Berbagi Sudut Pandang

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Ketika pandemi melanda, salah satu masalah aneh melanda kaum muda: ledakan produktivitas. Tiba-tiba, semua aktivitas berada dalam jangkauan; rapat-rapat organisasi, kajian-kajian isu sosial, hingga kompetisi di berbagai bidang. Tidak hanya lebih luas, segala kegiatan rasanya bisa dilakukan di manapun dan kapanpun; Zoom dan Google Meet mendadak jadi kebutuhan primer, .... Akibatnya, jumlah dan variasi jenis kegiatan yang dapat diikuti pun menjadi lebih besar.

Buat aku, jadi produktif adalah segalanya. Ketika bangun tidur, hal yang pertama muncul di kepala adalah: "Bisa seproduktif apa gua hari ini?", "Gua harus bisa lebih kuat, lebih tegas, lebih disiplin, pokoknya lebih baik dari orang lain!". Hasilnya, seperti lagu Glenn Fredly, "Kisah sedih tak berujung".

Kecemasan ini diperparah dengan... yap, media sosial. Kalau Twitter dan Facebook, mungkin ga terlalu relevan karena fungsinya sekarang yang lebih cocok sebagai tempat ngobrol dan bertukar informasi. Twitter, khususnya, jadi tempat banyak orang menjadi dirinya masing-masing. LinkedIn dan Instagram? Hhmm... bisa jadi. Di Instagram, anxiety muncul karena teman / keluarga yang membagikan momen hidupnya; jalan-jalan ke luar negeri, dapat mobil atau properti baru, sampai menang penghargaan tertentu. Di sisi lain, anxiety ala LinkedIn timbul dari berbagai pencapaian teman dan relasi profesional; naik jabatan, lolos internship terkenal, hingga menang berbagai penghargaan.

Everyone has their own pace. Kata-kata ini, sejujurnya, sangat membekas bagiku karena sulit untuk dipercaya. "Ini bukan winning mindset! Kalau saya dan orang lain satu kampus, dalam tingkat ekonomi yang sama, kapasitas otak yang tidak jauh berbeda, bagaimana mungkin setiap orang sungguh-sungguh punya batasan kecepatannya masing-masing?". Dalam pikiranku, potensi diri seharusnya dipandang sebagai komoditas tidak berbatas. Ya, kemampuan untuk berhikmat dalam mengukur kapasitas diri tentu harus dikembangkan. Bagaimanapun, bahkan di level kegiatan kampus, komitmen kita dalam setiap tugas/aktivitas memengaruhi kehidupan rekan lain. Jangankan melewati tenggat, mepet deadline saja bisa bikin rekan kita khawatir

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Esensi time management, menurutku, adalah optimasi penggunaan waktu kita, setiap hari, untuk mencapai berbagai tujuan hidup kita. Tujuannya bisa dalam beragam tingkat, mulai dari harian (doa pagi, makan pagi-siang-malam, kuliah, bangun pagi dan tidur malam) hingga seumur hidup ("meningkatkan pemerataan pendidikan di Indonesia", "meningkatkan semangat literasi di kalangan anak muda", atau "menyediakan akses internet cepat dan terjangkau bagi daerah terpencil").

For the sake of this essay, mari kita definisikan tujuan hidup seumur hidup sebagai goals. Goals bisa dipandang sebagai

Time management yang baik diukur dari efisiensi penggunaan waktu kita; jumlah "produk" yang kita hasilkan per satuan waktu. Sama seperti badan usaha, value suatu produk seringkali berubah-ubah dan ditentukan oleh "mekanisme pasar", a.k.a aktivitas kompetitor. Kuncinya? Skala prioritas; menaruh beberapa hal lebih penting dibanding yang lain, lalu dievaluasi setiap rentang waktu tertentu. Di satu sisi, perspektif ini memastikan kita berjalan dalam jalur yang tepat menuju tujuan serta mengeliminasi distraksi. Yang menjadi masalah, layaknya obat, kadangkala kegiatan yang punya value lebih besar bukanlah kegiatan yang kita paling sukai sehari-hari. Alhasil, time management yang baik acapkali identik dengan pengorbanan atas kegiatan yang kita "senangi". Di masa kuliah, main mobile games, jalan-jalan, dan bersosial media sering dianggap "buang-buang waktu". Kalau sungguh-sungguh dianalisis, sejatinya ketiga aktivitas tersebut punya value positif; membuat pikiran lebih rileks, meningkatkan kreativitas, dan menambah wawasan. Seperti kata Unalaq di serial Avatar Korra, "there is no bad spirit. There is just dark and light, and when imbalance comes, the dark will take over".

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"Kita hari ini harus lebih baik dari kita yang kemarin, kita esok hari harus lebih baik dari kita hari ini." Tidak dapat dipungkiri, ini adalah kalimat yang mendorongku untuk berani gagal dan mencoba hal baru, sebanyak mungkin, setiap saat. Namun, sesungguhnya, kita semua diciptakan dalam warna masing-masing, menjadi berbeda dengan cara yang tak terpikirkan. Being the brightest student, most impactful leader, loudest voice... most productive person who can, easily, puts "success" and "hardworker" as their last name; maybe... not everyone is meant to be them, that mere "productivity" should never define your growth, passion, and perseverance in life, that life is so unique that with seemingly endless permutation, each person enjoys different joys and suffers different tears; that being Elon Musk, Mark Zuckenberg, ; that, maybe, finding yourself and be proud of it is everything God asks us for, because each of us is made of kindness and love, even if it's just a tiny drop. Hence, 'being me' means being aware of family's struggles, feeling pain in chest when my friends are in sorrow, being the first to congratulate high-achieving friends while providing time and ears for their pain and sadness.

With light, there comes shadow. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. Dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, tidak dapat dipungkiri bahwa sebagian talenta bernilai lebih tinggi dibanding yang lain. Beragam soft skills, mulai dari public speaking, komunikasi dalam tim, hingga critical thinking memudahkan kita untuk bertumbuh dalam karier, naik jabatan dan memperoleh pendapatan besar.

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Dalam buku The Righteous Mind karya Jonathan Haidt membedah dikotomi pola pikir dalam psikologi modern: intuition vs reasoning

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Kalau Anda menyebut diri penggemar sepakbola - pada tingkat keahlian apapun - tentu mengenal sosok Josep "Pep" Guardiola. Dalam tangannya, sepakbola rasanya bukan hanya tentang mencetak gol sebanyak mungkin. Lapangan hijau terasa seperti kanvas; guratan halusnya adalah operan pendek cepat menyusur tanah, sapuan yang lebih tebal adalah setiap gol yang dicetak ke gawang lawan. Membiarkan gawang terbobol tentu mengesalkan, tapi kalau ditambah rasa tak berdaya dan kekaguman yang getir terhadap lawan, tentu kesalnya bisa berlipat-lipat; begitulah perasaan Real Madrid ketika dibantai 0-5 di El Clasico. Saking mengesalkannya, kalau saja Pep jadi kapten tim bola di kampung, tiap gol dari timnya harus dihitung 2 kali gol biasa.

Secara singkat,

Pep's football is like a force of nature; like colors and elements. No words can describe it, yet everyone can identify his football at once. It is describeable and inexpressible simultaneously. It is a spritual experience, football at its finest, poetry in motion.

Lalu, bagaimana Pep melakukannya?

Pep adalah "football geek", Bill Belichick-nya sepakbola. He's not playing in football, he's playing with it. Ketika di Barcelona, ia masih mudah dikenali: 4-3-3, tiki-taka, total football, Iniesta-Xavi-Messi. Sekarang, di Manchester City, ia tidak dapat didefinisikan semudah itu. Tentu, ada beberapa pemain kunci: De Bruyne, Ederson, hingga Aguero (kecuali musim ini..); filosofi possesion football-nya pun tetap ada. Namun, di luar itu, City adalah tim yang dibentuk hanya untuk menang. Pep tidak lagi alergi terhadap permainan bertahan dan long ball; semua pemain punya kesempatan jadi starter, bergantung pada kebutuhan tim dan karakteristik lawan. Bahkan, tidak jarang City bermain "pragmatis", sekadar untuk menang. He's evolving.

So, he's principally sound, consistent, yet agile/adaptive when necessary.

Is he... perfect?

Ironically, his flaw lies within his perfection. Salah satu ciri khas Pep adalah obsesinya untuk beradaptasi terhadap kemampuan lawan. Dalam kompetisi liga, dampaknya tidak signifikan karena setiap pertandingan tidak harus dimenangkan dan level kompetisinya yang seringkali di bawah kualitas pemain City. Namun, pada sistem knock-out, ketika semua pertandingan harus dimenangkan, obsesi ini menimbulkan krisis identitas dalam tim. Setiap hari, Pep menganalisis berbagai kemungkinan taktik yang dapat diterapkan tim lawan dan memetakan adaptasi yang dibutuhkan. Setiap sesi latihan dan rapat dipenuhi dengan analisis terhadap setiap detail gerakan lawan. Tidak jarang (bahkan cukup sering), formasi dan pilihan pemain didasarkan pada gaya bermain lawan.

Semuanya terdengar normal, sampai kita sadar bahwa... segalanya jadi tentang orang lain.

Thomas Muller, pemain kunci Bayern Muenchen, menyebutkan bahwa ketika Pep menjadi pelatih di sana, ia "selalu kesulitan untuk menyeimbangkan antara perhatian ekstra terhadap kekuatan lawan, terutama pada pertandingan besar, dan keteguhan untuk berpegang pada sistem dan prinsip yang ia dan tim percayai." Ketika kalah dari Real Madrid di leg I semifinal UCL 2014, Pep merombak total taktik yang ia gunakan. Hasilnya? Muenchen dibantai 0-4. 7 tahun kemudian, di final UCL 2021, City mengabaikan sistem double pivot, memainkan Gundogan dan Sterling, serta keputusan kontroversial lainnya yang mengabaikan gaya bermain City selama setahun terakhir. Hasilnya? City tumbang di tangan Chelsea, 1-0.

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Sun Tzu menekankan pentingnya mengenali lawan sebelum berperang. Elon Musk terkenal dengan prinsip pohon semantik dalam memahami ilmu pengetahuan - tujuan luhur pembelajaran adalah menghubungkan segala informasi dan memahami prinsip dasar dari industri yang digeluti. Musk, bersama Bill Gates dan orang-orang besar lainnya, seringkali menyampaikan pendapat terkait masalah publik di berbagai sektor: neuroscience, pandemi Covid-19, hingga cryptocurrency. Mereka mungkin bukan ahli ekonomi atau kesehatan publik, tapi kemampuan mereka mengidentifikasi prinsip dasar berbagai hal memudahkan mereka untuk mempelajari hal baru: healthcare is about making people happier and healthier, economy is about ensuring yout income outweighs expenses, dan lainnya.

Then, you have to be familiar with as many externalities as possible, right?

Ya, dan itulah Pep. Dia adalah student of the game. Tidak banyak pelaku sepakbola yang lebih cerdas dibanding Pep. Ketika Anda tahu sangat banyak, penasaran akan lebih banyak hal, dan tidak mau kalah dalam persiapan, terkadang sulit untuk tidak memikirkan segalanya, yang sering orang definisikan sebagai overthinking. Padahal, mungkin bagi Anda, itu tidak overthinking karena kepala Anda rasanya muat-muat saja.

Saya dan teman-teman (hampir pasti) tidak lebih pintar dari Pep Guardiola dalam urusan sepakbola. Kalau saja Pep membaca ini dan mendatangi saya, pasti dengan mudahnya saya diyakinkan bahwa semua keputusan taktiknya didasarkan pada pertimbangan logis. After all, he is the mastermind of football.

Namun, rasanya memang ada alasan banyak ilmuwan sulit untuk terjun dalam industri praktis: they want to know, and be assured that they really know, everything. Entah kenapa, ketika menghadapi lawan-lawan penting, Pep memutuskan untuk bermain dalam skenario lawannya. Padahal, terkadang, kita hanya perlu yakin atas prinsip dan metode yang telah kita gunakan, apalagi jika mereka telah mendatangkan beragam kesuksesan. Kisah Pep menjadi contoh, bahwa kemenangan tidak terjadi di dalam kepala atau di atas kertas, tapi di atas lapangan. Sah-sah saja untuk "berdarah-darah" dalam persiapan, tapi ketika waktu eksekusi tiba, ya percaya saja! Pada tahap inilah, konsep tuhan, hoki, dan faktor-X jadi berguna.

Jadi, apa yang bisa dipelajari? Hhmm... not much. It's a common sense to evade overthinking. Dibanding pembelajaran, semoga cerita ini bisa jadi pengingat menjelang tidur, selama bengong, atau di waktu gabut, bahwa praktisi-praktisi besar dunia pun mengalami overthinking. Meskipun sudah sering menang, bagi mereka, rasanya tidak sah kalau semua kemungkinan tidak dijelajahi. Yet, it doesn't do them any favor. Di tengah semangat agile ala startup, konsep VUCA di berbagai industri, dan prinsip customer-oriented ala industri manufaktur, staying true to your identity, bisa jadi, adalah pembeda pemenang dan pecundang.

Pada akhirnya, kemenangan juga ditentukan oleh lengahnya lawan. Seperti kata Sun Tzu,

"To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself."

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For most sports fan, it is exceptionally hard to understand sports beyond scoreboard. However, few would argue that those 'beyonds' are what make sports interesting. We are easily intrigued with questions like"How champions' daily routine are? What are their mindsets during important matches? How angry are they with each loss?", or simpler ones like, "what winners look like, and how to be them". This is why sport industry is so lucrative in big market like USA and Europe. Narratives are sold everytime, framing sportfield like theatre with athletes as Grammy-quality actors from Telenovela.

It also applies for me. For any reason only God & my cerebellum knows, watching 'Get Up', 'First Take', 'KJZ Show', and other bunch analysts are part of my routines. Hearing them shouting and debating each other, Stephen A. Smith saying 'blasphemous', Skip Bayless harassing Lebron, or Sir Barkley spitting out 'GUARANTEE' are fitting nicely with my taste of entertainment. However, in my case, more relevant and logical motive arises:

What truly differs winners from losers? Is it talent, experiences, or... just some Veritaserum?

Let's start with... (American) football, shall we?

For brain teasers, NFL's tactics can surely make you falling in love. From defense (man-zone-blitz coverages, 4-3 & 3-4 base schemes, dime-nickel linebacker scheme) to offense (Run-Pass-RPO offense, 11-12-13 offensive schemes, running routes (hitch, fly, seam, cross, slant, flat, post,..), and also a lot more), football presents us tons of options on how to put (and prevent) the football from the endzone. No wonder, each team utilizes different schemes and coverages. Kyle Shannahan, NFL offensive guru, is popular for its run-heavy attack with healthy dose of play-actions. He prefers cerebral quarterback, who evades mistakes and prioritizes team-first mentality. Pete Carroll, another long time NFL head coach, is also popular for emphasizing runs. Occasionally, due to this principle, Russell Wilson has not been granted much freedom during crunch time offenses, which triggers some debates. Regardless, he visibly sticks with it and carries Seahawks to continuous excellent regular season record.

These concepts are, however, challenged with changing era. As quarterbacks' protection on the field is increasingly emphasized through NFL regulation, pass-happy offenses enjoy more success recently. QB, abbreviation for quarterback, also acquires significant salary increases and organizational power, such as picking Head Coach and other players. For instance, top 10 NFL players' salary, and 13 of the last 15, are quarterbacks. Hence, offenses - even organizations - are centered around quarterback; in other words, pass-heavy offense, both inside and outside the field, gains significant traction. This conflict affects teams like Seahawks, whose coach prefers run-heavy offense. Moreover, teams with top-tier running backs, like Christian Mccaffrey, Derrick Henry, and Dalvin Cook, are struggling to win. Otherwise, Super Bowl winners are accustomed with great quarterbacks, like Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers.

So, there's only one way to win it all, huh?

Let's see other sport...

Basketball would also make strategists excited, because how can you not?

Although involving less personnel compared to football, the possible tactics seem endless. Traditionally, there are five positions on the basketball floor: Point Guard (PG), Shooting Guard (SG), Small Forward (SF), Power Forward (PF), and Center (C). The assignments for each player may vary based on team needs, but generally, they are assigned with common roles: Shooting Guard to shoot, Center to score inside the paint and rebound, Small Forward to drive and slash, etc. Before 2010s, these assignments are still considered relevant for most NBA teams. San Antonio Spurs, arguable the best NBA franchise during that decade due to continuous deep playoff runs, employs their three best players (or Big 3) based on that assignment: Tony Parker as Point Guard (PG), Manu Ginobili as Shooting Guard (SG), and Tim Duncan as Power Forward (PF)/Center (C). Boston Celtics have Rajon Rondo (PG), Ray Allen (SG), Paul Pierce (SF), and Kevin Garnett (PF). Pistons have Isiah Thomas at PG, while Lakers have Kobe Bryant (SG) and Pau Gasol (PF/C).

Today, basketball is way more dynamic and full of principle innovations. Undoubtedly assisted by modified NBA regulations, it is now the era of positionless basketball; just putting your best five players on the floor which can execute the designed offensive and defensive schemes, regardless of size and position. Due to this perspective, small-ball basketball erupts. Like the name suggests, big players (7-feet tall or more) get less playing time while smaller ones play more. Simply put, traditional Power Forward and Center are gone, replaced by wing-sized players occupying their spots. This ensures defense can 'switch' defensively (players can switch their defensive assignments without sacrificing size and mobility, especially during screen offenses like PnR and pindown), which simplifies defense for the players. Also, this enables more ball-handlers and slashers during offense, empowering ball movements and unpredictable attacks; like Sun Tzu said, "Those who are skilled in producing surprises will win." The result? Ben Simmons, PF-sized Point Guard; Nikola Jokic, Center averaging 8 assists per game; Karl Anthony Towns, 7-footer shooting over 40% 3PT.

Small-ball is heavily embodied by Golden State Warriors, 3-time NBA Champion, and Houston Rockets, perennial NBA Playoff team. Meanwhile, Towns has never been to NBA Playoff. Center and Power Forward are owed the least salary percentage for NBA teams, while Point Guard owes the most. Clearly, this new wave is bringing success...

The pattern is there, and seemingly bringing along success.

So, winners should not be stubborn with principles, instead they adapt with the era... right?

In the first step, I have elaborated on how Guardiola is prone to create overthought decisions, which complicates things for the players and overshadows the team's identity. All of his players are experienced professionals, some even come to Man. City due to Guardiola's request. With seemingly unlimited funds from Sheikh Mansour, these are the best and most fitting players to the team, assessed by one of the brightest football brains in the world. Yet, for some reasons, they frequently falter on biggest stages due to feeling anxious, nervous, and confused. Somehow, they are weaker than Lyon and Chelsea in consecutive years. Or maybe, even worse, they suddenly don't know what great football is, and how to execute it.

Guardiola's Barca possess insurmountable talents and consistency. Valdes has been the mainstay for a decade, so was the case with Puyol, Xavi, and Iniesta. Accounting for their time together in La Masia, the gold standard for football academy, and it is clear they have the best natures and nurture players can imagine. However, what was unique is how clear - and loyal - these players with "their football": quick-short passes and possession football, among others. It was common that Barca lost games with 70%-75% possession and 500 passes; indicating 'dominance without substance'. Many argued that they prioritized 'beauty over winning', some even said that they were 'the victim of their own principle'. Yet, this produced the remarkable sextuple and 2 UCL titles. The reason? 'Players play Champions League final like it was friendlies,' Guardiola said about his Barca's players. They are relaxed and have complete understanding over football they were playing. They are secured with their identity.

In Game 7 of 2018 NBA Western Conference Finals, Houston Rockets facing Golden State Warriors. At that point, Warriors still using big men like DeMarcus Cousins and Javale McGee, while Rockets going full small-ball and shooting 3's at historic rate. Tilman Fertitta and Daryl Morey, owner and GM of Houston Rockets, explicitly declared this team is designed to kill Warriors by, ironically, copying Warriors' small-ball principle to the extreme level. They signed multiple shooters and chose star Guard in Chris Paul, instead of star Center like Dwight Howard, their player in 2012. In a nutshell, this is Rockets' game of life. Even the latter final is, maybe, no more important than defeating the Warriors.

The result? Rockets missing 27 3's in a row, and they lost the game. The imposter, yet again, fails to defeat its original.

Patriots vs Seahawks, Super Bowl XLIX, 2015. Tom Brady, arguable the greatest quarterback in NFL History, facing Russell Wilson, another great quarterback, and... yes, Pete Carroll. The game was tight until the last second. Seahawks was on the 1-yard line of Patriots' side of field. They had great running game through Marshawn Lynch, repeatedly breaking Patriots' defense through power runs. However, for this last, crucial play, Carroll used Russ' pass to receiver in flat route. Yes, he refrained from his run-heavy identity in, arguably, the most important moment of his NFL career, and tried to be 'unpredictable' with pass-play.

The result? The legendary interception by Malcolm Butler. Patriots won (again), and Seahawks never gets back to Super Bowl since then.

Maybe, those examples are picky. Certainly, being adaptive is important; Patriots' playbook, for instance, is modified weekly based on their opponents. City, Seahawks, and Rockets may still lose, even if they did not try to adapt. This is just, again, a reminder that in the most pressing moments, or in Kelleman's way, 'when the universe is on the line', being merely adaptive and unpredictable is not always true. Barca, Warriors, and Patriots having lengthy success, partially, because their belief over their principle in those moments. It is, again, not always working; Warriors losing Game 7 of 2016 NBA finals due to inability to score 3's in the last 5 minutes, while Patriots losing Super Bowl LII because Eagles decided to be unpredictable with the infamous 'Philly Special'. However, their success outweighs failures, and firm identity/philosophy may be the key.

If things seem broken, excellence of execution should be magnified, as opposed to changing principles. Never constantly blame your philosophy, who you are, because even if it's true, it's never a right choice to make.