The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy3 min read

Rating: 6/10

Would you rather get $3 million instantly or a penny that doubles in value every day for 31 days?

It seems unlikely, but by the end of those 31 days, that penny will be worth $10,737,418.24. The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy, argues that difficult daily disciplines, compounded over time, equal insane results.

This compound effect does not just apply to money, however. Darren applies this idea to weight loss, reading, and meditation.

I enjoyed this book but it seemed like a worse version of Atomic Habits. Luckily it is a short book or I probably would have put it down 3 chapters in.

Some things I did like about it though.

So should you buy it? I would say no, get Atomic Habits instead.

-Zach

Notes

• An overnight success, silver bullets, “get-rich-quick,” are dooming words. Avoid anything that reeks of these philosophies.
• Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = Radical Changes
• Own it 100%. Everything is your fault, that includes every success, and, more importantly, every failure.
• Try tracking something diligently (money, calories, exercise…) for a week and see what changes it makes on your life.
  • I chose to track the time spent watching TV and playing video games. By the end of the week, I went from 3 hours a day to 30 minutes a day.
• Some good habits to try:
  • Every Saturday is Family Day, no working, no phone, just spend time and focus on the most important people in your life
  • Every Sunday, at 6 pm, have a relationship review: discuss the previous week’s wins and losses, what you appreciated that your partner did that week. “If you had to rate our relationship last week what would you rate it?” Then, “What would it take to make your experience a 10?”
• Switch it up, this applies to a workout routine, work location, weekend outings…

Quotes

• Promise yourself that you’re going to let once and for all of your lottery-winner expectations because, let’s face it, you only hear stories about the one winner, not the millions of losers
• life is simply a collection of experiences; our goal should be to increase the frequency and the intensity of the good experiences.
• Take a look at your relationships and make sure you’re not spending three hours with a three-minute person.
• Join organizations and businesses and health clubs where these people gather and make friends.
• Find people who care enough about you to be brutally honest with you. Ask them these questions:
  • How do I show up to you?
  • What do you think my strengths are?
  • In what areas do you think I can improve?
  • Where do you think I sabotage myself?
  • What’s one thing I can stop doing that would benefit me the most?
  • What’s the one thing I should start doing?
• you get in life what you tolerate[…] you will get in life what you accept and expect you are worthy of.
• When you hit the wall in your disciplines, routines rhythms, and consistency, realize that’s when you are separating yourself from your old self, scaling that wall, and finding your new powerful, triumphant, and victorious self.
• Where can you do better and more than expected? When can you do the totally unexpected? Find as many opportunities for “WOW,” and the level and speed of your accomplishments will astonish you… and everyone else around you.