Via The Knowledge Project Podcast

Small changes can really matter, but only if they’re oriented in the right way. […] Are your small actions accumulating or are they evaporating? Are you doing small things each day that are oriented toward a larger outcome or are you doing small things each day that are one-offs and don’t really add up?

— James Clear Shares Secrets to Habits, at 4:19

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James Clear (best-selling author of Atomic Habits) highlights the difference between meaningful progress and busywork: “Are your small actions accumulating or are they evaporating?” Not all small efforts lead to compounding growth. Many spend time on minutiae and trivial things that don’t add up to larger outcomes, mistaking activity for progress.

The accumulation test: Do today’s small actions help you become the person you want to be in a decade?

Examples of accumulating actions:

• Writing 200 words daily accumulates into blog posts, articles, books, and a body of work
• Having a conversation with someone in your field every week accumulates into a professional network
• Learning one new concept a day accumulates into expertise and mastery
• Saving $20 daily becomes a financial safety net
• A regular workout accumulates into fitness and health

The two time frames that matter most in life are 10 years and 1 hour:

• 10 years represents the big, meaningful things you want to do in life and where you want to be in a decade—the person you want to become, the body of work you want to create, the relationships you want to build, the expertise you want to develop
• 1 hour represents what you can do today, right now. It’s the smallest concrete action you can take that compounds toward your long-term vision of who you want to be in the future.

The key: Don’t let a day pass without doing something that will also benefit you in a decade.

Living simultaneously in both modes of thought—thinking long-term while acting short-term—helps you look for little changes and adjustments that actually accumulate. It creates a filter for decision-making: when you’re about to spend an hour on something, will “future you” be glad you did it?