Chess Improvement Equation Part 4 - How To Be More Consistent
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am your host Grandmaster Noël Studer and today I want to continue my episode, my series on the chess improvement equation. So, back a few episodes, I introduced the chess improvement equation and that equation is so important because I realized only three things matter for chess improvement. It's what you're doing, how you're doing it, and how much time you put in.

If you multiply these three things: what, how, time, you get your chess improvement score. That is the chess improvement equation. Now, two weeks ago, we talked about how you can improve what you are doing in chess. So, what [00:01:00] resources you spend time with and what areas you spend your time on. Then, last week, we talked about "how" of the chess improvement.

So, how can you have better focus? How should you study tactics, openings, endgames, all of these things. When you work on these two parts, what and how, you increase the quality of your chess training. And that's super important. And once your quality is right, then you can think about how you can spend more time on your chess.

Because now, if your quality is good, the more time you spend on chess, the more you will improve. And so, today, I want to talk about how you can stay consistent and how you can spend more time on chess if that is what you wish to do in 2025 and beyond. Enjoy. 

[00:02:00] Most chess players fail not because they lack talent, but because they can't stay consistent. Sounds familiar? You set big chess goals, feel motivated at first, but then life gets in the way. Work, family, distractions take over. Your training falls apart and progress stalls. If you want this year to be your breakthrough year, you don't need to work harder. You need to work more consistently. 

As I've mentioned already, in parts two and part three of the chess improvement equation, we covered improving your "what" and "how" scores.

But if you don't show up, none of it matters. Time is the multiplier in the chess improvement equation. It's not enough to have the right methods and resources. If you're inconsistent, even the best plan won't work. And this is something I see very, very often [00:03:00] with nearly all of my students, many, many readers.

I realized that they are doing well in a good week, but they don't always have good weeks, and then when bad weeks happen, their chess improvement falls apart. Slowly, slowly, they get in bad habits, they stop working on their chess, and then two months go by, and they plateaued really hard, and they didn't really put in the right effort into their chess, the right amount of time, and that really stalls improvement. So, here's how to carve out regular focused time for chess improvement in four simple steps. Step number one, start small and build. Most chess players aim too high and burn out. They set ambitious goals and then fail to meet them and quit altogether.

Instead, you should start small. Just 15 to 30 minutes a [00:04:00] day can make a huge difference. Focus on building the habit first. Once training becomes part of your routine, you can gradually improve, increase the time you spend. Consistency is what builds momentum, not quantity. 

Point number two, write a training plan. 

You won't train consistently without a plan. Training is always going to be difficult. It's easier to play bullet. It's easier to get distracted. So, if you want to really stick to your training routine, you need a plan. And there is a very simple acronym you can remember that your plan needs to follow.

It's called SMART. S for "specific". Know exactly what you'll study. M for "measurable", define clear [00:05:00] tasks. So, for example, you write down, "I want to solve 12 exercises from this exact book." You can measure that. You can say, "Yes, I did that.", or "No, I didn't." A for "achievable". Don't overcommit. If you're writing a plan that you will never, ever, ever follow, then well, you can just throw the plan in the trash because it doesn't help at all.

R for "relevant". Focus on areas that matter. We talked about that in part two, the one third rule can help you a lot there. And then T for "time bound". Set specific start and end times. If you're just writing down, "Hey, on Monday, I want to do a little bit of tactics." Well, you're not following the SMART acronym.

So, a good example is "Monday, 6.15 to 7 p.m. I want to solve tactics [00:06:00] with the Step Method workbook three, page 54. And then I want to solve 12 exercises and compare my solutions with the book solutions afterwards." Okay, so it's specific, it's measurable, it's achievable. 45 minutes, yeah, we can do that. It's relevant, well, tactics, one of the things that matter most.

And it's time bound from 6.15 to 7 p. m. When you plan this way, you eliminate decision fatigue and you make it much more likely that you actually spend time studying chess.

Point number three. Prepare your materials in advance. When your study time arrives, you shouldn't waste a second deciding what to do.

If we think back to the plan, it should be very clear what we want to do. Preparation is key. Set up your puzzles or games you want to analyze [00:07:00] the night before. Have your books or online courses ready. No more logins should be needed. Create a list of specific tasks for each session. When you sit down to train, everything should be ready to go.

Even a minor delay, like searching for the right book, can lead to distractions and wasted time. And really, just imagine sitting down at your desk and your board is not fully set up and you don't have your books, your chess books are somewhere in a shelf and you need to walk to the shelf and then you see so many cool books in there, right?

You might see some fun books, you might see some non-chess books, you might see some chess books that are more for entertainment, like just studying classical games, for example. So, just by your act of walking to the shelf, even if you're thinking, "Okay, I need to pick this specific tactics book.", you make it much more likely that you get distracted. You might even have your phone out and get a [00:08:00] notification and then you're completely off track. Just so many things can happen. So, if you want to study chess the right way, and if you want to do it continuously, then you should always prepare your materials in advance.

And I've always done that when I was a chess professional. My board was already set up with the first position and I had the book open on the right page. It was really just like sit down and just start right away. 

And then step number four is stick to your routine. Even on busy weeks, it's super normal that your life gets hectic, we can't avoid that. So, when life gets hectic, the key isn't skipping your routine. It's reducing the scope. This is an amazing idea I learned from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. By the way, if you haven't read that book, very, very good book, amazing book that can help you.

[00:09:00] Well, in what we're talking about today, sticking to the habits that you want to create, doing the things that will bring you ahead in the future. So if you can't do a full session, you should instead not just cancel out the session, but you should just do five to ten minutes. So if on your plan, you have an hour of tactics, but you realize I'm super stressed, I really don't have the time for it, then don't tell yourself, "I don't have time for the full session, so I just don't do anything."

But instead ask yourself, "How much can I commit to even on this busy day?" And it might be five minutes, it might be 10 minutes, then do that, right? Sit down, solve one puzzle. That's already enough. Get your brain in chess and be proud of yourself for actually sticking to the routine. Better weeks will come where you will be able to do your full training plan.

So, it's so [00:10:00] important to keep that streak alive because James Clear is saying that once you stop doing something two times in a row, you start a new habit of not doing it. So, even if you've built up a habit of training for, let's say, three months and then two days in a row you're canceling your chess training completely from your plan, well, congratulations or, well, commiseration you have started a new bad habit of not training, even if it's on your plan and it will be much harder to get back to the right habits. 

So, some of my students are business owners, CEOs, lawyers, you name it. They have a very packed schedule all the time. And nonetheless, the very successful ones, the ones that make meaningful progress, I'm not talking about 50 points a year, but like hundreds of points a year that they can win, they manage to stick to a schedule.

Even in the busiest of weeks, already 10 to [00:11:00] 15 minutes a day gives you a feeling of continuous progress instead of quitting on your goals. Okay, guys, so, those were the four steps to put in consistent time. Step number one, start small and build up. Step number two, write a training plan and follow the acronym SMART.

Step number three, prepare your materials in advance. Don't leave any decision on the table. Everything should be completely ready for you to study chess. And then step number four, when your life gets busy, stick to your routine, reduce the scope. So, go down to even five to 10 minutes a day, but really make sure to stick to what is on your plan.

And now I have a small challenge for you guys. Reflect on your training the past year. How much time did you actually spend on chess improvement? [00:12:00] I don't want you to add up what your ideal week has been. So take your ideal week times 52. And then how much time you've spent this way. No, no, I want to hear your real chess improvement time.

So, including all of the weeks you might have had, zero hours that you spent on chess. And now imagine bridging the gap between your actual time and your ideal training time times 52. Even an extra two to three hours a week spent consistently could lead to a dramatic progress in 2025. 

So, that's it from the chess improvement equation, right? Well, I have one more bonus episode for you. In the final part of this series, I'll reveal the hidden mistakes that don't just waste your time, they actively sabotage your progress. If you've ever wondered why you're stuck despite working hard, this might be the [00:13:00] reason.

There are things in chess improvement that work against you. The more time you spend doing those things, the harder it will be to improve your chess in the future.

And next week, it will be all about those things and how you can avoid them, get rid of them, and never fall back into the temptation of doing them. See you then.