Within the compound interest analogy, I was thinking something like closest to #2.
If you put in the effort to regularly exercise, or journal, or whatever (or, at least periodically making the effort to Spam Microintentions to exercise or journal or whatever), then over time...
a) you will get better at remembering to exercise
b) you will get better at exercising
c) you will get better at the follow-through effects that the exercise and journaling were aiming at (better introspection, better resting heart rate, higher strength, etc.
Compare this to the stock market, which gets a 5% rate of return on average, but on any given day may go up or down relative to previous day. A, B and C above may each wobble up and down, but overall you’re improving at your object and meta level goals.
Within the compound interest analogy, I was thinking something like closest to #2.
If you put in the effort to regularly exercise, or journal, or whatever (or, at least periodically making the effort to Spam Microintentions to exercise or journal or whatever), then over time...
a) you will get better at remembering to exercise
b) you will get better at exercising
c) you will get better at the follow-through effects that the exercise and journaling were aiming at (better introspection, better resting heart rate, higher strength, etc.
Compare this to the stock market, which gets a 5% rate of return on average, but on any given day may go up or down relative to previous day. A, B and C above may each wobble up and down, but overall you’re improving at your object and meta level goals.