The Illusion of Progress
You have to put in the reps. That’s true. But anyone who’s spent serious time in the gym knows that if you only stick to your routine, you’ll plateau. You won’t get stronger or leaner forever by just maintaining. It’s during the periods of going full psycho mode on your diet, recovery, and exercise program where you set new personal records. These new highs aren’t meant to be permanent, and that’s okay. Consistency afterward ensures you don’t slide back to square one—it basically prints you a higher low. Real growth comes from inspired, high-intensity work that shatters the ceiling of 'just enough.'
The same principle applies to building a product, running a business, or mastering any new skill. Consistency keeps your product steady, enhances features, refines UX, and optimizes performance. But those aren’t the moments that create breakout success. It’s the leaps of faith that push you from good to great: adding features that might provoke your competitors, executing pivots that no one else understands, or risking key customers to pursue a larger vision. It’s stepping into the technical unknown, integrating bleeding-edge tech, or facing financial strain for a bigger return.
No risk, no story. No bursts of intensity, no glory.
The Role of Intensity in Growth
Think about Edison’s relentless trial and error leading to the lightbulb or Elon Musk guiding Tesla and SpaceX through near-collapse moments to dominance. Intensity isn’t just important; it’s essential for greatness.
But we can’t go full psycho permanently. Constant high levels of intensity will burn you out. We need rest and time to reassess. It’s in those moments of rest that we find the space to set direction and get into the mindset to receive new ideas and inspiration. As Naval Ravikant once said:
“The way people tend to work most effectively, especially in knowledge work, is to sprint as hard as they can while they feel inspired to work, and then rest. They take long breaks. It’s more like a lion hunting and less like a marathoner running. You sprint and then you rest. You reassess and then you try again. You end up building a marathon of sprints. Don’t work like a cow grazing on the field all day.”
Use bursts of intensity wisely and set the right direction during your downtime. Intensity isn’t about random overworking—it’s strategic, highly focused, and purposeful. When done right, intensity breaks plateaus and sets new highs.
Want to make intensity a driving force for your product? Plan hackathons with your team, focus on product sprints, or dive into technical deep work sessions with a single goal. You can’t force inspiration, but you can create an environment that enables it.
The Fine Balance Between Consistency and Intensity
Think of consistency as the foundation and intensity as the structure built on it. Without both, your business is either unstable or unimpressive. One keeps you steady; the other makes you soar.
So how do you balance them? First, protect your consistency. Everything that works should be put into systems—processes, automation, and protocols that handle the routine. These systems can cover everything from content creation to code maintenance. On top of this foundational consistency, create time and space for intensity. Here, systems are put aside. You focus on solving a problem or exploring an idea. By compartmentalizing consistency and intensity within your business, you give both the attention and structure they require.
After each burst of intensity, evaluate what worked and what didn’t. This way, each intense period increases your odds of winning the next one. And when those bursts lead to success, integrate what you learned into your systems to support your ongoing consistency.
A prime example of doing this the right way is 37signals, the team behind Basecamp. Known for their rock-solid processes and consistent delivery, they keep their core operations running smoothly. But when they launched HEY, their email platform, they went into an ‘all-hands’ mode of intense focus. Once the initial sprint ended, they returned to their steady rhythm to maintain and enhance the product. This approach allowed them to push forward without losing their operational stability.
Targeted Action Produces Wins, Wins Build Momentum
Intensity drives breakthroughs. Breakthroughs create momentum, both within your team and in the market. Whether it’s launching a new feature or landing a major client, wins build morale, capture market attention, and amplify your authority. Success is both a goal and a strategy. Wins create a feedback loop, motivating your team and keeping them focused.
Take a SaaS startup that launches a successful new feature after an intense development cycle. The win boosts user engagement and garners press attention, attracting new users. This surge energizes the team, who then ride the momentum into their next release. Better features, more engagement, more recognition. Success builds on success, creating continuous growth.
Each win, no matter how small, should be the ignition for your next big move. When leveraged properly, wins compound over time, inspiring your team, drawing market attention, and setting the stage for your next breakthrough. It’s not just about achieving the win; it’s about using it to build an unstoppable chain reaction of progress.
