Create momentum to make progress


Get the ball rolling. Once the ball is rolling, there’s much less Friction to doing the work, so you’re much more likely to do it. Like I say: The best productivity systems manage friction.

Your consistent action does not have to be perfect. You want to avoid Perfectionism, as Perfectionism leads to procrastination, and that’s the enemy of consistency.

Creating momentum utilizes the mental model Inertia. By creating momentum, you are more likely to stay in motion. Generating the initial momentum can be hard, but that’s what we’re going to make easy in this note. Taking the first step is always the hardest, but that’s why it’s the most important step.

In general, creating momentum is about continuously reinforcing the behavior. This means the methods of creating Habits are very useful here. Most of it, however, just boils down to managing Friction.

By building momentum, you work towards compounding. By keeping the momentum, you get to reap the rewards of Compound Interest on your Habits.

How to create momentum

The big challenge is to Take the first step. Once you’ve started turning the ball, you have to keep pushing a bit more to generate some motion. So just keep showing up. Build consistency.

Being consistent—showing up—requires discipline. You can build Systems to make it easier for you to show up. Most often, it is about reducing Friction (The best productivity systems manage friction).