The Benefits of Compounding

Goals are great for direction, but often they create a cycle of extremes. It can be easy to become obsessive over goals, so much so that they eat, sleep, and breathing them. The opposite is where as soon as you don’t succeed it can trigger into a spiral of depression and defeat. For many people this could amplify perfectionism if you already struggle with wanting everything to be perfect.

At the Time of Setting Goals

It seems completely feasible to go from 0-60 when setting a new goal. This approach can very quickly lead to burn out. Often starting out strong but not actually being able to keep the momentum going. As humans we are all naturally creatures of habit so any significant change all at once. Will quickly begin to feel like a burden of, not wanting to do it today. Overwhelmed by all the changes, often they can no longer continue at the same pace. It is a lot like exerting all of your energy at the beginning of a sprint and burning out before you know it. The secret to achievement is to pace yourself to actually achieving your goal.

Consistency is Key

The secret to reaching your goal, is consistency. I don’t particularly believe in goals, I’ve never had much luck with them, and it would amplify my feelings of perfectionism when I didn’t achieve the goal I set. I actually believe that it is more important to set intention, then working towards a goal. You don’t have to do it all at once, but taking small steps consistently will get you to your goal. This step is where the true power comes in. When we perform the same action consistently it becomes part of our natural routine. 40% of all our actions are on autopilot. This is the single reason it is so hard for us as humans to change our actions so drastically at once.

When we change one action, and then perform it consistently it becomes part of our autopilot. Instilled in us since childhood. This routine is something that you will just do everyday, like flossing your teeth after brushing most people no longer have to think about it before reaching for the floss.

Take a small task that you can be easily be add to your routine. Place it next to something you are already doing. For example if you wake up every morning and pour a cup of coffee and want to start practicing mindfulness. Pair writing in your journal for 5 minutes with your cup of coffee. Habit stacking, is when you pair a new habit with a habit that you already do the chances of missing out on the new habit greatly decrease. It removes the stress of adding something too far outside of your routine, putting you in a position to be far more successful.

Compounding

Once you have set your intention, analyzed the steps you need to take to achieve it. Place into practice the habits to reach your destination. Now It is time to compound your efforts, simply put small efforts consistently have and it will have the largest impact. Compounding of your efforts can be applied to anything. If you ever miss a habit commit to never missing it twice. This will really keep you on track to reach your destination.

Just remember it only takes 3 steps to reach what you are working towards. It all boils down to setting your intention. Breaking down the habits you need to implement and pairing them with habits you already do. Lastly, continue to compound your efforts by always improving by adding new habits each time you begin to feel you have a set routine. I hope you find these steps helpful and I wish you all the best in achieving your dreams.