To be great, be consistently inconsistent

Why I ditched blind consistency and started experimenting instead.

I wrote this essay back in October 2023 when I had just 245 subscribers. 3 years and 19k subscribers later, I wanted to reshare it because I’m convinced that most of my growth on Substack, in my portfolio career and in my income has come from embodying the philosophy of being “consistently inconsistent”. If there’s anything you take from my writing and embed into your own life, I hope it’s this. Anna x

At the beginning of the year I set an intention to write for thirty minutes every single day without fail. My devotion to the Consistency Gods was overshadowed only by my devotion to caffeine, and while I started off strong, my enthusiasm soon evaporated as every day at the desk became a torturous battle against myself.

Writing every day, but mostly hating it.

Despite hating life, fuelled by my stubbornness I continued miserably pounding away at the keyboard until one day six months in, I threw up my hands in defeat. Enough was enough! I decided to tap out and bounced over to Europe for five weeks of chomping on charcuterie, dipping my toes in the crystal clear Mediterranean and people-watching in Paris. For the first time in a long time I took note of my surroundings. I allowed new essay ideas to marinate. I was reminded that days spent reading, thinking, walking and resting are all part of producing good work, and that pursuing my writing goal didn’t have to involve chaining myself to the desk.

I returned home less of a drill sergeant; lighter, brighter, and more free. And I became excited to write again.

Writing most days, and loving it.

Realising how much better my output was when I gave up on the daily grind got me questioning consistency and whether it really is the silver bullet to success. All our lives we’ve been told that consistency is key, and that doing the same thing over a long period of time will get us to where we want to go.

But slogging away can turn a once enjoyable habit into a tedious task where nothing is gained except for a boredom-induced headache. It leads us into the ‘consistency slump’ - a state of being where we tick a box for the sake of ticking a box. We do something just because we promised ourselves we would, conditioned to believe that as long as we do just a little bit more, and work a little bit harder, we’ll win. But when we stop critically analysing whether our actions move the needle, the game’s over before it began.

Consistent effort, inconsistent action

Conventional wisdom says that:

[Consistency] x [Time] = Results

But the reality is more nuanced:

[Consistency of Effort + Inconsistency of Action] x [Time] = Results

Consistency paired with shaking things up is a formula for progress and success. Kobe Bryant showed up every day to train, but he varied his routine focusing on mid-range shots, lay-ups, footwork, pivot jabs and turnaround shots. Heston Blumenthal experimented in the kitchen to come up with wild and innovative cooking techniques. Thomas Edison ran 10,000 tests before finally landing on a lightbulb design that worked.

Consistent inconsistency is the approach of scientists who hypothesise, artists who dabble, entrepreneurs who pivot, chefs who experiment, musicians who tinker and designers who play. The best performers in the world are iterators. They’ve learned the secret to working smarter, not blindly working harder.

I don’t think there’s a single formula to success but so far my experience has taught me this: don’t do the same thing every day and expect to see results. Instead, decide what you want from life and make experimentation your mantra.

Be consistently inconsistent, and find your way to great.

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How I’ve applied this philosophy over the past 3+ years to build my personal brand & portfolio of offerings:

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