I Done This Blog

The Science of Small Wins

  • Blog
  • Inside
  • Workshop
Home » Posts » The Science of Productivity » Treat Failure Like a Scientist

Treat Failure Like a Scientist

February 18, 2014 by James Clear Leave a Comment

During a wonderful conversation with my friend, Beck Tench, she told me about an interesting shift in thinking that occurred while she worked at a science museum. Beck said that she learned how to treat failure like a scientist.

How do scientists treat failure? What can we learn from their approach?

Here’s what Beck taught me:

Treat Failure Like a Scientist

When a scientist runs an experiment, there are all sorts of results that could happen. Some results are positive and some are negative, but all of them are data points. Each result is a piece of data that can ultimately lead to an answer.

And that’s exactly how a scientist treats failure: as another data point.

This is much different from how society often talks about failure. For most of us, failure feels like an indication of who we are as a person.

Failing a test means you’re not smart enough. Failing to get fit means you’re undesirable. Failing in business means you don’t have what it takes. Failing at art means you’re not creative. And so on.

But for the scientist, a negative result is not an indication that they are a bad scientist. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Proving a hypothesis wrong is often just as useful as proving it right because you learned something along the way.

Your failures are simply data points that can help lead you to the right answer.

Failure is the Cost You Pay to be Right

None of this is to say that you should seek to make mistakes or that failing is fun. Obviously, you’ll try to do things the right way, and failing on something that is important to you is never fun.

But failure will always be part of your growth for one simple reason. If you’re focused on building a new habit, or learning a new skill, or mastering a craft of any type — then you’re basically experimenting in one way or another.

If you run enough experiments, then sometimes you’re going to get a negative result. It happens to every scientist, and it will happen to you and me as well. To paraphrase Seth Godin: Failure is simply a cost you have to pay on the way to being right.

Treat failure like a scientist. Your failures are not you. Your successes are not you. They are simply data points that help guide the next experiment.

This article originally appeared on JamesClear.com

Liked this guest post? Subscribe to our free newsletter for more great content on productivity, motivation, and success!

Filed Under: The Science of Productivity Tagged With: Progress, Success, Work Failure

About James Clear

James Clear writes at JamesClear.com, where he shares ideas for using behavior science to improve your performance, increase your creativity, and do better work. For fresh ideas on how to master your habits — both mentally and physically — join his free newsletter.

Search I Done This Blog

Easy Email Updates

Unconventional and actionable insights on how to get more done, work happier and find success, delivered into your inbox daily.

Recent Posts

  • The 15 Best Productivity Podcasts of 2021
  • 5 Proven Strategies For Dealing With Difficult Coworkers
  • How To Be An Effective Team Manager In 2021
  • Team Building Activities: Five Ideas That Will Boost Productivity
  • Work Productivity Hacks 2021: Five Tips To Boost Office Efficiency

What you don’t know about productivity and happiness, delivered to your inbox daily

Unconventional and actionable insights on how to get more done, work happier and find success, delivered into your inbox daily.

Categories

  • Case Study
  • Company Culture
  • Daily Standup
  • Done List
  • Google Snippets
  • Lifehacks
  • People Management
  • Remote Teams
  • Slow Web
  • Startups
  • The Progress Principle
  • The Science of Productivity
  • Uncategorized

© Copyright 2017 I Done This · All Rights Reserved

Leo Widrich, COO at Buffer

“I Done This allows us to track performance and of course, it’s amazing to keep in sync with everyone, working as a remote team. I Done This is invaluable to us and has changed our productivity for the better.”

Leo Widrich, COO at Buffer

Try I Done This Today

×