Flywheels and Siphons (2 Min Read)

January 03, 2025

“Each turn [of the flywheel] builds upon previous work as you make a series of good decisions, supremely well executed, that compound one upon another. This is how you build greatness.” ― Jim Collins

Flywheels and Siphons

This past fall, I had to rewrite an 85,000-word manuscript in eight weeks. I also faced weekly deadlines for this newsletter and for The ONE Thing podcast. I worried I wouldn’t have the creative energy to tackle all three. It seemed like a clear opportunity to say “no” to a lesser goal to achieve a greater one. It didn’t work out that way. If anything, preparing the weekly newsletters and podcasts seemed to fuel more creative output. 

Doing anything requires energy and we have finite energy to invest. Some work energizes us even if it’s challenging. And other work exhausts us even if it’s easy. Some work is additive and other work is subtractive. This isn’t a new idea. What I discovered this fall, is that some work compounds our related output while other work depletes it. I started thinking of these respective activities as “flywheels” and “siphons.” 

I think we’re better at spotting the red flags that signal siphons . We avoid busy work, mindless scrolling on social media, meetings that don’t matter, and projects that don’t align with our values or interests. We need to get better at recognizing flywheel work. 

Here are some green flags for flywheel activities as they relate to your primary pursuit:

1. They generate new ideas or perspectives.

2. They build relationships that enrich your field of view.

3. They force you to articulate your ideas in new ways.

4. They create productive constraints (deadlines) that sharpen your focus.

5. They provide energizing feedback loops.

For my book writing, the regular rhythm of newsletter research and writing, as well as the podcast prep and recordings, checked all these boxes. This is likely why software engineers contribute to open source projects on the side, designers maintain blogs, and chefs host cooking classes. 

I’m sure additive activities have a point of diminishing returns. At some point, you are actually overwhelmed. I won’t venture to say where that line lies. Chris Guillebeau shared with me that he’s been recording the Side Hustle School podcast every day for 8 years. I asked him how he could possibly come up with something new every single day. He just shrugged and said it was hard until it wasn’t. He’d also published five books during that period.

One question to ponder in your thinking time: What are the flywheel activities I can prioritize each week?

Make an Impact!
Jay Papasan
Co-author of The ONE Thing & The Millionaire Real Estate Agent