The Frequency Effect
You have all heard of the Butterfly Effect theory?
The butterfly effect is an often misunderstood phenomenon wherein a small change in starting conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes. In one of Stephen King’s greatest works, 11/22/63, a young man named Jake discovers a portal in a diner’s pantry which leads back to 1958. After a few visits and some experiments, Jake deduces that altering history is possible. However long he stays in the past, only two minutes go by in the present. He decides to live in the past until 1963 so he can prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, believing that this change will greatly benefit humanity. After years of stalking Lee Harvey Oswald, Jake manages to prevent him from shooting Kennedy.
Upon returning to the present, he expects to find the world improved as a result. Instead, the opposite has happened. Earthquakes occur everywhere, his old home is in ruins, and nuclear war has destroyed much of the world. (As King wrote in an article for Marvel Spotlight, “Not good to fool with Father Time.”) Distraught, Jake returns to 1958 once again and resets history.
In addition to being a masterful work of speculative fiction, 11/22/63 is a classic example of how everything in the world is connected together.
Or the Butterfly effect in action.
Think of The Frequency Effect this way. Imagine you want to get better at playing the piano.
What would your approach be?
Would you…
A) Practice for five hours straight ONE day of the month?
Or…
B) Practice for 10 minutes a day, every day?
Intuitively, most people appreciate that frequent practice rather than infrequent practice leads to better results, even if the total practice time is the same.
This is true for most things in life.
If you want to get better results as an author, it’s not necessarily about doing more.
It’s about taking consistent steps every single day to improve.
Even if that’s just taking 5–10 minutes a day to study and practice your craft.
This is why I offer weekly coaching sessions as part of The Start Your Story program
And that's why clients end up having such big breakthroughs.
The frequent exposure and reminders help clients stay on track and get inspired by what other authors are doing.
Clearly, increased frequency allows a greater flow through whatever the project may be. But having some frequency creates the flow in the first place.
When I hear writers say “I really don’t like to work against my will” or “I need to be the right mindset”. I chuckle because this method reinforces my belief that the only place where that may happen is showing up and getting started.
You can’t will yourself into the water if you are not standing at the edge of the pool.
Working within the Frequency Effect principles is actually a rather powerful way of working. When two, or three creative repeated tasks occur somehow you become more in tune with igniting your creative flow at will. The simple daily reminder to put oneself in the position of creating establishes a flow in which the creativity and its follow-through can proceed.
Eric G Reid — Founder of Sucess Life U. and Skinny Brown Dog Media.
