Seek challenge, start now

The only reliable way to achieve anything substantial is through consistent, sustained action. Moreover, any truly substantial accomplishments take a long time, on the order of years.

In this, there are two key hurdles to overcome:

1. If you want to achieve something substantial, start now, and don’t stop. Doing something, no matter how small, is infinitely better than doing nothing.

2. The penalty for avoiding sustained and consistent progress, especially in technology, is obsolescence.

If you want to achieve more than you’ve ever dreamed, you can. The main reason you think you can’t is because it’s going to take years, and you can’t see all of the steps from where you are right now, so to you it appears to be impossible.

Let’s break it down.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, wrote:

Most big, deeply satisfying accomplishments in life take at least five years to achieve. This can include building a business, cultivating a loving relationship, writing a book, getting in the best shape of your life, raising a family, and more.

Five years is a long time. It is much slower than most of us would like. If you accept the reality of slow progress, you have every reason to take action today. If you resist the reality of slow progress, five years from now you’ll simply be five years older and still looking for a shortcut.

So the first lesson is “shortcuts don’t exist.” The only way out is through, and consistent, sustained efforts (no matter how small) will always win out in the end.

That’s great advice coming from a guy who wrote a book all about habits! One of the key methods of achieving consistent, sustained effort is by building habits.

This might sound a little like the kind of thing you’d find in a self-help book with a stylized picture of a sunrise on the cover or something, but this applies to your technical career, too.

In the November, 1999 issue of Computerworld, Fawn Fitter wrote:

[I]nformation technology is changing so quickly that if you stay in the same place too long, you won’t have five years of experience—you’ll have the same year of experience repeated five times.

That was true in 1999, but it’s even more true today. Staying up-to-date with the latest trends, let alone achieving proficiency in each new technology, absolutely requires a sustained effort. Anyone who allows their skills to plateau for a few years may find themselves left behind.

I know I felt that way after doing straight management for a few years and then returning to a more hands-on role, and I’ve heard that same story many times before.

Recipe for sustained progress

As we’ve talked about, the most important thing is consistency. Making regular, disciplined progress, no matter how small, is the key.

Build a habit

No matter what your goal, find a way to make some contribution toward it habitually. It doesn’t have to be daily—it could be every Tuesday or at least twice a month—set a schedule that works for you, but stick to it.

For advice on the mechanics of creating successful habits, read Atomic Habits by James Clear, or The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

Smallest biggest

When you sit down to make that contribution toward your goal, I love this idea from executive coach Robert Ellis: choose the biggest smallest thing to work on. Biggest meaning that it matters, it will move you toward your goal. Smallest means that success is assured, you cannot fail at it.

Stack enough of those things together, day after day, week after week, and pretty soon you’re going to be creating significant impact.

Comments