jon: That's a powerful question, Warren. It’s the core of how we think in technology. We call it the 'perpetual beta.' The idea that you're never 'done' is fundamental. So, applying that to personal habits... that's a potential game-changer.

jon: An OS for life. I like that. It implies a stable core with iterative updates.

jon: The math behind the magic.

jon: So, the system and the user. The 'what' and the 'who'. This should be good.

jon: I've heard bits and pieces of this, but I'd love to hear the full story.

jon: Wow. That's not just underperforming, that's a brand liability.

jon: So he wasn't looking for a silver bullet. He was looking for a hundred tiny lead bullets.

jon: That's an obsessive level of detail.

jon: Why white?

jon: Let me guess. It worked.

jon: That's incredible. As a product manager, that story just screams 'user experience optimization' and 'removing friction.'

jon: Well, each of those changes, like the better massage gel or the right pillow, made the process of being an elite cyclist easier, more comfortable, and more efficient. It removed a tiny point of friction. In software, we're obsessed with this. We A/B test a button color to increase clicks by 0.5%. We work to shave 100 milliseconds off a page load time. It seems trivial, but when you compound that across millions of users or thousands of training sessions, it becomes the difference between success and failure.

jon: Right. And that's the key for leadership, too. As a leader, you don't go to your team and ask for a 37x improvement. That's demoralizing and impossible. You ask, 'What's one small process we can automate this week? What's one recurring meeting we can make 10% more efficient?' You build a system of improvement, a culture of looking for that 1%, and the big results take care of themselves. That's how you build a high-performing culture, not with grand speeches about moonshots.

jon: Exactly. The goal is just a point in time. The system is what gets you there and keeps you there.

jon: This feels like it's moving from the engineering side to the design side. From the system to the user persona.

jon: So, changing what you want, versus changing how you do it, versus changing who you are.

jon: Okay.

jon: Ah. That's a world of difference. It's a declaration. It's a statement of fact about who they are now. There's no internal conflict.

jon: You know, this maps directly to product strategy. It's the difference between a feature-led product and a vision-led product. A feature-led approach is, 'We need to add a button to do X'—that's an outcome-based habit. It's reactive.

jon: A vision-led approach starts with identity. It says, 'We are the company that makes complex data effortless for everyone.' That's our identity. Then, every feature we build, every design choice we make, is a 'vote' for that identity. It creates a much more powerful, coherent, and defensible product because you're not just chasing features, you're embodying a belief.

jon: Oh, it's everything. As a parent, it's so easy to fall into outcome-based thinking. 'You have to read 20 pages tonight.' 'You need to practice piano for 30 minutes.' That's forcing an outcome. It creates friction and resistance.

jon: Right. The identity-based approach is completely different. The goal isn't to make your child read; it's to help them become a reader. So, what are the 'votes' for that identity? You create an environment that supports it. You have books everywhere. You make weekly library trips a fun ritual. You read with them. You talk about stories at dinner. You model the behavior of a reader yourself. You're not forcing a habit; you're cultivating an identity. The habit of reading then becomes a natural byproduct of that identity.

jon: Exactly. And that's a lesson that applies to a team at work, a child at home, and to yourself. Start with who you want to be, and then just cast one small vote for that identity today.

jon: And second, design your habits around the identity you want to build, not the outcomes you want to achieve. Every action is a vote for the person you are becoming, whether that's a leader, a parent, or a healthier individual.

jon: Ask yourself two questions. First: What is one small, 1% improvement I can make to a critical system in my life or work this week? Don't try to boil the ocean. Just find one leaky faucet.

jon: Second: What is one small 'vote' I can cast today for the identity I truly want to embody? The answer doesn't have to be big. It just has to be today.

jon: My pleasure, Warren. It's an incredible framework.