The Only Way to Sustainable Progress - "7. Watts. Per. Year"

There is only one way to personal progress and success I know, and it's simple. It's all about staying consistent. Staying focused on a topic, a sector, or a capability and making progress year by year. And that, surprisingly, trumps speed. It also trumps short term energy busts and being stressed out.

In the tweet above, Alan Couzens describes the development of a pro bike rider. The gist of it: He starts at a pretty normal watt/heartbeat ratio and then adds a "mere" 7 watts per active year to that capacity. Year by year, all the time, for 12 active years. He ends up with a tremendous improvement from 196 W at 140 heart rate to 280 W at 140 heart rate, translating from "average fit, young guy" to "world-class endurance athlete." That's good enough for me, but few of us have to go that far.

The simple message is: Follow. That. Process.. If you like your job and have a passion for it, don't worry. Don't stress out over it. Grab a book each month or each quarter, grab an idea, test it. If it works for you, adopt it, and create the habit of using it. Done. Next. If you have a bit of passion for your job, that will be easy. Just do that, over and over. Forget about the heroes, it's lies. Forget about the idealized models, they are fiction. Screw the overnight successes of others you hear about—they don't exist.

I am back into running after 15 years. I'll be running my first half marathon soon since "being back". I asked my (well, kind of) coach: Should I go for a marathon next? He said: "Maybe next spring, better autumn. Stay focused, stay consistent, stay healthy. That's all that matters" That's how you should treat your life and job—also and especially as a product person. Especially now with all macro economic turmoil, emotional behavior, slide backs to micro management, a focus on lone heroes over collaboration.

Here's the process:

• Forget about heroes—it's a scam.
• "Kill" your idols—they're just marketing stories.
• Read any book you like about a great concept that attracts you. (Or a podcast, video, whatever)
• Treat it as fiction.
• Take any idea from the book you like.
• Adapt it to your context.
• Give it a try.
• It does not work for you: forget about it and, whenever ready, start over.
• If works for you: embed it in your routine, make it a habit.
• Start over.

Unlike in Lean Startup or so, repeating as fast as you can is not the goal. Remember: Only. 7. Watts. Per. Year. Just stay consistent. That's all.

Have a last look at the graph. The plateaus and dips are injuries or sickness. Try to stay healthy. See the huge dip at the end? That was after retirement. After about 3 years of "doing nothing," he reached his starting level. The dip carries a good and a bad message. Bad: Stagnancy is slow death, Don't stop. Pausing is ok. Good: Decline will be slow, which means you really don't have to worry. Balance. Don't do too much—avoid burning out. Avoid being disappointed because hopes were too high. Just stay consistent. You'll be the best version of yourself. And by the way: You can only do what you can do. Consistency FTW!