Lost axe head

Are you swinging without an axe head? How to know and what to do?

The analogy of the lost axe head is a simple one.

You have an axe, and you are swinging away at your task, but at some point, you realize that the job isn’t getting done anymore. You look at your axe, and you notice that you’ve lost your axe head. You’ll have to retrace your steps until you find it again, and then continue with your work.

This analogy was inspired by 2 Kings 6:4–7 and is not the exact meaning of the original reference, but this is how I first heard this analogy, and I like it.

You can’t manage what isn’t measured.

This story highlights the importance of measuring and tracking your habits because, at some point, you might notice that even though you are going through all of the right motions, you are not yielding the desired outcomes at that moment. It is very useful to go to a habit tracker or some form of record and see what exactly you might be doing differently, even if it seems small and innocuous.

Before you can go about finding your axe head, you need to know what your axe head is in the first place. Do you have low energy? When in your life did you have more energy? Is a certain joint hurting? Was there a time it didn’t?

For example, I was running a lot more consistently a few months ago and want to get back into it. After running 1.5 miles, my knee hurt; it hadn’t before, and I was consistently running 4 miles every run. So what changed? What is my axehead in this scenario? What habit do I have to pick up to get back to when I was more optimal?

For me, back when I was running more, I was also doing tibialis anterior workouts and leg lifts to work the opposite muscles that are worked while running; this equalization reduces knee pain. So it looks like I have to pick that habit back up.

If you also want to reduce knee pain or other joint pain, check this guy out.

Another anecdote would be that I am struggling with my routine and need to dial it in. About 2 years ago, I remember a time when I was a morning routine monster, waking up between 4:30 and 5 am and running 4 miles in rain or snow since I live in the midwest and this was around springtime. I would finish my run, take a cold shower, hand-grind coffee, make some pour-over coffee, stretch, and then be at work by 7 am.

That was a pretty aggressive schedule, and it didn’t last long, but my productivity was amazing, and I felt great. 4:30 might not be an everyday thing, but maybe I could get back to 5:30 or 6 am consistently and run more often.

So I ask myself: how did I get to that point in the first place? What did I do? What mindset did I have?

The answer is one podcast that I haven’t listened to since, and after I listened to it, I immediately started the before-mentioned routine. so it looks like I am going to have to listen to it again. In case you are interested, it is this one.

It should be noted that adopting new habits does not yield results right away, so if you are trying something and there seems to be no progress, this doesn’t always mean you lost an axe head; it just means it’s a big tree that will take a long time to get through. Stick with it.

If you’d like to read more like this, you can here.