You’ve heard it many times: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The saying is often attributed to Einstein. There’s no solid evidence of that, but I’ll go with it for now.
Is it really “insane” to keep doing the same thing and expect different results? Or could that be the secret to success?
My reaction to the quote is that Einstein was obviously not a fisherman. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is pretty much exactly what you do when you’re fishing – for one simple reason. You can’t actually do the same thing over and over again because the world has changed since your last cast.
The tide is moving. The temperature and the wind is changing. The sun or the moon might be rising or setting. The fish are moving around. What seems like the “same action” – casting your line – is actually very different each time. Doing the same thing over and over again might be precisely the right strategy. That’s the power of repetition.
Repetition is also a key to mastery. You’ve probably heard of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours rule, which, while it oversimplifies the concept, still makes an important point. Doing the same thing repeatedly can make you better at it.
External conditions may change as your actions remain the same. Market trends, technology, and consumer behavior change over time (like the tides). Sometimes that transforms something that didn’t work in the past to a great success today. Electric vehicles might be an example.
Success is about timing. An idea might be too early for the market, but by continuing to pursue it, you may be in the right place when the market catches up. Apple’s Newton MessagePad flopped, but it evolved into the iPhone. Sometimes “doing the same thing” is a matter of perspective. Surely someone at Apple reacted to the iPhone as “repeating the mistake of the Newton” and “doing the same thing and expecting different results.”
Repeating actions can build habits that are essential for long-term success. Consistency in effort, like exercising regularly or maintaining a healthy diet, often leads to different and improved results over time.
Some actions have cumulative effects. The idea that people have to hear something multiple times before it sinks in is well-supported by both marketing theory and cognitive psychology. That’s the origin of the “Rule of Seven” in marketing. The exact number isn’t the issue, but a potential customer needs to see or hear a marketing message several times before they take action. Once again, “doing the same thing” isn’t always doing the same thing.
Complex systems create weird feedback loops. The relationship between actions and outcomes is not always linear. Small, repeated actions can trigger feedback loops that eventually lead to significant changes, even if individual iterations seem to have no effect. Something like this might apply to a social media strategy.
Persistence is often necessary for success, especially in the face of initial failures. What might be perceived as “insanity” (or stubbornness) could actually be the persistence needed to overcome challenges and eventually succeed.
Innovation often comes from iterative processes where repeated trials and experiments eventually lead to breakthroughs. Each iteration might involve slight changes or refinements, and the cumulative effect of these iterations can lead to success.
The point is that “doing the same thing” is not as straightforward or simple as it seems. Before you’re tempted to say “I have to stop this. I’m doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results” – be sure to think of these other possibilities.
