It Adds Up

Edit: I mention Ragnar and triathlons in this piece, I was not able to do either in 2020, but that did not stop me from running and staying active and being ready for the time when I am once again able to compete. And yes, I am still doing my Duolingo lessons, and I still have a long way to go.

Originally posted December 17, 2019 on AIXchange

Doing just a little bit on a regular basis can have a lasting impact on your career (and life).

This post is almost three years old, but these equations at the heart of it have stuck with me:

1.01 ^ 365 = 37.8
0.99 ^ 365 = 0.03

Below is an excerpt from that post:

“One of my favorite concepts of finance is compounding. Compounding is simply when we make an investment and reinvest the return on that investment. So, if you invest in a house that you rent out to other people, then if you take that rent and buy new houses, you are compounding your investments.

In other words, compounding is a process where the value of an investment is consistently reinvested over time. This is the most powerful concept when it comes to maximizing growth on investments. That is why I love this poster.

In the first case, we are multiplying 1.01 with 1.01 for 365 days. In the other 0.99 is multiplied with 0.99 for 365 days. There is just this tiny difference but over a year, these kinds of differences add up to crazy differences.”

As I wrote about a year ago, I’ve been making small adjustments to my lifestyle. I’ve been eating better, I’ve been more active, and I’m seeing results. I have been competing in mini triathlons for a few years now, and I ran my first sprint triathlon in 2018. I was satisfied with my time, but I entered the same event and completed the same course this year, in 14 fewer minutes.

I run most days at this point. I have more endurance. I have more strength. I like the beach. The closest one to me here in Phoenix is in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive. Since I’m there on a somewhat regular basis, learning some Spanish seemed appropriate. As with my fitness regimen, a little adds up when it comes to taking on a new language. I spend about 10-15 minutes a day doing Duolingo lessons on my phone. That may not sound like much, but I find I now understand rudimentary words and phrases. If I tune to Spanish language radio or watch Univision, I notice common words and phrases.

You can apply this to anything. If you’re looking to pick up AIX, or Linux, or a new software package, diving in and drinking from a fire hose might work; for the sake of your career, it may even be an essential course of action. But small, consistent effort over time does produce results. Cramming the information into your brain might have got you through that college term paper, but I’d argue that doing just a bit on a regular basis over the long term offers a lasting impact as far as actual learning and/or development.

I know I’ll continue to keep it slow and steady as I prepare for my next Ragnar event.