Knowing enough to get things done

There’s no need to put things off due to lack of knowledge. Often, as long as you can push a button, you can achieve a lot. But sometimes it can be worthwhile to know a little about how things work, because once you know just a little more you can achieve amazing things…

Instead of trying to understand the intricacies of everything, and to hold off on action until you know everything, it’s better to realize that much of what we deal with is a “black box” and that all we need to do is press a button or two to get results.

For instance, your telephone is a black box. You pick it up, you dial the number, and you talk to the person at the other end—or you talk to their answering machine more often than not. You don’t need to know the details of what goes on inside the phone—all that technical stuff about microchips and electrical circuits—to make a phone call. You don’t need to know the details of what goes on inside your computer in order to send an email. These are both examples of boxes that do a job, and to treat them as such is usually enough to use them. This is covered in the article Finding Knowledge Easily

The fact that you can move forward with your plans without knowing exactly how things work is a great asset, and a great way of thinking. It cuts down on procrastination, and helps you to get moving instead of being stuck in the land of constant planning but being unable to take action. However, there comes a time (and fairly quickly), when it becomes useful to know a little of what’s inside the black box. The trouble is that what we find inside the black box is another black box… And then another… And then another still…

Layers of understanding

The question then becomes: how many boxes should you open and get to know the inner workings in order to be more effective?

That’s an easy one (honest!). You go down just one or two layers—open a couple boxes and get to know the contents—and by then you’ll know enough to communicate effectively with the people who know the workings of the boxes on a much deeper level.

The first thing this enables you to do is protect yourself against unscrupulous people, of which there are many in the world, as I’m sure you are aware. For example, knowing a little about a how a car engine works enables you to talk to the mechanic about what is actually wrong with your car. Even though you’re not an expert, you know enough to not have the wool pulled over your eyes, and usually when someone realizes that you know a bit of what you’re talking about, they won’t even try to pull a fast one. And if they do, you’ll have a good chance of spotting it.

But there’s an even more powerful reason for knowing a little about the workings of the “inner” black boxes. Since you can now communicate with people who understand things on a deeper level, you can actually direct them to do stuff for you. Having just a little knowledge makes you understand what is actually possible and what is ridiculous.

A little learning goes a long way

Learning just a little about how things work is one of the most empowering things you can do, and will move your ability to take action and move forward up to another level. This is especially true if you have started your own business, or want to start your own business. Once you know a little about how things work—web technology, for instance—you can hire people to do the things and get your business growing much more rapidly.

For instance, just a year ago I knew practically nothing about building websites. The thought of talking to a geek and giving them instructions to build a website to my specifications would have been laughable, something in a different universe. So I bought a book and learned a little about HTML (the thought of which makes a lot of people come out in hives—including me), and then did a bit of web surfing and learned a little bit about stuff like XML and RSS readers and so on. I probably didn’t do more than take the “black box” of the internet, and open a couple of boxes inside. Most of the internet is still a huge mystery to me. I know the names of the technologies, and I know what they do, and I have a basic idea of what is possible. But apart from basic coding—and I’m talking very basic coding, like moving a page element or adding a link—I know nothing. In fact anything more than five minutes looking at a page of code still makes me feel like I’m suffering from a severe bout of 15 hour + jet lag.

But the impact of just having that basic knowledge has changed me from someone who can use the internet—click on a browser, find a website, order from Amazon etc—to a person who can actually direct other people to build sites for me. A few months ago, I hadn’t a clue. Now I know enough to talk to a web designer and tell him or her exactly what I want.

Big improvements

Simply learning a little about the inner workings of the black box can lead to wide-ranging improvements in many areas of your life. For instance, personal finance is one huge black box that many people are just too scared to open. But knowing just a little can make the difference between being financially solvent and heading toward a decent retirement and being broke and possible never being able to retire at all.

Just like many subjects, just opening the black box of personal finance and going down a few levels will open a new universe of understanding and put you well on the way of being in control of your financial destiny. Learning about shares shows you that there’s nothing scary or inherently risky in investing shares—and can lead to a great deal of financial freedom in later life.

There’s a saying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. True, but only when you attempt something dangerous with flimsy knowledge as your guide. Often a little knowledge can take you a long way, and much further than you would have ever imagined.

And like many sayings, what is commonly known is part of a bigger whole. The saying has been attributed to George Bernard Shaw, and the whole is: “A little learning is a dangerous thing, but we must take that risk because a little is as much as our biggest heads can hold.”

Hire an expert

To open the box seems scary at first. Who knows what you’re going to find inside? And you’re sure not to understand, which is nothing short of a tragedy… But with a little work—and it really is usually just a little work—you can be talking with the best of them about the subject, and even hiring experts to do stuff for you. And the strange thing is that the more specialized the knowledge, often the cheaper it is to buy, which means you can leave the work to other people who enjoy that kind of stuff and you take the benefits. And all just by opening a box…

Remember, you don’t need to—and shouldn’t really want to—become an expert. Just become enough of an expert—hardly more than a dilettante—to be able to get the experts to give you what you need.

Today, have a think about what areas of your life you would really like to know more about. It could be any area. Your health. Your finances. A business you have been “thinking” about starting, but have done nothing about.

Then open that box and take a look inside. It won’t be half as scary as you imagined.

I guarantee it.

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