Bounded vs. Unbounded Games
Simplicity might be the most beautiful aspect of sports.
Don’t get confused. When I say “simple” I do not mean the strategy and execution of a game. I use the word more broadly. Clear rules make setting goals and building feedback loops fairly simple. In sports, the process of improving is straightforward.
Games ranging from golf to football can be broken down to fairly simple components: driving and putting, blocking and tackling. If a basketball player has a bad season shooting three-pointers or if a hockey player struggles with face-offs, they know what to work on in the off-season. These simple feedback loops allow you to show up and work. Grit and determination will almost always help you improve.
This is something I miss about playing football. The simplicity of the goals. Practice hard, train hard, study your playbook, and eat well; focus on these components and good results typically followed.
In math there is a concept for defining different kinds of complex systems; they can be bounded or unbounded. Bounded complexity refers to a field that has limited scope, there are clear parameters of constraint. In unbounded systems there are no boundaries of certainty, it is nearly impossible to create parameters. The system is infinite.
Playing sports is an example of bounded complexity, most other aspects of life are unbounded.
It has taken me a while to internalize this idea.
I write a lot about how playing competitive sports has helped me through my life and career, but using the skills I honed playing bounded games like football has also led to some frustration.
Almost all ex-athletes I know share some key traits: a killer work ethic and high determination. Years of difficult practices, setbacks, and coaches yelling in their faces builds a sense of grit, and the positive results that come from this work makes them continue to persevere. The media glorifies this type of thing. Just look at the regularly run features on SportsCenter. It doesn’t matter if it is Wayne Gretzky, Serena Williams, or Michael Jordan, the long hours spent locked away in the gym or on the field are what make them great.
In the simplified world of bounded games, an elite work ethic combined with some natural ability and a little bit of luck will propel you to the top.
The thing is, directing a work ethic in an unbounded game is hard and it will become harder in the future.
Coming out of the industrial revolution career success was fairly simple. Most jobs were part of a bounded system that led to a specific output, an assembly line if you will. Succeeding in these roles was straight forward. All you needed to do was show up, follow directions, work hard, and with a bit of luck you would have a solid career. The problem is, as we evolve towards a knowledge economy, results matter more than the effort that goes into them. A strong work ethic in of itself will not get you to where you want to go.
This makes defining the parameters to direct your work ethic essential, and with the unbounded nature of modern society it is difficult.
I know first hand. My go-to club for a long time was determination, my ability to suffer, or endure. I built these skills over years of football training. When all you have to do is lift a weight off of the ground or run another sprint, these skills are incredibly valuable, but when the definition of ‘smart work’ is fluid, you can easily find yourself sprinting down a road that has not value in helping you reach a goal. There are many times in my business and in life that I have ran extremely hard at something for months, only to realize that all of my work, dedication, and commitment was focused on the wrong thing.
I do not pretend to have an easy answer for this problem, even if I did the fluidity of the unbounded system we are all playing in would make any advice I give stale quickly. With this being said, there a few things I try to keep in mind to make sure I direct my energy appropriately.
First, it is helpful to constantly define what success looks like for whatever is on your plate. This lets you clearly define the most important components and allocate time and effort accordingly. In sports its easy to keep this in front of mind because for the most part it usually simple, winning. In careers and life the definition of success will constantly change. A great way to focus a strong work ethic is to constantly remind yourself what you are aiming for. This will help make sure you are running in the right race.
Second is an idea I got from the work of economist and trader Nassim Taleb, specifically his book ‘Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder.’ Antifragility is a property of systems that thrive as a result of stressors, shocks, volatility, noise, mistakes, faults, attacks, or failures. The nature of unbounded games is that volatility will always arise. You never know when it will come, but uncertainty is inevitable. Because of this, I find focusing efforts on things that make you better regardless of the situation to be valuable. Things like good sleep, nutrition, exercise, and learning meta skills (e.g. language, writing, creativity, etc.) will almost assuredly improve your ability to handle volatile situations. There is almost no downside to focusing your attention on this kind of stuff.
I miss the days of being able to show up to practice, sweat for a few hours, and have the satisfaction that I improved. This feedback loop is motivating. But with the unbounded system of the real world, simply showing up everyday and working hard is not enough. The feedback loops often are not as clear. You need to be aware of where your work ethic is taking you and what outcome you are after. If you are not careful you will pop your head up in a few years and realize you have been sprinting down the wrong road.
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