Simon Bütler

Destroyed worlds for film 💥 Now helping people rebuild their world with purpose 🎯 Clarity | Purpose | Growth

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

It's that time again to update my demoreel. Here are my latest shots I worked on. Hope you enjoy it.

#PortfolioDay #vfx #houdini

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

@BigCheds We appreciate everything you do. Keep up the good work

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Every hour you've put in, every dollar spent, every time you told people you were doing this — none of that changes what the right move is today.
Your past investment doesn't vote on your future decisions.

The question isn't "how much have I put in?"
It's "would I start this today, knowing what I know now?

"What are you still in because leaving feels like admitting it was all a waste? #BehaviorChange

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

The Dip isn't the obstacle. It's the filter.

Most people quit during the Dip — which is exactly why pushing through it creates something rare. Scarcity drives value. The harder the Dip, the fewer people who make it to the other side.

Difficulty isn't a sign you're on the wrong path.
It's often a sign you're on the right one.

What hard phase are you currently in that might actually be worth it? #PersonalDevelopment

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

You think your old car is worth $4,000.
The dealer thinks it's worth $1,500.
You're both looking at the same car.

That's the endowment effect. The moment something is yours, your brain inflates its value — not based on what it's worth, but based on the fact that you own it. Happens with cars, ideas, relationships, business models.

The question to ask isn't "what is this worth to me?"
It's "what would I pay for this if it wasn't already mine?"

What's something you're overvaluing right now just because it's yours?
#SelfImprovement

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Doing nothing is also a choice.
But it doesn't feel that way — so we act.

When something goes wrong, the pressure to respond is enormous. Change the strategy. Hire someone. Post something. Anything. But sometimes the worst outcome comes not from what you failed to do — it's from the move you made in a panic that you didn't need to make.

Most mistakes aren't the result of inaction.
They're the result of acting before you knew enough.

What's a decision you're facing right now that might be better served by waiting? #BehaviorChange

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Quitting is a strategy, not a failure.

The problem is we quit the wrong things — the hard things worth pushing through — and hold onto the dead ends because we can't face feeling like we gave up.

Strategic quitting isn't weakness.
It's resource management.

What are you holding onto out of fear, not logic?
#Mindset

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Everyone's doing it is not a reason.
It's pressure.

Social proof isn't evidence. It's a shortcut your brain takes when it doesn't want to think.

The line outside the restaurant, the bestseller list, the packed seminar — none of that tells you whether the thing is actually good.

Ask why people are doing it.
Not just that they are.

What's something you're doing right now primarily because everyone else is?
#Mindset

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

The worst time to decide if something is worth it is when you're in pain.

That's when fear sounds like logic. When "this isn't working" and "I'm just uncomfortable" become indistinguishable.

Define what success looks like before you start.
Set the checkpoints early.

Future you shouldn't be cleaning up decisions that depleted you made.
#BehaviorChange

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

There's a difference between quitting and retreating.

Retreating happens at the worst moment — depleted, frustrated, convinced it won't work. Quitting is a decision you make with a clear head, before the pressure peaks.

Most people never separate the two.

Set your quitting rules before you start. Not during.
#SelfImprovement

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Confirmation bias doesn't feel like bias.
It feels like being right.

You find the article that agrees with you. You remember the friend who proved your point. You quietly discount everything that doesn't fit. And your belief gets stronger — not because the evidence changed, but because you filtered it.

The most dangerous ideas you hold are the ones you've never tried to disprove.

What's one belief you've never seriously stress-tested?
#SelfImprovement

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Discipline and creativity aren't opposites.

Discipline is what makes creativity possible.
Without it, every good idea is just a conversation you had once. With it, the idea becomes something you can actually show people.

The most consistently creative people aren't the most talented. They're the ones who show up on the days it doesn't feel natural.

What does your discipline actually look like on a bad day?

#BehaviorChange

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Most people think they're in a Dip when they're actually in a Cul-de-Sac.

The Dip gets harder before it gets better — that's the point.
The Cul-de-Sac just stays flat. No matter how hard you push.

One leads to mastery. One leads to wasted years.

Are you gaining ground, or just spinning in place?
#BehaviorChange

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

It would be awesome if non-business plan users had access to this, too @NotionHQ

[Notion @NotionHQ]

Sometimes the answer is just one number. Say hello to Number Charts!

Pick your colors, set your thresholds, and let the score tell the story: yellow from 10 → 30, green above, red below 🚦

Your dashboards just got a new best friend.

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

You can't outwork a depleted mind. Fix the foundation first.

Not hitting the results you need one day is okay. A bad day doesn't need a fix.
A bad month because your mental state is running on empty — that's a signal worth listening to.

When low output becomes the pattern, adjust your goals until your mental state catches up

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

@Notiondashboard Looks awesome. How long have you been using this setup?

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Most people have a decision-making process.
Very few have written it down.

The unwritten version works fine until the stakes are high and your emotions are loud.
Then you're not following a process — you're just reacting with extra steps.

Do you have a real framework for big decisions — or are you mostly figuring it out as you go?

#Mindset

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Your environment makes more decisions than you do.

Not in a dramatic way. In the background — the phone on your desk, the open tab, the chair positioned toward the TV.

You don't decide to get distracted. You just never designed a space that made focus the default.

Environment design is the highest-leverage habit.

What's one thing in your environment that's been making decisions for you?
#SelfImprovement

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

Strategic focus has a simple test.
If a project doesn't connect to a specific objective — not a vague priority, a specific one — it shouldn't exist.

Most teams fail this test with 70% of their workload. The work looks productive. The calendar looks full. The output rarely matches the intention.

Focus isn't a mindset. It's a filter.

What project are you working on right now that wouldn't survive that test?
#Leadership

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

The habit you keep abandoning? It's probably not a discipline problem.
It's a friction problem.

Every extra step between you and the action is a vote against doing it.
Your environment is making micro-decisions for you before you even show up.

Remove one barrier today. Just one.

What's the thing in your environment that keeps quietly working against you?#BehaviorChange

[Simon Bütler @simonbuetler]

The focused employee and the unfocused one often do the same hours.

One is productive, committed, fulfilled.
The other is busy, resentful, tired.

The difference isn't effort. It's alignment — knowing what you're good at, what you actually care about, and how your work connects to something that matters.

Most people never stop to ask. They just work harder.

Are you busy, or are you actually moving forward?

#Mindset