Things in motion tend to stay in motion.
I will surely botch my Newtonian metaphors throughout this piece, but I am sufficiently proficient in Wikipedia to know that Newton famously promulgated three laws of motion in his Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. First, he posited that objects that are as rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force — this is called inertia. Second, the acceleration of an object is proportional to its net force and inversely proportional to its mass — this is force and acceleration. Third, for every action there exists an equal and opposite reaction — I don’t think this has a special name, but it’s pretty famous.
Since I both somewhat understand it and have an easy metaphor building on it, I shall write about the first one: Momentum matters. Whatever you are doing right now, all else being equal, you will probably keep doing it. Whether it is good or bad, productive or wasteful, smart or stupid, you’ll probably keep doing whatever you’re doing at any point in time. This goes both ways: If you’re doing good, you’ll probably find it easier to keep doing good; if you’re doing bad, you will be more tempted to keep doing bad. Even if you’re not a physics expert, you can make use of this by keeping an eye on what you’re doing right now and through thoughtful planning.
First, keep a careful eye on what you’re doing — inertia means that even small deviations in what you’re doing now make a difference. And while planning is important, as the philosopher Mike Tyson taught up, no plan survives being punched in the face. Thus, even in a carefully planned scenario, micro-adjustments may be needed to maintain an optimal course. And because of Newton’s First Law, that optimal course obtains crucial future importance. Not only does it matter when you are being productive in the present, but it will affect your work later today, tomorrow, and, in a small and indirect way, the work you do in the weeks and months to come.
Second, you should take especially thoughtful care of your planning. Since what you plan out and execute will have lasting repercussions, you should plan accordingly and consider the Mike Tyson-plan-punching factor. Whatever you plan will have far-reaching effects — both in carrying out the plan itself and the inertial effects of those actions. Additionally, the act of planning will cause its own momentum, for good or ill. Thus, take special care, not just in what you plan but that you do so thoughtfully.
So, if you’re still looking for a New Year’s resolution, try this one. Take special care, at least for a few weeks, of the effects of the momentum of your actions and planning. You may like the results.
Matthew W. Schmidt has represented and counseled clients at all stages of litigation and in numerous matters including insider trading, fiduciary duty, antitrust law, and civil RICO. He is of counsel at the trial and investigations law firm Balestriere Fariello in New York, where he and his colleagues represent domestic and international clients in litigation, arbitration, appeals, and investigations. You can reach him by email at matthew.w.schmidt@balestrierefariello.com.
