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The Algorithm Wants Relevance… I Choose Ritual

I’ve been publishing a new episode of my podcast, Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne, every Sunday since May 22, 2006.

That’s 19 years.
That’s 980 episodes.
No seasons… no breaks… no reruns.

Some weeks, it feels easy.

Other weeks, it feels like shouting into the void.
And still… I do it.
Not out of obligation.
Out of something else… something harder to explain.

I do it (mostly) because I can’t imagine not doing it (if that makes any sense?).

Maybe it’s loyalty to the craft.
Maybe it’s stubbornness.
Maybe it’s the belief that consistent personal excellence still matters… even if the metrics don’t always show it.

But lately, I’ve been asking myself:

Does consistency still matter in a world that rewards relevance above everything?
We live in an algorithm economy.
You’re told to post when it’s trending.
Follow the format.
Jump on the meme.
Be loud… be now… be everywhere.

But here’s the thing I learned during my time in the music business:

The louder you try to be… the easier it is to lose your voice.
That’s what I was thinking while editing this week’s episode of Six Pixels with Steve Pratt author of the new book, Earn It – Unconventional Strategies For Brave Marketers.
Steve said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“Most shows don’t fail because they’re bad… They fail because people give up too soon.”

He’s right.
It’s not about being viral.
It’s about being valued.
It’s about earning trust… episode after episode… post after post… year after year.

There’s a quiet dignity in showing up every week (at least that’s what I keep telling myself).

Not for clicks… not for dopamine… but because you believe in the work.
Because it matters to you.
This conversation with Steve felt like a reflection of how hard this path can be, and why it’s still worth walking.
Because consistency isn’t sexy… but it’s what lasts.

So here’s what I’m wondering:

In a world obsessed with relevance, what does long-term consistency look like for you right now?

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Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.