How to Be More Agentic: Strategies for Personal Agency
Learn how to be more agentic and improve your personal agency. Useful Fictions explores strategies for self-efficacy, decision making, and goal achievement.
Best quote from How to Be More Agentic: Strategies for Personal Agency
Agency is not a fixed trait like height; it is a manifest determination to make things happen that can be built like a muscle by doing things that most people find slightly annoying or socially awkward.
This audio lesson was created by a BeFreed community member
https://usefulfictions.substack.com/p/how-to-be-more-agentic https://substack.com/home/post/p-188672382 https://substack.com/home/post/p-39048606 https://substack.com/home/post/p-188846616
Frequently Asked Questions
Being more agentic involves taking an active role in your life by exercising personal agency. It means moving beyond passive observation to become the primary driver of your decisions and actions. By focusing on agentic behavior, individuals can improve their self-efficacy and take more intentional steps toward their personal and professional goals, rather than letting external circumstances dictate their path.
Improving personal agency requires a shift in mindset toward proactive decision making and self-efficacy. Useful Fictions suggests that by identifying the 'fictions' or mental models that hold us back, we can better navigate complex choices. Strengthening your agency involves setting clear intentions, evaluating your options critically, and taking consistent action to ensure your daily behaviors align with your long-term objectives.
Self-efficacy is a core component of personal agency and is essential for consistent goal achievement. It refers to your belief in your own capacity to execute the behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments. When you increase your agentic behavior, you build a stronger sense of self-efficacy, which provides the confidence needed to overcome obstacles and stay committed to your goals even when facing challenges.
Discover more
Build high-value confidence and charm
Build high-value confidence and charm
In today’s competitive landscape, technical skill alone isn't enough; true success requires the ability to influence and connect. This plan is designed for professionals and leaders who want to bridge the gap between their competence and their perceived presence.
Master AI Freelancing & One-Man Agency Ops
Master AI Freelancing & One-Man Agency Ops
This plan is essential for freelancers and solo entrepreneurs looking to leverage the AI revolution to maximize their output. It provides a blueprint for building a scalable, one-person agency using cutting-edge automation and intelligent agent technology.
Scale Agency: Productivity & Trend Mastery
Scale Agency: Productivity & Trend Mastery
This learning plan is designed for agency owners and operators looking to move beyond manual bottlenecks and into high-level growth. It provides the technical and strategic roadmap needed to leverage AI and automation for sustainable scaling.
Master Agentic Systems as an AI Engineer
Master Agentic Systems as an AI Engineer
As AI shifts from passive chat to active agency, mastering autonomous workflows is the next frontier for engineers. This path is ideal for developers and data scientists looking to build, scale, and govern production-ready multi-agent systems.
Establish a powerful presence
Establish a powerful presence
This plan is designed for professionals and aspiring leaders who want to move beyond technical skills to master the art of influence. It provides a comprehensive roadmap for anyone seeking to command respect, build rapport, and project unshakeable confidence in high-stakes environments.
Billionaire Mindset, Social Skills & Power
Billionaire Mindset, Social Skills & Power
This plan is designed for ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs who recognize that technical skill alone isn't enough to reach the top. It bridges the gap between financial psychology and social intelligence to help individuals navigate high-stakes environments with confidence and authority.
Build Inspiration, Creativity & Social Skills
Build Inspiration, Creativity & Social Skills
In an increasingly automated world, the combination of original creativity and high-level social intelligence is a vital competitive advantage. This plan is designed for professionals and creatives looking to overcome mental blocks and build the magnetic interpersonal skills necessary to bring their ideas to life.
Leverage people to clear obstacles and win
Leverage people to clear obstacles and win
In today’s interconnected workplace, individual talent is rarely enough to overcome systemic hurdles. This plan is designed for emerging leaders and professionals who need to master the art of influence and strategic networking to achieve ambitious goals. It provides a blueprint for turning social capital into a powerful tool for clearing obstacles and driving organizational change.
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
