Thanks for sharing this! I’ve been trying to collect thoughts on the nature of self-improvement for a while now. I think there’s a lot here that has to with recalibrating our expectations, and the Typical Self Help Narrative certainly doesn’t help.
In my head, I’m not quite sure what a 3% change looks like, but I’m also not sure what a better framing would be, especially one that allows you to stick with the compound interest analogy. Some potential contenders for alternate mental images:
1. Some sort of internal gamified EXP meter, borrowing from video games (“It’s all about doing it over and over to rack up those points! Yeah, let me floss again today to rack up those Virtue Points(C)!”)
2. Increased frequency, improved long-term performance. (“You might not do better today, but most days will become better!”), e.g. From journaling every 10 days to journaling every 5 days.
3. Base rates: It’s 2 months for a habit. This is Empirically Backed. (“If you haven’t stuck with X for 2 months, shut up and stick it out. Then we’ll talk.”)
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.
Thanks for sharing this! I’ve been trying to collect thoughts on the nature of self-improvement for a while now. I think there’s a lot here that has to with recalibrating our expectations, and the Typical Self Help Narrative certainly doesn’t help.
In my head, I’m not quite sure what a 3% change looks like, but I’m also not sure what a better framing would be, especially one that allows you to stick with the compound interest analogy. Some potential contenders for alternate mental images:
1. Some sort of internal gamified EXP meter, borrowing from video games (“It’s all about doing it over and over to rack up those points! Yeah, let me floss again today to rack up those Virtue Points(C)!”)
2. Increased frequency, improved long-term performance. (“You might not do better today, but most days will become better!”), e.g. From journaling every 10 days to journaling every 5 days.
3. Base rates: It’s 2 months for a habit. This is Empirically Backed. (“If you haven’t stuck with X for 2 months, shut up and stick it out. Then we’ll talk.”)
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.