This powerfully simple visual changed how I think about habits & progress
I forget where I first saw this visual — it has the feel of a Naval Ravikant or James Clear article however I’m yet to stumble across it again. While its simplicity may feel trite, its message is worth paying attention to:
Visualizing consistency this way — and understanding it is not ‘all-or-nothing’ concerning effort and attainment — makes habit formation much more approachable.
Being able to forgive yourself for a low effort attempt or a bad session is a key part of the process — the important aspect is showing up regularly, no matter how good or bad the previous session was. Consistency — and thus habit formation, compounding, and success — is about the lack of empty circles rather than the presence of full ones.
Quantity over quality
When developing a new skill or building a habit, quantity should always be the focus during the early stages. The importance of simply getting the reps in and building a baseline level of performance and routine cannot be overstated.
‘Doing’ is better than what is ‘done’
It matters that you went for a run, not how far or fast you ran.
It matters that you made time to write, not how elegant or insightful the prose was.
It matters that you meditated, not how clear-minded or calm you were afterward.
In short: it matters that you turned up, not how you performed.
This is such a core but often overlooked component of compounding.
Far too often, we fall into the psychological trap of focusing on the intensity of effort (or quality of output) — an approach much harder to sustain over the longer term. For skillful habits (i.e., those requiring a period of effort, such as a workout, lesson, or practice session), repetition is the critical element during the early days — not intensity.
The quality and intensity of your effort can be kept in mind at the beginning, but it’s a low priority until the habit becomes more engrained. Focus on quantity, which will create quality.
As time goes on
As the habit or routine becomes familiar and the rhythm of ritual sets in, focus should shift to the quality of your sessions and the gains in output and proficiency.
‘Deliberate’ or ‘purposeful’ practice — “a highly structured activity, the explicit goal of which is to improve performance” — is the key to this part of the journey. However, working on this is not possible until you’re in a robust routine. Don’t let heavy expectations about perfect performance slow you down in building initial momentum.
Keep the forgivingness of the first visual in mind when next taking up a new habit or skill — consistency is the lack of empty, rather than the presence of full.
