{"id":25845,"date":"2026-07-11T00:58:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T23:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yassinebentaleb.com\/the-output-vs-outcome-test\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T00:58:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T23:58:50","slug":"the-output-vs-outcome-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yassinebentaleb.com\/en\/the-output-vs-outcome-test\/","title":{"rendered":"The Output vs Outcome Test: A Fast Way to Separate Activity From Proof"},"content":{"rendered":"

An output is what your work directly produced. An outcome is the change that followed. The Output vs Outcome Test is a quick way to check whether you actually have both, or just one dressed up as the other.<\/p>\n

Why busy and effective aren’t the same thing<\/h2>\n

During my fellowship at the Miller Center, I spent months inside data from more than a thousand social entrepreneurs. The strongest-looking reports weren’t always the ones creating the most change.<\/p>\n

Often they’d just learned to report activity as if it were proof. It’s an easy habit to fall into, in a program or in an ordinary week of your own life.<\/p>\n

Who this is for, and how long it takes<\/h2>\n

About 7 minutes, for one specific effort.<\/p>\n

What’s inside<\/h2>\n