Sometimes small steps get you to your destination faster than big steps. This doesn’t seem as if it could be true. After all, you cover more ground with a large step than with a small one. So how can small steps possibly be better? Read on!
Taking Real Steps
For the first example, let’s say you need to walk 1 mile. You have two choices, you can take the largest steps you can possibly make. Each time you put a foot forward, you stretch your leg out to the maximum amount possible. Feel the muscles stretched to their maximum? If not, you probably can stretch farther.
Now, contrast the above with walking with the much smaller, normal steps you use when walking. You will likely arrive faster for no other reason than you injured yourself taking the super-long steps.
Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique divides work tasks into 25 minute segments separated by breaks. The idea is that is productive to work for relatively short segments of time. While I don’t think there is anything magical about exactly 25 minutes, I do believe that most people are more likely to stick with a long term project if they break it into approximately 25 minute chunks rather than trying to work hours at a time on it.
Rowing
I once read about someone who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. To prepare, he trained with fishermen who did lots of rowing in their work. One of the surprising things he learned was not to take long strokes when rowing. Instead take short ones was the advice from people who did this day in and day out.
How to Eat an elephant
“How do you eat an elephant?”
“One bite at a time.”
This classic bit of wisdom encapsulates how small steps can succeed where big ones don’t.
Tracking Your Finances
How do you apply this to plain text accounting, using hledger or a similar tool? Aim relatively small. If you are just starting with recording transactions, instead of saying that you are going to put the last 3 years of your expenses and income into hledger, start with just today’s transactions. Tomorrow, just record tomorrow’s. And so on. And 6 months later, if you want to go back and add your previous 3 years of transactions, that’s OK. Just don’t plan to do it all at once. Break it down into small steps!