing a reliable tennis backhand (thousands of ugly swings)
- Learning to run effective workshops (bombing my first few sessions)
- Transitioning from tweets to essays (publishing clunky early drafts)
Each time, the same predictable stages. Once you see the pattern, you can use it anywhere.
Setup (8.0/10)
Here are the four phases—and the system that unlocks each one.
Phase 1. Unconscious Incompetence
You’re new. The landscape is unfamiliar.
Your system focus: Learn. Stay humble. Get exposure.
Read books, find coaches, study people who’ve done it before.
Phase 2. Conscious Incompetence
You’re trying and noticing every mistake in real time.
Your system focus: Get reps. Seek feedback. Iterate fast.
Step into the arena. Learn by doing.
Phase 3. Conscious Competence
You can do the thing, but it requires effort and attention.
Your system focus: Track performance. Measure progress. Refine deliberately.
Use checklists, data, and structure to perform consistently.
Phase 4. Unconscious Competence
The skill becomes second nature. Expressive. Integrated.
Your system focus: Remove friction and protect flow.
Attention shifts from how you’re doing the thing to simply doing it.
The mechanics fade into the background, allowing instinct, rhythm, and presence to take over.
Maintenance (9.0/10)
The master isn’t someone who never returns to Phase 1. The master is someone who knows which phase they’re in and adjusts accordingly.
Ask yourself:
- Phase 1: Do I need more exposure and study?
- Phase 2: Do I need to stop studying and start doing?
- Phase 3: Do I need structure and tracking to stay consistent?
- Phase 4: Are my systems now getting in the way of flow?
The right answer depends entirely on where you are right now.
I learned this framework from Brad Stulberg’s new book, The Way of Excellence, which drops in two days.
I loved it—and I’m not alone. Steve Kerr called it “an absolutely beautiful book that captures a lot of what I believe as a coach.”
Brad is offering readers of System Sunday an incredible package of free bonuses if you preorder today. My favorite perks are the online masterclass and interactive workbook, which walk you through some of the most actionable insights in the book and offer additional tips on how to apply them.
Just fill out this form with your order number to get them all.
BRINGING IT HOME
What’s one thing you want to improve at in 2026?
Pick a skill. Start ugly. Trust the curve.
All systems go,
