Engineering winning days
Learn how to build a strong foundation for success by mastering the unglamorous but essential 'boring work' that leads to breakthrough moments.
Hi,
How many days a year do you really need to “win” to be successful? Is it 100? 50? Maybe 20?
What if I told you it’s just 1–2?
And by “win,” I don’t mean having a good day or crossing tasks off your list. I mean those days; the ones where everything aligns. The launch that shoots into the stratosphere. The post that spreads like wildfire. The moment when your hard work finally gets the spotlight, and it feels like the world is cheering for you.
We think we should be having those days all the time because we constantly see other people having them. It feels like everyone is always winning, doesn’t it? One person’s big launch, another’s viral post, a third’s glowing feature; it all adds up to an overwhelming sense that success is constant for others and elusive for us.
But that’s just not the truth. What we’re witnessing is a collection of different people winning on different days. It’s not a steady stream of success but a patchwork of moments spread out over months and years.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that winning should be a daily occurrence, especially in an era where social media bombards us with highlight reels of other people’s lives. But most of those highlights are the result of long, deliberate efforts. Nobody wins every day. They don’t even win every week or month. Success is about what happens in between those days; the quiet grind, the unglamorous prep work, and the steady laying of foundations.
If we accept that winning is rare, we can shift our focus. Instead of chasing daily wins, what if we concentrated on creating the conditions for a massive win every 6–12 months? What if we embraced the idea that most of our time is better spent behind the scenes, moving pieces into place for those rare but significant moments when everything comes together?
What it takes to engineer a winning day
Success isn’t usually random; it’s almost always engineered. It begins with knowing what a winning day looks like for you. Is it a launch that goes viral? A viral article that brings in thousands of new customers? A surge in email subscribers after a carefully crafted campaign? Clarity is the first step.
The biggest problem creators face is that they don’t define the win condition. They flail and flit, trying things, but never knowing if they work to reach their goal because they don’t know their goal. The biggest shift any creator can make is to clearly define the singular goal they’re working toward, and they align all their resources toward getting it.
Once you’ve defined success, the next phase is preparation. Winning days are built on strong infrastructure: a polished product, an engaged audience, and systems that amplify your reach when the moment arrives. This might mean months of building an email list, crafting irresistible content, or refining your product until it’s undeniably excellent.
The final step is execution. When your moment arrives, you need to be ready to seize it. That means having clear messaging, a distribution plan, and the confidence to step into the spotlight.
The people who “win” aren’t just lucky. They’ve set themselves up to capitalize on opportunities when they come.
If winning isn’t about luck but about preparation, how do you prepare?
Define what winning looks like: Before you can engineer a winning day, you need to know what it looks like. Is it a launch that sells 10,000 units? A viral article? A surge of new subscribers? Be specific about what success means for you.
Build the infrastructure: Winning days require a foundation. This might mean setting up a strong email list, creating content that resonates with your audience, building a network of supporters, or refining your product until it’s irresistible.
Create your opportunities: Successful launches and viral moments don’t happen out of thin air. They’re often the result of deliberate planning, timing, messaging, and amplification. Schedule your efforts around strategic windows when you’re most likely to make an impact.
Stay focused on the long game: Most of your time will be spent in preparation, not celebration. This is the unglamorous reality of success: months of quiet work leads to those rare moments of visibility. Embrace the grind, knowing it’s a necessary part of the process.
Execute with precision: When your moment arrives, make it count. Be ready with everything you’ve planned, including clear messaging, polished deliverables, and a distribution strategy that maximizes your reach.
One thing I want to make sure to mention is that launching doesn’t necessarily mean a winning day. In fact, most of my launch days don’t win the day. Often, I launch just to my list or launch it without even sending an email. People often assume that when you launch you have to go big and win huge, but I think in reality you only get to win 1-2 launches a year, and the rest of them have to be more modest hits, which is why I’m so adamant about choosing different launch lengths for each project. Yes, your winning launches probably need to be 30-60 days to capitalize on the hype and buzz, but sometimes a launch might only warrant a 5-day launch if you don’t think there’s a very big audience for it. I often have one day launches now, which don’t get any fanfare and bring in very modest bumps in revenue.
When you’re setting up your launch schedule, pick your winning launches, and then slot in the other launches around it. One of the most dangerous things creators do is assume every launch will win, when only a very few launches will win every year.
The “boring work” that needs doing
Winning days don’t happen in a vacuum. They’re the result of months, sometimes years, of unglamorous preparation. It’s the kind of work that rarely makes headlines but lays the foundation for success. This is the “boring work” framework: a disciplined approach to building systems, relationships, and momentum during the quiet times, so when your moment arrives, you’re ready to seize it.
The problem is, many of us resist the boring work. We crave the instant gratification of visible progress, the thrill of daily wins. But the reality is, those quiet, under-the-radar efforts are where real growth happens. Let’s break down what this behind-the-scenes work looks like and why it’s so essential.
Building your community: At its core, success is about connection. Your audience is your lifeline. But building a community isn’t just about broadcasting your message—it’s about fostering relationships. Think about your emails, social media posts, or even in-person events. Are they inviting dialogue, encouraging loyalty, and making your audience feel seen? These interactions may not result in immediate sales or viral moments, but they cultivate trust. Over time, that trust transforms casual followers into superfans, the people who will rally behind you when your big moment comes. The work here can feel slow and unglamorous. It’s answering comments, crafting thoughtful newsletters, and showing up consistently even when it feels like no one is paying attention. But each touchpoint builds a thread of connection, and over time, those threads form an unbreakable web of support.
Refining your product: It’s easy to romanticize the idea of launching something perfect on the first try, but the truth is, most success stories are built on relentless refinement. Your product or service isn’t just a one-time effort. It’s a living, breathing thing that evolves with time and feedback. Refinement means taking the time to polish every detail. It’s tweaking your course curriculum to ensure it solves your audience’s problems. It’s iterating on your service offerings until they’re irresistible. This stage isn’t flashy. It often involves long hours, trial and error, and learning from what didn’t work. But when you focus on making your product the best it can be, you’re setting the stage for a winning day where your audience can’t help but notice.
Strengthening backend systems: While the spotlight shines on launches, viral posts, and public-facing success, the real work happens in the backend systems that support those moments. These systems are the invisible gears that keep your operation running smoothly, allowing you to focus on the creative or strategic parts of your work. This might mean setting up automated email funnels that nurture your audience while you sleep, creating content schedules that keep you consistent, or diving into analytics to understand what’s resonating with your audience. These tools ensure that when your winning day arrives, you’re not scrambling to keep up with the momentum. Think of it like building a house. The visible structure gets all the attention, but it’s the foundation and plumbing that make it livable. Backend systems are that foundation. They may not be glamorous, but they’re absolutely essential.
Networking with intention: No one succeeds alone. Behind every big moment is a network of people who amplified the message, shared the vision, or opened doors. Networking isn’t just about attending events or collecting business cards. It’s about building genuine relationships that are mutually beneficial. Think about the peers, influencers, and collaborators who can help you amplify your reach. How can you add value to their work? Can you share their projects, offer your expertise, or collaborate on something meaningful? These relationships don’t blossom overnight, but by consistently showing up and supporting others, you create a network that’s ready to back you when your winning day comes. Networking is also about reciprocity. It’s not just about what others can do for you but about creating a sense of community where success feels shared. When you lift others, they’re more likely to lift you in return.
The boring work isn’t glamorous, but it’s what separates fleeting success from sustainable growth. Each email you send, product detail you refine, system you build, and connection you nurture adds another brick to the foundation of your future success.
When you embrace this work, you stop chasing the illusion of constant wins and start building something far more valuable: the infrastructure for consistent, meaningful progress. Winning days may be rare, but the effort you put into the quiet moments makes them not just possible, but inevitable.
So the next time you feel like your work isn’t visible or exciting enough, remember: this is the work that matters. This is the foundation that will hold up when the spotlight finally finds you.
The reality of failure
Of course, not every attempt will succeed. Some launches will flop. Some campaigns will underperform. But these moments aren’t failures in the traditional sense—they’re data points. Each misstep teaches you something valuable about what doesn’t work, allowing you to refine your approach.
Think of the setbacks as stepping stones. They’re not barriers to success but part of the path leading to your next win. For instance, an underwhelming email campaign might reveal weak points in your messaging, giving you the insight you need to craft a stronger one next time.
This is the work of the in-between days. The time between winning days can feel uneventful, even frustrating. It’s the long stretch of preparation where you’re building the systems, connections, and content that support your success. This is where the real work happens; quietly refining your craft, engaging with your audience, and strengthening the foundation that will hold up when the spotlight finally finds you.
Winning days don’t just happen. They’re the result of countless hours spent creating a product worth talking about, a network willing to share it, and a strategy to ensure it lands with maximum impact.
When a winning day does arrive, the work isn’t over. In fact, it’s just beginning. That viral post or successful launch opens a window of opportunity, but it’s up to you to keep the momentum going.
Engaging with your new audience is critical. Follow up with thoughtful emails, offer additional value, or simply thank them for their support. Analyze what worked and why, so you can replicate and improve on it next time. Wins aren’t endpoints—they’re springboards for what comes next.
The mental shift we all need
Entrepreneurs often fall into the trap of believing they’re failing if they’re not winning all the time. But understanding that success is rare by design can be liberating. When you realize you’re not supposed to win every day, you free yourself from the exhausting chase of constant validation.
Instead, you can focus on progress, the slow, steady effort that leads to big moments. Celebrate the milestones along the way: completing a draft, growing your audience, or refining a strategy. These are wins in their own right, even if they don’t come with fanfare.
Entrepreneurs often struggle with mental health because they feel like they’re failing if they’re not winning constantly. This mindset shift can help:
Recognize that “winning” is rare by design. It’s supposed to be special.
Track progress in smaller increments, like the number of audience touchpoints or content created.
Celebrate preparation milestones, such as completing a prototype or launching a new website.
The path to success isn’t paved with daily wins. It’s marked by quiet, deliberate preparation punctuated by rare but extraordinary moments. Those moments aren’t accidents. They’re the result of your effort, strategy, and patience.
So, stop chasing the illusion of constant success. Embrace the work behind the scenes. Build the kind of infrastructure that allows you to rise when your moment comes. Because when it does, it’ll be worth every ounce of effort you invested. Winning may be rare, but it’s always worth it.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
