Be Your Own Loadmaster

-Let's discuss logistics

There is a saying in the military that the inexperienced tacticians discuss tactics, while the experienced tacticians discuss logistics.

I always thought this was just one of those sayings that logistics people said, but when we went into Afghanistan in 2001, I saw them work firsthand.

Every item that we needed had to be moved from a ship via helicopter to an airfield, where it was reloaded onto another aircraft for the long flight to Camp Rhino in the middle of the Registerian desert.

We needed a ton of supplies to keep the Marine Expeditionary Unit moving, but there was only so much available 'lift' in a day. Each request had to be carefully considered.

Weight and size were important. An aircraft can only carry so much weight and volume, and that load has to be carefully balanced to ensure the aircraft flies properly and that the fuel burn rate is within acceptable limits. Otherwise, the equipment, aircraft, and crew will never make it.

This is like life. I've been seeing more and more social media posts from trainers, coaches, and professionals promising the secret to losing weight, getting fit, or finding more time in the day.

But these people only offer tactics: "Go to the gym before breakfast, prep your meals, or automate your email inbox to save time."

We need to become our own loadmasters and start studying logistics.

It's pretty simple, really. Once you understand the concept, you'll see that it's not as daunting as it may seem. You've got this.

We all have 24 hours of lift available each day, and we each fill all of it.

We may fill it with Netflix and TikTok, but we fill it.

We need to concern ourselves with size (time) and weight (importance), and learn to prioritize effectively. This is the magic of logistics.

In combat, we always prioritized resupply of the 'Three Bs', Beans, Bullets, and Bandages.

In your personal life, these could be your health, your work, and your relationships.

Figure out what is important to you, decide how much space it will take in your 24 hours of lift, and start throwing other things out of the helicopter to make room.

Look at you; Now you're a Loadmaster.

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On my other, saltier substack, Ruck The F*ck Up, I’m getting back into the best shape of my life. If you are interested, come on over.

Thanks for reading. Until next week, Keep Walking Point