Remember what the teachers that would say?
“Quality over quantity.”
Meaning if you could make your point in 500 words, do it. But don’t mess with the margins to stretch it to an arbitrary three-page minimum.
Well, she was right.
But I’ve learned recently that even more important than quality is #consistency.
Consistency Builds Ability. Consistency Builds Audience.
Consistency in “doing the work” is exactly what makes you good at the work. It’s what builds the quality.
Malcolm Gladwell calls the most consistent of us “Outliers,” or people who have hit that 10,000 hour mark.
But there’s a caveat. The work has to be intentional, deliberate, and thoughtful to help you get better.
If you approach your work this way, as “deliberate practice,” you’ll see the bigger picture.
The work you’re doing today will be worse than the work you do tomorrow. And that has to be ok.
The work we all do today will more than likely not be as good at those who have been working deliberately for longer… that also has to be ok.
Additionally, consistency is what builds your audience.
70 days ago, Casey Neistat had 100 youtube video posted (over 10 years or so of creating) and just north of 500k followers on YouTube. He makes fantastic movies, some of which have gone viral.
In the last 70 days, he has put out one movie per day. That’s almost as many as he put out in 10 years.
What’s more, his audience has grown like crazy… he’ll break 700k followers tomorrow… 10 years to 500k. 70 days to an additional 200k. It’s incredible.
John Lee Dumas‘s Entrepreneur On Fire podcast was the first daily business podcast and his audience exploded to levels no one has reached as fast. Its growth was in part due to the show’s consistency.
Consistency over time has the power to lead to something pretty magical.
It’s easy to see the quality that exists in your space and compare your work to that, and say “it’s not even worth starting.”
I disagree. Check that person’s archives… I’ll bet their stuff was JV looking once..
Instead of quitting before you start, do the work and trust the process.
Consistency > Quality > Quantity.
Get reps. That’s my plan, at least.
P.s… want help being consistent? Email me or comment below and share what you what to work on every day this month and I’ll make sure to keep you accountable.