Once you find the core principles of something, you can limit the search space of your exploits and reach your desired outcomes by applying different sets of actions, as long as those actions are aligned with the principles. The problem is when:

• the principles cover a very narrow spectrum of your goals space, so you become repetitive and boring by strictly following them
• some or all of the principles are wrong, so the respective actions will consistently miss the goal
• the right principles are ignored completely, so it becomes unpredictable what will be the result of an action

How this applies

Take Polyphia, an innovative band that crosses different interesting styles with flawless musical execution, which, in my opinion, created some of highest quality music over the past years:

Polyphia - Ego Death feat. Steve Vai

Polyphia - Playing God

Polyphia - ABC feat. Sophia Black

They found a sweet niche spot that is unrivalled, and exploited it in several of their songs. They grasped core principles like a fresh unexpected mix genres, above average musical execution, catchy riffs, core musical theory, unexpected structures, and interesting aesthetics.

Missing the principle of focus

They are an incredible band, but then there are songs like “Power in the Blood”. This one misses the core principle of focus. Notice how much is happening how much is happening throughout the song, and how much each musical line is battling for your attention:

Polyphia - Power in the Blood

We are limited animals, and can only grasp so much at any given point in time, that’s why even in jazz this is acknowledged several times we see an instrument soloing, while others hold the background. That’s why there are melodies, that’s why there is usually one lead singer.

Now listen to this hidden gem:

Scott LePage’s line on “Power in the Blood”

It is still “Power in the Blood”, but focused on Scott LePage’s lines. The competing noise was toned down, and Scott’s magic is forefronted. It’s so good that during one of my walks I’ve listened to it, on repeat, over the span of four hours, meaning I’ve listened to it about 80 times.

Climbing the ladder

On the other hand, consider one’s professional career. There are certain formulas inside a company that consistently allow you to hit desired objectives, and allow you to climb the corporate ladder. For example, if your company rewards objective impact to its topline business goals, then you already know that one of the principles you can foster is to align your work consistently with the business’ needs¹.

On the other hand, if you happen to find a local maxima principle, such as the rules on how to optimize a given user flow, and then don’t abide by any other principle, you’ll become pigeon holed into a role or position. This is usually less stressful, more predictable, but also more boring, and could leave you in a pickle if the ground shifts beneath your feet, as it often does in today’s business / world needs.

Find your principles

If you think you already found all the core principles you need, great. Exploit them to the max, but be careful to keep an eye every now and then outside our realm of possibilities, to make sure you are not missing anything fundamentally relevant.

If you found a core of set principles, but choose to disregard them in favour of new explorations, have fun, but remember that you might be wasting your previous investments, and leaving high quality results on the table.

If you don’t have a set of principles yet, whatever the area, make an effort to find them.