Richard Rumelt
Don't Do That
Inspired by Richard Rumelt episode
Richard Rumelt's wife had a skiing stance problem for years. Expensive lessons, exercises, nothing worked. Then one instructor just yelled 'Don't do that' for a day. Fixed.
Richard Rumelt's wife Kate had a bad skiing stance. He tried everything—one ski drills, expensive lessons, nothing worked. Finally they signed up with an elite ski instructor in Aspen. Three-day intensive program. Guaranteed results.
Day two, Richard followed behind to watch the magic. Every time Kate put out her ski wrong, the instructor yelled, "Don't do that." That's it. After a full day of being yelled at every single time, she stopped doing it. Cured.
You're doing the opposite with car rides. You've got a reward chart velcroed to the seat, a special playlist, designated snack windows. But the actual problem is they keep unbuckling their seatbelt to "show you something" while you're going 65 on the freeway. Stop with the system. Just: "Don't do that." Every time. Immediate. Boring.
Meanwhile you're explaining how seatbelts work and why laws exist while they're trying to climb into the front seat to "help you drive."
