It is easy for me to measure the value of spending several hours at a time working on a project. These marathon sessions usually result in finished products. They are heroic in my eyes; epic and often necessary because I neglected the value of compounding time.
Let’s assume that a project takes 10 hours. There are two ways to approach this project: 1) Sit down and tackle the project all in a day; or 2) Work on the project for 2 hours a day for 5 days.
The procrastinator in me is used to tackling a project in a day. The end result is good. But it could be great if I valued the concept of compounding time.
Allowing myself the freedom of spending time to think about the project means that it will not be a by-product of a single gut reaction. Each day, something more will be revealed as I use my daily mental power to think through and solve problems.
Multiply this effect across multiple projects and the result is sustainability. Imagine finishing 5 projects in a week as opposed to burning out after two because the marathon sessions took a lot out of you?
This concept applies to not only time, but money and exercise. Is it better to save $10 a week without any problems? Or dramatically save $100/month, maybe, when the circumstances are right? Is it better to exercise every day for 10 minutes as opposed to waiting for the day when you can devote 30 minutes or even an hour?
Do the little things consistently and you’ll outperform the dramatically inconsistent over time. The tortoise and the hare.
2 replies on “The Value of Compounding Time”
Great stuff Chris! Wow, you are speaking to me on this post. I’ve been battling this over the last two weeks. Thanks for the wisdom of compounding my time.
Thanks Adam. It’s tough and something that I will probably always struggle with. Hopefully by sharing about it, I’ll be able to work through it.