Why consistency beats ambition in any creative project
Dear Friends
I’ve been thinking a lot about the consistency of this newsletter.
I need to admit I haven’t been the most consistent writer.
And I know I’m not alone in this – it’s a struggle for anyone starting a newsletter, blog or any creative project.
The question kept nagging at me: Why is consistency so hard?
Then I realized something. I was making the exact same mistake with my writing that I once made with fitness.
I was making it too hard.
The consistency problem
Looking back at my journey with strength training – something I’ve actually maintained consistently for a few years now – I realized there was a powerful lesson there.
My training consistency didn’t come from following some intense, all-or-nothing program.
It came from making it easy for myself at the beginning.
In Atomic Habits, James Clear describes this as his 3rd Law of Behavior Change: reduce friction to make new habits stick.
The problem is that most of us do the opposite.
We set ambitious goals and create complex systems that require massive lifestyle changes right from day one.
The all-or-nothing trap
Let’s take fitness training for example – if you ever scheduled a session with a personal trainer, you know how it goes.
They’re enthusiastic, motivated, ready to transform your life. They hand you two things:
- A detailed workout plan (chest on Monday, legs on Wednesday, back on Friday)
- A nutrition guide (meal prep every Sunday, hit your macros, cut out sugar)
Sounds great, right?
Except they’re not just asking you to start exercising.
They’re asking you to:
- Wake up an hour earlier
- Reorganize your entire kitchen
- Learn to meal prep on weekends
- Track calories and macros
- Buy new workout clothes
- Find childcare for gym time
- Change your social life
- Transform your relationship with food
All at once. On day one.
For most people, that’s simply not sustainable.
No wonder most gym memberships go unused after February.
I’ve been there myself.
But then I did the opposite.
Something so easy, I couldn’t say no
I’d tried the personal trainer route. Failed to make it stick.
That’s when I decided to do something completely different.
I ignored all the complex programs and gave myself one simple rule:
20-minute workouts – 2x a week
That’s it.
Here’s what I stripped away:
- No gym membership (I was training at home)
- No 3-day-a-week schedule (2 was enough)
- No 1-hour-long sessions (20 minutes worked)
- No expensive equipment (just rubber bands and a mat)
- No personal trainer (I’ve used Fitbod app instead)
- No diet changes (not yet – keeping it simple)
Some weeks I really struggled to hit even those two 20-minute sessions. But other days I’d exercise longer because I’d already started anyway.
Here’s what happened: after a few months of showing up, training became automatic.
It wasn’t a big decision anymore. It was just what I did on certain days.
Only then – once the habit of showing up was locked in – did I start thinking about other things.
Diet.
Protein intake.
Micro and macro nutrition.
Training different muscle groups etc.
It was possible because I’d already built the habit.
And that happened only because I started with something so easy I couldn’t say no to.
Good writing will slip through
This “make it easy” approach got even more powerful when I heard Seth Godin share a story about Isaac Asimov on Tim Ferriss’s podcast.
Asimov published 400 books.
His method? Sit and type every morning.
Good or bad didn’t matter – he just had to show up and type.
Here’s what happened: his subconscious eventually figured out that if he’s going to type anyway, he might as well type something good.
Like Seth Godin mentioned:
“Bad writing, over time, can’t persist. Good writing will slip through.”
This hit me hard because it’s exactly what happened with my training.
Not every workout was great.
But I kept showing up.
And over time, the quality improved naturally.
My form got better.
I pushed harder.
I added more challenging exercises.
I started to feel positive outcomes.
Not because I forced it, but because I was there consistently enough for improvement to happen.
My new approach to consistency in writing
So here’s what I’m doing with writing.
I’m combining both principles: make it easy + trust the process.
Just like I started with two 20-minute workouts per week, I’m committing to 20 minutes of writing per day for the next 30 days.
That’s it.
No pressure to produce great essays.
No expectations about publishing every piece.
Just show up and write for 20 minutes each day.
The goal: build the habit of consistency first.
What I’m hoping for:
- 20 minutes is so easy, I can find time for it each day
- Sometimes I will find flow, so I will stay and write longer
- If I write every day, occasionally “good writing will slip through”
So this is my new experiment.
Takeaway
I think these principles can be applied anywhere.
If you want to change your diet, build a product or start a new creative project.
Start small.
Make it easy for yourself.
Build gradually.
When starting something – you don’t need perfection, you just need consistency.
And for a start, that’s enough.
Mentioned in This Issue
- 📖 Atomic Habits Book – my favorite resource for building lasting habits.
- 🎙️ Seth Godin Podcast with Tim Ferriss – wide-ranging discussion including creative process, cultivating creativity and writing.
- 🤸 Fitbod App – the workout app I use. Here’s a 14-day free pass (not sponsored, just genuinely love it)
- 🌌 Isaac Asimov – considered one of the “Big Three” science fiction writers. Just started his Foundation series.
Originally published on Substack 👉 https://readwhitespace.substack.com/p/make-it-so-easy-you-cant-say-no
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