The 10:1 Rule – You're Under-Doing It!

We’ve all been there. You want to get better at something, so you start watching YouTube tutorials, reading books, and diving into endless Reddit threads. You tell yourself you’re “learning.” But be honest—are you actually getting better, or just hoarding knowledge like some kind of information dragon?

Most people get caught in a loop of informational dopamine. They consume, consume, consume—but they rarely execute. They feel smart because they “learned” something new, but within days, that knowledge evaporates because they never actually did anything with it.

This is where the 10:1 Rule comes in.

The 10:1 Rule: Learn Less, Do More

For every 100 minutes of action, you should only consume 10 minutes of information. That’s it. That’s the golden ratio.

The problem? Most people flip this ratio. They spend 10 hours watching tutorials and 1 hour (if that) actually practicing. Then they wonder why they suck.

Why Doing Beats Learning Every Time

Reading about swimming won’t stop you from drowning.

Watching jiu-jitsu videos won’t make you a black belt.

Studying copywriting won’t make you money until you actually write some damn copy.

Knowledge without execution is just trivia. When you learn passively, you retain a fraction of what you take in. But when you do something—when you struggle, fail, adjust, and try again—you turn knowledge into skill. And skills stick.

Thought Experiment #1: The Math Student

Imagine trying to learn math by just watching someone else do equations all day. Sounds ridiculous, right? You don’t “get good” at math by memorizing formulas—you solve problems, over and over, until your brain clicks.

A student who spends 10 minutes learning about addition and 100 minutes actually doing math problems will outperform a student who sits in lectures for hours but never picks up a pencil.

Thought Experiment #2: The Athlete Who Only Watches

Picture a guy who wants to be a great boxer. But instead of training, he just watches endless fight breakdowns on YouTube. He studies every punch, every dodge, every feint.

The day he finally steps into the ring, what happens? He gets absolutely wrecked.

Because knowledge without action is useless. You don’t develop reflexes by watching—you develop them by getting punched in the face, dodging, and throwing punches yourself.

Thought Experiment #3: The Copywriter Who Never Writes

This one hits home. You want to be a great copywriter, so you binge courses, buy every book, and study legendary ads. But if you never write—if you never sit down and crank out terrible, cringey first drafts—you will never get better.

You don’t need another book. You need reps. Write 100 headlines. Test them. Rewrite them. Improve them. That’s how you become dangerous (I know, a bit dramatic).

How to Apply the 10:1 Rule Today

1. Start with the Minimum Viable Knowledge - Just learn enough to get started. No more "just one more video" syndrome.

   
   

2. Set a Timer – If you watch a 10-minute tutorial, immediately follow it with 100 minutes of practice.

   
   

3. Track Your Ratio – Are you actually doing more than you’re consuming? If not, fix it.

   
   

4. Cut the Fluff – Stop hoarding useless information. Only learn what you need right now to take the next step.

   
   

5. Embrace the Suck – You’re going to be bad at first. That’s the price of admission. But every rep makes you better.

   
   

Final Thought: Stop Preparing. Start Doing.

Most people will spend their entire lives preparing to take action but never actually do it. They’ll read about running a business instead of starting one. They’ll research fitness plans instead of hitting the gym. They’ll watch every “How to Get Clients” video on YouTube without sending a single cold email.

Don’t be like most people.

Flip the ratio. Do the thing. Suck at it. Get better. Win.

So here's my challenge to you: Close this article right now (yes, really), and go spend the next 100 minutes doing whatever it is you're trying to learn. Come back and thank me later.

P.S. The irony of writing a blog post telling you to read fewer blog posts isn't lost on me. Now get out there and do the work!