The power from hledger comes from habitually using it.
However, how does someone get started with hledger in such a way that is likely to develop into a habit? How do you avoid merely starting with a good intention that eventually falls by the wayside? One solution is to start small but consistent.
It can be tempting for someone new to hledger to say that they are going to put all their finances in hledger over the last 3 years and keep track of everything going forward. While a very few people might be successful with this, the majority of us are likely to fail with such an approach.
Instead, our chances of success are probably greater if we narrow the task in terms of time and scope. First, in terms of scope, start with one account. Additionally, start from today’s transactions. That’s enough. Set up the one account, enter today’s transactions, and if you can successfully reconcile, that’s enough for today. Tomorrow you can add your next account, and so on.
Similarly, limit the amount of time you are spending. If you are not finished with the above in 25 minutes, take a short break and try another 25 minutes after the break. If you still haven’t finished after two such sessions, it’s time stop for today. Try again tomorrow.
The idea is to form a habit. Regular small steps in the beginning lead towards building a habit.