# The Law of Large Numbers: A Remedy for Procrastination

I have as many ideas, thoughts, and projects as a hallucinating ChatGPT, but unlike it, I don’t deliver results on demand. My internal censor needs time to simmer thoughts, gather condensation, validate the outcomes, doubt the plans, and only then attempt to take the first step towards implementation. For a long time, my motto was, “I’d rather never do it perfectly than do it poorly right now.” That was until I started paying attention to other productivity laws.

One day, while scrolling through social media feeds, I frequently came across videos where people repeatedly practice movements to master a particularly tricky trick. For example, repeatedly throwing a poker chip to land in a narrow hole far away. At first, I scoffed skeptically: “Well, this is just the law of large numbers. If I repeat this an unimaginable number of times, it will work for me too. What’s so surprising about that?” But then I thought, “Wait! If I consistently take steps towards implementing my ideas, at some point, the law of large numbers will work, and my repeated efforts will culminate in success!”

Around the same time, I read about research on intelligence, IQ levels, and their impact on learning. In short, it tested how many attempts children needed to replicate an action they observed. Children with high IQs could replicate it on the first try, while children with lower IQs required several attempts. In other words, “smart” children, due to their intelligence, gained less understanding of the action compared to “less intelligent” children who, by repeating the action multiple times, gained much more experience and comprehension of the task at hand.

Researchers termed this phenomenon “productive struggle.” This means that repeating actions and the difficulties that arise during the learning process can contribute to a deeper understanding of tasks. According to the theory of productive struggle, tasks that require repeated attempts and effort help form more robust skills and comprehension of the material than actions mastered on the first try. Such studies often show that children with higher IQs can quickly grasp the essence but gain less experience in the process as they avoid the need for productive struggle. Conversely, children with lower IQs, who need several attempts, can gain more knowledge and skills through repeated practice, facilitating a deeper understanding of the task.

I believe a large percentage of our audience possesses a high level of intelligence. But what if, because of this, we’re missing out on something?

Here’s another pattern about repetition—the Infinite Monkeys Theorem, which states that if you give a monkey a typewriter and an infinite amount of time, it will eventually type any meaningful text, even a work by Shakespeare.

Of course, I’m not an eternal monkey, and I don’t have infinite time. However, I have an advantage: I can learn quickly, combine my learned experiences, analyze feedback, and draw conclusions. If I do something every day, even if it’s imperfect, the law of large numbers will eventually take effect, and my multiple efforts will culminate in achievement.

## How Can This Help?

I’ve long been contemplating writing a book about what the world might be like if its major achievements were made by women instead of men. I’m interested in analyzing whether a significant difference would emerge or if we would end up with roughly the same outcome we have now. And if there were differences, what would they entail? The enormity of such a task has so far led to procrastination.

Therefore, I decided to start the fight against procrastination by writing small posts about systemic thinking in a public Telegram channel. Stephen King, in his book “On Writing,” recommends writing 2,000 words a day. Currently, I manage to write an average of 250 words every two days. To strengthen my motivation, I deliberately created external accountability conditions with my readers to sustain my efforts longer. I expect that this method will train my discipline in writing texts and eventually enable me to tackle larger formats.

I hope that my insight helps someone else start taking small, consistent steps each day towards their ideas. Taking action as it comes, without worrying about internal and external censors.