Velocity: The Only Sure Way To Succeed

Going fast and getting stuff done are not the same. Understanding the difference between speed and velocity can increase our productivity, focus, and improve our results. Speed and velocity are mental models drawn from physics. Speed is how fast we are moving. Velocity is how fast we are going in a specific direction. We can view them as our rate of activity versus our rate of effectivity. Our speed is how many emails, messages, tasks, chores, calls, meetings, and planning and research we have done last week. Whereas our velocity is how much closer all of that effort has gotten us to our goal.

Velocity encompasses both speed and direction. It moves us towards our objective, whereas speed does not. Say we are in a race and we drive really fast. But we drive in circles. We might be moving at a high speed, but we are not getting any closer to the finish line. Progress matters more than mere movement. Focus illustrates speed versus velocity. We might have countless projects to attend to. Because we do, we can take on all of them and go fast—the speed approach. Alternatively, we can prioritize them and reduce the amount of projects, gearing ourselves towards velocity over speed. This way, we don’t just end up doing things, but we get things done and make tangible progress.

Progress can be defined as velocity in the right direction. Your velocity will be highest when you do the least unnecessary, low value tasks, and attend to your highest priority, no-bs tasks. In other words, when you put all your effort into the projects that really matter. When you say “no” more often and get the important stuff done. The advantage of this is clarity, ensuring that your efforts align with your desired outcomes. You track advancement and adjust strategies accordingly, you don’t just “go”. It’s what agile teams use to innovate at incredible speeds, and how great investors predict investment growth, balancing short-term gain and long-term stability.

Real life implications of speed versus velocity:

• Physics: a satellite orbiting earth has a velocity clearly determined by it’s speed and trajectory, and engineers use these calculations to pinpoint stable orbits;

• Business: in agile project management, velocity measures how much productive work a team completes during a sprint, and the team can later use this data to predict future progress and identify potential bottlenecks;

• Economics: the velocity of money refers to the rate at which money circulates the economy, and economists use these values to analyze and gauge economic activity to foresee inflation or stagnation;

• Personal development: measuring the velocity of skill acquisition—your rate of improvement in a specific direction—can help you guide your learning strategies, adjusting both the pace and method to align with your long-term objective;

• Sports: in baseball, the velocity of a pitch combines the speed and trajectory, meaning that for athletes to be effective they have to emphasize both the strength of the throw and their aim and bodily alignment;

• Logistics: managing delivery velocity ensures goods arrive promptly at their destinations, taking into account routes and schedules, all in an aim to improve supply chain efficiency.

How you might exploit velocity as a thinking tool: (1) prioritize direction over speed, since going fast in the wrong direction simply means wasting resources and effort, whereas purposeful motion, even slow, is vastly more effective; (2) optimize for efficiency, since taking the velocity lens will undoubtedly reveal inefficiencies and weak links, which you can then use to improve your workflows, habits, and processes; (3) apply velocity to measure progress towards your milestones, measuring how quickly you are making meaningful progress in lieu of how much you are doing; (4) integrate feedback loops, using velocity as a dynamic measure with the help of a coach, mentor, or a recording of yourself to adjust your methods; (5) balance speed and direction above all else, regularly assessing whether your efforts are genuinely moving you towards your goals or whether you are just doing.

Thought-provoking insights. “Fast isn’t always forward.” reveals how true velocity prerequisites alignment in speed and direction. “The quickest route isn’t always the best.” highlights how purposeful motion trumps raw speed, the thesis of velocity. “Measure what matters, and make it matter.” underscores how velocity concentrates on meaningful progress, not hollow activity. Whether you apply it to personal development, business strategy, or habit, it can help you balance your efforts with results. Don’t do. Get things done.