Afterpage

Grit

Angela Duckworth

For people who start strong and lose interest, and for parents, coaches, and managers trying to help others stick with hard things. Less useful if you're already persisting at something you should probably quit.

A week with this book

A short summary today, then one small action a day for six days. Free for your first book.

Grit Angela Duckworth

Free for your first book. No card. One click to stop.

Day 1

The ideas the week uses

Angela Duckworth, a psychologist, argues that long-term achievement depends less on talent than on grit, a mix of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Grit can grow, and the people around us can help it grow.

  1. Effort counts twice. Duckworth suggests that talent times effort gives skill, and skill times effort gives achievement. Effort shows up in both steps, which is why it matters so much.
  2. Passion is a top-level goal. Gritty people organize many smaller goals under one top-level goal that gives them direction. Lower-level goals can change; the top one stays.
  3. Interest comes first. Passion usually starts with something that interests you, then deepens through practice. Duckworth argues it's developed more than discovered.
  4. Deliberate practice. Drawing on research by Anders Ericsson, Duckworth describes practice with a stretch goal, full concentration, quick feedback, and repetition. It's harder and less fun than ordinary practice, and it works better.
  5. Purpose and hope. Grit grows when you see how your work helps others and when you believe your own efforts can improve your future. Both can be strengthened.

Where it overreachesA 2017 meta-analysis found grit is very strongly correlated with conscientiousness and only moderately predicts performance, with the perseverance part doing most of the work. And persistence isn't always wise: sometimes quitting is right.

Days 2 to 7

How to apply Grit

10 to 20 minutes each, with a two-minute version for a bad day.

Printable week card (one page)

  1. 2Map your goal hierarchyWrite your goals on one page, arranged as a pyramid with one top-level goal and the smaller goals that serve it.
  2. 3Trace your interestWrite down how your interest in your main pursuit began, and one way to deepen it this week.
  3. 4Do one deliberate practice sessionSpend 20 minutes on deliberate practice: choose one specific weakness, work on it with full focus, and get feedback right away.
  4. 5Connect work to purposeWrite down who benefits from your work and how, then share it with one person.
  5. 6Rewrite one setbackPick a recent setback and rewrite your explanation of it so it points to something you can change.
  6. 7Set a hard-thing ruleChoose one hard thing to commit to for a fixed season, and write the conditions under which you'll allow yourself to stop.

Sample

Day 3, in full

This is what lands in your inbox that morning.

AfterpageDay 3 of 7 · Action

Trace your interest

Today’s action · 10 to 20 minutes

Write down how your interest in your main pursuit began, and one way to deepen it this week.

How

Recall when you first got curious, what hooked you, and what keeps you interested now. Then pick one new angle to explore, such as a book, a conversation with an expert, or a new technique.

Why this one

Duckworth argues that passion grows from interest that's fed over time. Returning to what first hooked you can renew it.

If today is a bad day

Write one sentence about what first made you interested in your work.

In short

Questions about this book

Who is Grit by Angela Duckworth for?

For people who start strong and lose interest, and for parents, coaches, and managers trying to help others stick with hard things. Less useful if you're already persisting at something you should probably quit.

What are the main ideas in Grit?

Angela Duckworth, a psychologist, argues that long-term achievement depends less on talent than on grit, a mix of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Grit can grow, and the people around us can help it grow. Effort counts twice; Passion is a top-level goal; Interest comes first; Deliberate practice; Purpose and hope.

What do you do in the Afterpage week for Grit?

Day 1 is a short summary. Then one action a day, each 10 to 20 minutes: Map your goal hierarchy; Trace your interest; Do one deliberate practice session; Connect work to purpose; Rewrite one setback; Set a hard-thing rule. Day 7 also has a recap.

Where does Grit overreach?

A 2017 meta-analysis found grit is very strongly correlated with conscientiousness and only moderately predicts performance, with the perseverance part doing most of the work. And persistence isn't always wise: sometimes quitting is right.

What is the first action in the Grit week?

Map your goal hierarchy. Write your goals on one page, arranged as a pyramid with one top-level goal and the smaller goals that serve it. If you only have two minutes: Write one sentence: “Most of what I do serves the goal of...”

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