The image of the world around us, which we carry in our head, is just a model. We are at best only aware of few selected concepts, and relationships between them, and use those to represent the real system.

We’ve got mental models on how to get the best education, find a dream job, how to excel at work, how to pick a restaurant or choose a movie … literally dozens of them.

Let me share with you the workout routine of the legendary Michael Phelps:

In peak training phases, Phelps swims minimum 80,000 meters a week, which is nearly 50 miles. He practices twice a day, sometimes more if he’s training at altitude. Phelps trains for around five to six hours a day/ six days a week. To give himself some additional entertainment in the water, Phelps listens to music during his long workouts with waterproof headphones. Swimming in the water, especially that long, can be pretty boring. Listening to music can provide that extra spark to your workout. There was a point he trained every day for 365 days a year for 5 years.