The Productivity Lie That Won’t Die
Why goal obsession derails real growth—for brands and people alike.
In Brand Runner, I write about creative productivity and how to build standout brands. Subscribe to get brand insights straight to your mailbox.
Hi!
Everyone makes New Year’s resolutions. From my neighbour to my wife and most of the workforce.
“This year I will try to crush my sales goal so that I can take the family on that ski trip”.
“This year, I want to invest more in myself by taking this certification”.
“This year I want to start a diet and lose that much weight to get in shape”.
But there is one major setback with all these goals and most New Year’s resolutions. And that’s most people make them short-term resolutions. To become the better version of oneself requires serious questioning. It should not happen just once a year when you think of your resolutions, but really the effort to be implemented should be a long-term mindset. And you have to put the work in to reach it. Otherwise, it might become an unreachable goal or a way of doing things you let go of once you get to it.
As a long-time Taekwondo practitioner and master myself, any master who studied the “Do” (the Way) knows that perfection does not exist. You can only strive towards it through that yet ever-flattening learning curve. Any master who has been teaching for a while also knows the problem of the student wanting to become a black belt. This student has made up his goal: to reach the black belt level. I have seen it so many times, when the student reaches the coveted black belt first dan, he/she just gives up on Taekwondo. I wrote about my amazing experience going to Korea to get the master's certification here (learning never stops):
The truth is that both personal resolutions and marketing plans often fail for identical psychological and structural reasons. In this article, we will examine the behavioral science behind these failures and how to build systems to promote growth.
The psychological underpinnings that connect both scenarios
Picture a marketing team huddled around a conference table on January 2nd, armed with fresh budgets and ambitious targets. Down the street, a newly-minted gym member is programming their first workout into their brand-new fitness app. The parallels? They're both falling for the same psychological trap – the allure of the clean slate.
We humans are remarkably predictable in our love affairs with fresh starts. There's something almost magical about new beginnings, whether it's a new year, a new quarter, or a new fiscal budget. Marketers call it the "fresh start effect", and it's as powerful in boardrooms as it is in living rooms.
But here's where it gets interesting: this psychological quirk affects decision-makers at every level. Just as individuals convince themselves that "this time will be different" with their resolutions, marketing teams often approach each new planning cycle with an almost amnesia-like optimism about their capacity for transformation.
Time feels infinite in planning but becomes stubbornly finite in execution.
Consider how we process time psychologically. Studies in temporal cognition1 show that we tend to view future time as more expansive and manageable than past time. This is why marketing teams confidently plan to "double engagement rates" in Q1, much like individuals believe they can "completely transform" their fitness in three months. Both scenarios ignore a crucial reality: time feels infinite in planning but becomes stubbornly finite in execution.
This optimism bias manifests in fascinating ways across both domains:
The Quarterly Mirage: Marketing teams often structure campaigns around quarterly targets, creating artificial pressure points that mirror the "Monday diet start" mentality of personal resolution-makers. Both approaches ignore the continuous nature of meaningful change.
The Dopamine Trap: The act of planning itself triggers reward centers in our brains. Marketing teams get a hit of satisfaction from crafting ambitious strategies, just as individuals feel accomplished simply by purchasing a gym membership. This premature reward can actually reduce the motivation to execute effectively.
The Scale Delusion: Both marketers and resolution-makers tend to overestimate what can be achieved in the short term while underestimating what's possible through consistent, long-term effort. It's why brands often push for viral moments instead of building sustainable engagement, mirroring how individuals seek dramatic transformations over steady progress.
But perhaps most tellingly, both groups fall prey to what psychologists call "implementation intention deficit"2 – the gap between having a goal and having a system to achieve it. Marketing teams might set a target to "increase social media engagement by 50%" without deeply considering the daily operational changes required, just as resolution-makers commit to "getting fit" without planning their daily schedule adjustments.
The result? A planning cycle that feels more like wishful thinking than strategic development. Teams end up creating what are essentially "marketing resolutions" – grand declarations of intent that lack the structural support needed for success.
Understanding this psychology isn't just about avoiding pitfalls – it's about recognizing that our natural inclinations toward fresh starts and ambitious planning can be harnessed productively, but only if we acknowledge and plan around these inherent biases. The key lies in building systems that work with our psychology rather than falling victim to it.
Practical parallels between personal and marketing failures
The path to abandoned goals is paved with strikingly similar stones, whether you're tracking personal resolutions or marketing initiatives. Let's dissect these parallel patterns of derailment – not to discourage, but to diagnose.
The Personal Resolution Spiral
The Overambitious Override
We've all been there: "I'll work out every single day!" declares the person who currently exercises never. This zero-to-hero approach ignores the basic principles of sustainable change. It's not just about the goal being ambitious – it's about the psychological toll of attempting too much change at once. When inevitable life disruptions occur, this all-or-nothing mindset turns a minor setback into a complete abandonment.
The System Blindness
Resolution-makers often fixate on outcomes while ignoring the infrastructure needed to support them. "I'll eat healthier" sounds great until you realize your pantry is still stocked with processed foods, your meal prep skills are nonexistent, and your schedule doesn't actually have room for cooking. The goal exists in a vacuum, disconnected from the reality of daily life.
The Motivation Myth
Relying on motivation as a primary driver is like depending on perfect weather for outdoor activities – it's bound to let you down. When the initial enthusiasm wanes (and it always does), there's no robust framework to fall back on. The "I'll just push through it" strategy crumbles against the persistent force of ingrained habits.
The Marketing Mirror
Campaign Castles in the Sky
Marketing teams fall into eerily similar traps. "We'll post engaging content every day across six platforms!" they declare, without considering their current content creation capacity or team bandwidth. Like the ambitious new gym-goer, they set targets based on idealized scenarios rather than current capabilities.
Infrastructure Oversight
Just as resolution-makers need a properly equipped kitchen to eat healthier, marketing initiatives require robust systems to succeed. Teams often launch ambitious campaigns without:
Adequate content pipelines
Clear approval processes
Resource allocation plans
Crisis management protocols
Performance measurement frameworks
The result? A beautiful strategy that collapses under real-world pressures.
The Budget Boom-Bust Cycle
Marketing efforts often mirror the classic resolution pattern of intense bursts followed by complete dropoffs. Teams pour resources into grand Q1 initiatives, deplete their budget and energy, then go silent until the next big push. This feast-or-famine approach creates exactly what brands try to avoid: inconsistent presence and fragmented customer relationships.
The Hidden Pattern: Scale without Structure
Both scenarios often suffer from what we might call "scale without structure" syndrome. Just as a resolution-maker might buy expensive gym equipment before establishing a basic exercise routine, marketing teams sometimes invest in advanced tools and platforms before mastering fundamental processes. The result is sophisticated capabilities built on shaky foundations.
The Emotional Cost
Perhaps the most insidious parallel is the emotional toll of these patterns. Failed resolutions breed self-doubt and resignation; failed marketing initiatives create team burnout and organizational skepticism. Each cycle of ambitious planning followed by abandonment makes the next attempt harder, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.
The Recovery Gap
Both contexts typically lack robust recovery protocols. When a personal resolution breaks, there's rarely a plan for getting back on track. Similarly, when marketing initiatives fall behind schedule or miss targets, teams often lack clear procedures for adaptation and recovery. This absence of flexibility turns temporary setbacks into permanent abandonments.
Understanding these patterns reveals a crucial truth: success in personal change and marketing effectiveness isn't about avoiding failures—it's about building systems that can absorb and adapt to them. This realization naturally leads us to our next section on sustainable frameworks for change.
Building Systems That Stick: From Goals to Growth Engines
Remember that time you bought a fancy planner, convinced it would transform your productivity? That's a bit like what happens when marketing teams invest in expensive tools without first building solid processes. Both scenarios ignore a fundamental truth that James Clear articulates in "Atomic Habits": systems trump goals every time.
The Shift from What to How
When a marketing team declares, "We need to double our social engagement," they're doing the equivalent of saying, "I need to lose 20 pounds." It's not wrong – it's just incomplete. The magic happens when we flip the script from outcomes to processes.
Stanford researcher BJ Fogg suggests starting with changes so small they almost seem pointless. Applied to marketing, this means:
Instead of "We need more content," start with "We'll publish one high-quality post every Tuesday"
Rather than "We need better engagement," begin with "We'll respond to comments within four hours"
Instead of "We need to go viral," focus on "We'll test three new content formats each month"
The Three Pillars of Sustainable Systems
Drawing from systems theory and practical marketing experience, sustainable growth requires three fundamental elements:
1. Minimal Viable Consistency
Think of it like establishing a sleep schedule – it's better to consistently get seven hours than to alternate between four and ten. In marketing terms:
Set content rhythms you can actually maintain
Create clear, repeatable processes
Build measurement routines that inform rather than overwhelm
2. Feedback Loops
Dave Brailsford's "marginal gains" philosophy revolutionized British cycling through tiny, continuous improvements. For marketing teams, this means:
Weekly performance reviews focused on learning, not just numbers
Clear channels for customer feedback integration
Regular team input on process improvements
3. Recovery Protocols
Just as athletes plan for rest days, marketing systems need built-in resilience:
Content buffers for unexpected delays
Clear procedures for handling missed deadlines
Backup plans for key team member absences
Making It Stick
The difference between a goal and a system? Goals expire; systems evolve. Here's how to build ones that last:
Start Where You Are
Audit your current capabilities honestly
Map existing workflows before adding new ones
Identify what's already working (even if it's small)
Build Your Foundation
Create standard operating procedures
Establish clear communication channels
Set up basic measurement frameworks
Add Automation Thoughtfully
Automate only what's already working manually
Keep the human element in creative decisions
Use tools to support processes, not replace them
The Reality Check
Here's the part most articles don't mention: good systems often feel boring. They're not about dramatic transformations or explosive growth. They're about showing up consistently, measuring carefully, and adjusting continuously.
Think of it like compound interest for your marketing efforts. As management thinker Peter Drucker noted, what gets measured gets managed3 – but only if you're measuring the right things. Focus on:
Process adherence over perfect outcomes
Consistency over intensity
Learning over pure performance
The Implementation Framework
Monday Morning Protocol
Review last week's performance
Check system health metrics
Adjust this week's priorities based on data
Daily Rhythm
Quick team check-ins
Pipeline review
Engagement monitoring
Weekly Systems Check
Process adherence review
Resource allocation check
Team capacity assessment
The Human Element
Systems aren't about turning your team into robots. They're about creating space for creativity by handling the routine stuff routinely. As organizational psychologist Adam Grant suggests, structure actually enables innovation by removing decision fatigue from regular tasks4.
Remember: The goal isn't to build perfect systems – it's to build systems that improve perfectly.
Next Steps
Pick one marketing process to systematize
Make it so simple it seems almost too easy
Run it for two weeks without deviation
Measure, adjust, repeat
The beauty of systems thinking? It scales. Whether you're a solo marketer or running a global team, the principles remain the same. Start small, stay consistent, and let the compound effects work their magic.
From Theory to Practice: Implementation Strategies That Work
Let's talk about Sarah, a marketing manager who just had an eye-opening moment. She's staring at her team's workspace – a maze of Post-it notes, random Slack channels, and that content calendar everyone forgot about after January 15th. "There has to be a better way," she thinks. And there is.
The Art of Making Success Inevitable
Think of your favourite coffee shop. Notice how every tool is within the barista's reach? How does the workflow flow naturally from order to delivery? That's not an accident – it's environment design. And it's exactly what your marketing operations need.
The most successful marketing teams don't rely on heroic effort or sudden bursts of creativity. Instead, they build environments that make success almost inevitable. Here's what that looks like in practice:
Let’s take a content team. Imagine walking into a workspace where:
Your content creation tools are always one click away
Templates for every type of content sit ready to go
Your team's workflow is as natural as making that morning coffee
But here's the thing: you don't build this overnight. Just like you wouldn't reorganize your entire house in one day, you build this system piece by piece.
The Growth Journey: From Crawl to Sprint
Remember learning to ride a bike? You didn't start with the Tour de France. Marketing systems work the same way. Let's break down this journey:
The First Steps (Weeks 1-4)
Picture this: Instead of trying to be everywhere, your team masters one platform completely. It's like learning to walk before you run. You might feel like you're moving slowly, but you're building momentum.
Finding Your Rhythm (Weeks 5-8)
Now we're cooking. With your basic system running smoothly, you start adding layers. It's like a chef who's mastered scrambled eggs moving on to omelettes. Your team isn't just creating content – they're creating content with confidence.
The Expansion Phase (Weeks 9-12)
This is where it gets exciting. By week 10, you’re handling three platforms with the same effort you used for one in the beginning. Not because you worked harder, but because you built smarter.
Real Teams, Real Solutions
Let's peek into three different scenarios:
The Solo Artist
Meet Tom, a one-person marketing department. His secret? Templates, templates, templates. Everything from social posts to email responses has a framework. He's not starting from scratch every time – he's remixing proven successes.
The Small Squad
Consider the four-person team at a growing SaaS startup. They turned their morning coffee run into their daily standup – quick, informal, but incredibly effective. Every team member knows exactly what's happening and where they fit in.
The Big Crew
Picture a 15-person marketing department that functions like a well-oiled machine. Not because they have more resources, but because they've turned chaos into choreography. Each person moves with purpose, each process flows naturally into the next.
Making It Your Own
Here's the beautiful truth about systems: they're not one-size-fits-all. They're more like clay than concrete – meant to be molded to your needs. Start with what you have and where you are.
Think about your current setup. What's one thing you could rearrange to make success easier? Maybe it's as simple as creating a content template. Or setting up a dedicated Slack channel for quick approvals. Start there.
Remember: The goal isn't to build a perfect system. It's to build one that works for you, your team, and your goals. And like any good story, it starts with a single step.
The best part? Once you start seeing these systems work, they become addictive. That feeling when a piece of content flows smoothly from idea to execution? That's what we're after. That's when you know your system isn't just working – it's thriving.
What's your first step going to be?
Real-World Success Stories
The Compound Effect of Systems Thinking
Spotify's Squad Model
Remember when tech companies were all about rigid hierarchies? Spotify flipped the script by implementing what they call the "Squad Model"5 – a system-first approach to organization. Each squad operates like a mini-startup, with all the skills needed to design, develop, and release products.
What makes this relevant to marketing teams? Spotify's system demonstrates how breaking down silos and creating autonomous, cross-functional units leads to faster execution and better results. Their squads aren't just teams – they're self-contained systems that can adapt and evolve.
Key Takeaway: Spotify created a framework that consistently delivers value by focusing on building systems rather than just achieving goals.
Buffer's Transparency System
Buffer took an unconventional approach to content marketing by building a system around radical transparency. They didn't just set a goal to "be more transparent" – they created systematic processes for sharing everything from salary information to decision-making processes.
Their systematic approach to transparency turned into a content engine that:
Generated consistent blog content
Built trust with their audience
Created a distinctive brand voice
Attracted talent and customers alike
The result? Buffer's blog regularly draws hundreds of thousands of readers, and its transparent approach has become a key differentiator in a crowded market.
HubSpot's Content Machine
HubSpot's success isn't just about creating content – it's about their systematic approach to content creation. They developed what they call the "Topic Cluster Model"6 (hello SEO), a systematic way of organizing content that:
Improves SEO performance
Makes content creation more efficient
Creates better user experiences
Scales easily across teams
This system helped HubSpot grow from a startup to a company generating over $1 billion in annual revenue.
Zoom's Daily All-Hands
During its period of hypergrowth in 2020, Zoom maintained quality through a simple but powerful system: daily all-hands meetings. While this might sound counterintuitive, the systematic approach to communication helped them:
Maintain alignment during rapid growth
Identify and solve problems quickly
Keep their culture intact
Turning Research into Reality
Studies in organizational7 behaviour highlight the impact of systematic approaches. Companies with strong management systems are more likely to:
Innovate successfully
Adapt to market changes
Maintain consistent growth
Recap Implementation Lessons
From these examples, we can extract key principles:
Start Small, Scale Smart
Begin with core processes
Document everything
Build gradually
Focus on Habits Over Goals
Create daily routines
Establish clear triggers
Build feedback loops
Embrace Iteration
Test systematically
Gather feedback regularly
Adjust incrementally
Making It Work For You
The beauty of these examples isn't in their specifics – it's in their principles. Whether you're a solo marketer or part of a large team, the key is to:
Identify Your Core Process: What's the one thing that, if systematized, would make everything else easier?
Build Your Version: How can you adapt these principles to your context and resources?
Start Today: What's the smallest version of your system you could implement right now?
Remember: These companies didn't start with perfect systems – they built them over time through consistent iteration and improvement. Your goal isn't to copy their systems but to understand their principles and apply them to your context.
By the way, diet comes from Greek and originally means “way of living.” It is not supposed to be a short-term fix for a short-term gain. Your habits and resolutions should be the same.
What’s your New Year’s resolutions?
Some of my most-read articles
⚡Connect⚡
I’d love to hear from you! Whether you want to share your thoughts, collaborate, or just say hi, here are some ways to connect:
LinkedIn: Let’s link up! Find me here and let’s grow our professional networks together (let me know in the note you found me here);
Podcast: I discuss with industry peers and try to learn from them. Wherever you’re listening to your podcast, I am probably there. But linking Apple Podcast here for convenience (Spotify tells me that’s where I get most of my listeners from);
Book announcement
I have studied the Korean martial art of Taekwondo for 25 years. This aspect touches all areas of my life and has been a guiding light through my biggest challenges. My martial journey recently reached a big milestone, when I traveled to Korea and passed the test to earn the coveted title of Kukkiwon Master. This inspired me to write a book. Based on the legendary samurai strategy guide written by Miyamoto Musashi, I draw evergreen parallels between the timeless battle-tested guide and modern marketing mindsets to achieve market supremacy.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00523/full
https://www.academia.edu/68510155/Implementation_Intentions
https://www.growthink.com/content/two-most-important-quotes-business
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/11/health/cognitive-fatigue-study-wellness/index.html
https://productschool.com/blog/product-fundamentals/spotify-model-scaling-agile
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/topic-clusters-seo
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10132955/