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title: The Winner-Take-All Effects
created: 2024-11-18T09:18:12
modified: 2026-01-14T06:53:04
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> _“Any decision that involves using a limited / the same resource like ([energy](energy-management.md), [attention](attention.md), )[time](time-is-the-most-valuable-asset.md) or [money](money.md) will naturally result in a winner-take-all situation.” — James Clear_

> _“For all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” — The Bible_

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refers to:

* situations in which small differences in performance lead to outsized rewards / very unequal distributions when repeated over time
* being [just a little bit / slightly better](every-single-day-chop-wood-carry-waters.md) than the competition to secure the entire rewards

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The winner gets one and the rest get zero.

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You only win by 1 percent or 1 second or 1 dollar, but you capture 100 percent of the victory.

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# Examples

* Politicians compete for the same votes
* Authors compete for the same spot at the top of the best-seller list
* Athletes compete for the same gold medal
* Companies compete for the same potential client
* Television shows compete for the same hour of your [attention](attention.md)

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[The Hofstadter’s Law](the-hofstadters-law.md)

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[The Lollapalooza Effect](the-lollapalooza-effect.md)