Oftentimes when we are training for a big event whether it's a business meeting or a marathon, we train just under our threshold.

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What do I mean by that? Here is a perfect example: You’re running a marathon. Average training suggests that every week leading up to race day, you increase your mileage until you can run just under the full distance of 26.2 miles. Most runners never actually hit 26.2 miles in training; it’s usually drastically lower.

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The best in the game do the opposite. Take Major League Baseball players: When an MLB player expects a pitcher to throw 100 mph, they’ll usually train at a few mph faster than what they're expected to see. If they train at 103 mph in preparation for a 100 mph pitcher, it not only improves their reaction time but also makes the 100 mph pitch look slower and easier to hit.

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If we want to make the "game" easy, why aren’t we taking this mentality into our everyday lives? Yes, it’s more work. Yes, it’ll probably suck. But at game time, you’ll dominate.

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As a former collegiate baseball player and now CEO of Flow Forward Media , I’ve taken this "velocity approach" in our business:

• The client wants a one-page website? We’ll build three, just in case they don’t like the first option.
• We have a 40-page presentation? We’ll build 60 pages, just in case the prospect wants to get more granular.
• A client wants a project done in four weeks? We’ll complete it in three to allow room for revisions.

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The Benefits of Over-preparing

1. When you over-prepare, the game becomes easy. Most people have "perfect" training on paper, but when game time happens, the fear of under-preparation ruins their flow.

2. When you over-deliver, it becomes your normal. Your pain, focus, and effort tolerance increases. For example, if you prep for 26.2 miles by doing 30-mile runs, you build a tolerance for 30. That becomes your new "easy run."

3. Your identity is built on doing more. When others refuse to show up, you show up because it’s a non-negotiable.

How do we do that in the micro?

Every day we have to deliver for our families, our work, and ourselves. Why not over-deliver?

• Make it a habit to show up early to every single meeting.
• Do more than what you promised.
• Train an extra five minutes in the gym.
• Play with your kids for 10 minutes longer than you said you would.
• Save more money than you told yourself you would.

These are just a few examples of how we can use over-preparation in the small tasks that everyday life brings us.

Conclusion

As the world moves at an increasingly faster pace, we need to continue to evolve. The best way to do that is through over-preparation, pushing ourselves to the limits until those limits become the norm.

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