Most people believe that success comes from a single “big break.” But Taylor Swift shows us that the opposite is true. Her rules are simple: drip, not drop. Don’t wait years for one big release. Over time, build momentum by releasing regular updates of its compounding.
It is the rule that made her the most successful musician of her generation and is one of the most effective strategists in any industry.
How Taylor Swift uses the “drop rather than drop” approach to success
Traditional entertainment was built on the basis of “big drops.” The artist worked on the album for years, released it, and hoped the hype would continue. In many ways, Swift has rewritten its playbook.
Over the past five years, she has released nine studio albums, released concert films, and took part in a global record breaking tour.
Each project creates its own wave of attention, and, crucially, refers to the next project. Fans never feel silent between cycles.
Software follows the same principles. The era of boxed version 5.0 releases is over. Nowadays, businesses always ship small updates. There will be bug fixes in April, new features in June, and experiments in August. Keep your own reserved, together, keep the product fresh and engage users.
How to apply this genius rule to your life and career
Most of us treat our careers like a “big drop.”
We’ll be quiet, work for months or years and announce it all at once. Even personal milestones like resume updates, promotions, refined projects, and fitness transformation. And…silence.
problem? You lose momentum and people forget in the meantime. A quick strategy is to divide your big goals into small visible steps that build trust and expectations.
In your professional life:
We share progress as well as results. Instead of waiting for your project to be the best one to present, view drafts, prototypes, or early ideas. Post about the challenges you work for and the milestones you just cleared. This allows you to feel the process, not just the refined final product. This often encourages collaboration and support that they would not have received. This is the infrastructure you are building towards your ultimate goal. All of these steps are worth it. Explore other steps: Ask feedback from your supervisor, share credits with your peers, and highlight collaborators. When you shine, others do. Make it continuously: Resume updates are not sufficient every few years. Displays monthly and monthly movements.
In your personal life:
This strategy applies even beyond work. You can grow individually using it and grow related to others
Learn new hobbies and skills? Introducing the messy beginner stage of social media not only to your final product, but also to your circle of close friends. Marathon training? When you share it with the Chronicle, your stamina earns miles per miles, not just for the finish line. Do you want to forge new bonds? Even relationships will benefit from this approach. Small, consistent and thoughtful acts develop once a year into much more trust than grand gestures.
Why does momentum beat perfection every time?
The beauty of this approach is that it puts pressure on you from perfection. Not all IV drips need to be perfect. Some are below performance. But as long as you maintain cadence, the compound deals with itself.
Over time, people stop looking at you as someone who delivers from time to time, and start seeing you as someone who is constantly moving and always building. Its reputation attracts opportunities, allies and trust.
Once that reputation is achieved, each of the new “drip” will weigh more. Small updates no longer show progress. They develop into a great influence, attracting bigger projects, better collaborators, and opportunities you’ve not been able to access previously.
Don’t wait years for your “big break”… Get started now
Swift did not become a global icon by waiting one perfect album. She did it the same way the Rockets were built and the software evolved. By mastering cadence, gaining momentum and turning her career into a story of unfolding.
Don’t wait years for your “big break.” Start dripping consistently visibly progress in your work, your projects, your life. The product will get a transaction to you. The drip builds your momentum. And momentum is what takes you from one success to the next.
Sinéad O’Sullivan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and previously served as Chief Strategist for HBS Strategy and Competitiveness. She also worked at Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a professor at Stuart School of Business at Illinois Institute of Technology. She is the author of “Good Ideas and Power Moves: Ten Lessons for Success from Taylor Swift.”
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