There’s a great Jerry Seinfeld story. It goes like this:
A young, up-and-coming comic name Brad Issac asked Seinfeld for advice.
Seinfeld told him to be a better comic, he needed to create better jokes. The way to create better jokes was to write every day.
“He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker. He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day.
“‘After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day,’ Seinfeld said. ‘You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not break the chain.’”
Consistency over intensity
The message: Consistency wins! Consistency over intensity! Don’t burn out, don’t overextend. Keep showing up every day.
We lap up stories like this. Type “Seinfeld Strategy” into Google and it returns 3.1 million results. “Consistency over intensity?” Another million articles. It gives us the warm and fuzzies because it “makes sense.”
If you’re building a routine, make it easy. Easier = more likely to stick.
Except…
First: Jerry Seinfeld never used this strategy. No calendar. No red X’s.1
This is hilarious to me, that somehow I am getting credit for making an X on a calendar with the Seinfeld productivity program. It’s the dumbest non-idea that was not mine, but somehow I’m getting credit for it.
Second: The “Seinfeld Strategy” paints consistency as a panacea to success. But if you’re seeking outsized outcomes or disproportionate results, consistency is not enough.
You need consistency AND intensity.
Is consistency better than intensity?
For its nine-season run, Seinfeld was often the most popular show on TV.
Let’s put that in perspective:
Netflix’s most streamed movie EVER was Extraction. 99 million people viewed the Chris Helmsworth action flick in its first four weeks.2
On May 14, 1998, 76 million people watched the Seinfeld finale.
76 million on a single day.
In 1998 alone, Jerry Seinfeld earned $267 million. Critically, financially, artistically, he was at the top of the game. So why did he stop?
Because he was burnt out from handling every aspect of the show. 3
“If you’re efficient, you’re doing it the wrong way. The right way is the hard way. The show was successful because I micromanaged it—every word, every line, every take, every edit, every casting. That’s my way of life.”
Does that sound like consistency over intensity?
Yes, consistency is important. But it’s the baseline. Outsized success isn’t driven with X’s on a calendar. It’s driven by obsession.
Every word. Every line. Every take.
Another example: Tim Ferriss promotes a protocol like the Seinfeld Strategy. It’s called “two crappy pages.”4
“My quota for writing is two crappy pages a day.”
He doesn’t try to write a novel in a month. Just 2 pages a day. Consistency over intensity, right?
In December 2016, Tim Ferris spoke at 92y in New York City. Someone asked if there were any misconceptions about him that bothered him.
Ferris said:
“That I don’t like to work That I’m lazy. I believe in hard work. I have no problem going 36-hours straight, no sleep.”5
Should we put consistency on this pedestal? Is consistency better than intensity?
No.
More accurate is: First consistency. Then intensity.
Consistency is table stakes to success. Outsized, disproportionate results require intensity. You need to attack problems, track progress, and be paranoid you’re not doing enough.
I’ve worshipped at the altar of consistency for as long as I remember. When I reflect on my journey, I attribute consistency to my (high) level of happiness and (middling) level of success.
I had no experience going into entertainment, and less when I career switched into tech. I got by by showing up and working, every day.
But I’ve always struggled to apply intensity. I’m the first one to let myself off the hook, to not push harder, to leave reserve in the tank.
Looking at my goals, I know I can get there. But I need to tweak the formula. I need to dial up the intensity. So how does one do that? Some ideas:
1. Get to baseline consistency
Again, consistency is the prerequisite. It’s table stakes. If you’re not here, get here first. Once you’re consistent (about eating, writing, saving money, running, whatever you need to reach your goal) then proceed.
2. Pick an audacious goal
The goal should scare you. Just a little. Fear focuses.
When you say the goal out loud, disbelief should be the default. If not, it’s not audacious enough.
3. Measure your progress
Your progress towards your goal should be in your face, every week if not every day.
For example, one of my goals this quarter is to double the number of readers visiting my site. Every morning, I stare at a Google Analytics dashboard and dream up ways to drive that line up and to the right. Every week, I record my progress in a spreadsheet.
If this sounds obsessive or unhealthy: yes. That’s the point.
The right way is the hard way. Every word, every line, every take.
4. Know your next High-Value Action
What is the next thing you can work on that’ll get you to your goal? I call this a High-Value Action.
Always know your next High-Value Action. Keep it handy. I recommend writing it down somewhere (I use Trello). When you sit down to work, pick that up first. Finish a meeting early, or have 10 extra minutes to spare? Chip away at your next High-Value Action.
5. Leverage social accountability
Who can you tell about your goal? Who will keep you accountable?
I tell my wife. I share in this newsletter.
I know people who use good friends, their manager, or the #buildinpublic hashtag on Twitter.
It’s hard to let others down. Use that.
5. Beg, borrow, cheat for resources
There are three types of resources: money, people, time.
How can you get more to deploy against your goal?
Each time I’m stuck, or I’m not making progress, I pause and ask myself a series of questions:
- Who has solved this before?
- Can I ask them for help?
- Is this the fastest path? Is there a simpler path?
- Can I spend money and solve this problem or speed this up?
- How can I free up more time?
- Can I buy time?
- If not, where is my time going, and how might I reallocate it?
6. Make friction your friend
Friction is a tool. You can dial it up and down to suit your needs.
Ask: what habits are helping me reach this goal?
Then reduce friction to doing those habits. For example, stocking your fridge with healthy food to eat healthier.
Then ask: what habits are slowing me down? Increase the friction between you and these behaviors.
For example, YouTube binges have been my kryptonite for as long as I can remember. So I’ve subscribed to the Freedom app for 3 years now. Every day, it protects me from me.
The idea of consistency over intensity is a myth. Hold onto it too tight, and you’ll wonder: could I have done more?
Spoiler alert: yes.
First consistency. Then intensity.
Sources:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1ujvrg/jerry_seinfeld_here_i_will_give_you_an_answer/ceitfxh/
- https://variety.com/2020/film/news/netflix-most-popular-movies-irishman-extraction-bird-box-1234708250/
- https://hbr.org/2017/01/lifes-work-jerry-seinfeld
- https://www.creativelive.com/blog/tim-ferriss-neil-strauss-writing-advice/
- Paraphrased from my memory, you get the gist.
