Have you ever upgraded something in your life, only to find you’ve upset your natural balance?
If so, it might have been the Diderot effect at work.
Canadian anthropologist Grant McCracken coined the term. It gets its name from the woeful observations of 18th-century French philosopher, art critic, and writer Denis Diderot on the ruinous effect of having upgraded his dressing gown.
I’m not kidding!
Once he got a taste of how nice life could be—in his swanky, new red robe—he realized how unswanky all his other things were. And set about upgrading them, too.
His rug, his chair, his art, his table.
Before, everything matched, and he felt harmony. Afterward, he felt discord and a sense of existential dread.
And it struck me that this is something that can happen when you’re trying to elevate your business. You upgrade your homepage, but then the other pages don’t match.
You rewrite your bio, but then your social profiles are out of whack.
You overhaul your marketing, but fall back on your familiar sales habits.
I don’t say this to make you put the brakes on revamping your business. Nor to draw you into the “all or nothing” mindset (that so often plagues me).
But rather to suggest it’s worth being aware this might happen.
And that it’s worth taking a moment when planning to think about which other pieces of your business must be brought in line with the changes you’re making. And which you can let stay shabby (for now).
Swankily,
James
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