My real-world example is writing. I started my blog in 2013 and wrote 1 or 2 articles until 2021, when I switched gears and published 20, 30, and ~40 yearly.
Although I switched focus to this newsletter in 2024, my writing habit is the same.
While writing a first draft of any article took hours, in 2021, I can now get my main points across in <1h. I can use the excess time to write a second draft to make the first draft better. I couldn't have imagined that I'd go through such an improvement.
And that's not all; my writing has improved across the board, and it's visible on social media and even in pull request descriptions.
Wow Addy, it’s like our brains synced on this one! I’ve shared very similar thoughts before in various posts. Awesome to know this approach and mindset works for you and others as well!
Here’s my story of “The year of the tortoise 🐢”.
I was stuck. I kept trying the same thing and it wasn’t working.
I kept starting things only to lose motivation and never finish.
The tech industry goes through phases where it feels like everything is changing overnight, and it’s easy to feel left behind.
This was one of those times for me, and I was hustling to catch up.
I kept trying to take courses on AWS, Angular, systems designs to level up my skills.
And I kept failing.
That’s when I read two books.
1. Atomic Habits
2. The Tortoise and the Hair (a powerful children’s book)
Both of them showed me the same thing.
I needed to choose consistency over random hustling.
30 mins of daily learning over every other weekend cramming.
I took to heart the moral of the story that the tortoise always wins the race…
And I declared my “year of the tortoise” 🐢
This was the year I would finish things.
This was the year I would choose to believe consistent wins add up.
This was the year of prioritizing 15-30 mins of learning every day after work.
To me it all came down to habits over motivation. 🧠
Fast forward, and 7 months later I had conquered many incomplete courses.
I knew I was making progress when my boss told me one day:
“Your skills are taking off like a rocket – don’t grow too fast, I don’t know if we can afford to pay you that much” 🚀 😎
I knew I was on to something.
Consistency and patient really do pay off.
I’ve declared a year of the tortoise twice in my career now.
1. When I wanted to become a fullstack engineer
2. When I needed to land a new job during the pandemic.
Both times paid off massively.
One of which resulted in over doubling my salary and joining one of Inc 300’s fastest growing startups 🚀
If you are struggling to grow in your skills and your career, maybe it’s time to declare your “year of the tortoise.”
2024 can be the year you choose consistency over random hustling.
Yes consistent efforts do matters,but sometimes one needs to take rest. A breath of fresh air to rejovinate yourself. It's very interesting essay thumb up
Addy, your article is truly motivating – thank you for sharing.
As a senior engineer, I've often struggled with how to effectively measure the daily progress. Is quantifying the slow progress essential, or is the sense of advancement sufficient?
My real-world example is writing. I started my blog in 2013 and wrote 1 or 2 articles until 2021, when I switched gears and published 20, 30, and ~40 yearly.
Although I switched focus to this newsletter in 2024, my writing habit is the same.
While writing a first draft of any article took hours, in 2021, I can now get my main points across in <1h. I can use the excess time to write a second draft to make the first draft better. I couldn't have imagined that I'd go through such an improvement.
And that's not all; my writing has improved across the board, and it's visible on social media and even in pull request descriptions.
Wow Addy, it’s like our brains synced on this one! I’ve shared very similar thoughts before in various posts. Awesome to know this approach and mindset works for you and others as well!
Here’s my story of “The year of the tortoise 🐢”.
I was stuck. I kept trying the same thing and it wasn’t working.
I kept starting things only to lose motivation and never finish.
The tech industry goes through phases where it feels like everything is changing overnight, and it’s easy to feel left behind.
This was one of those times for me, and I was hustling to catch up.
I kept trying to take courses on AWS, Angular, systems designs to level up my skills.
And I kept failing.
That’s when I read two books.
1. Atomic Habits
2. The Tortoise and the Hair (a powerful children’s book)
Both of them showed me the same thing.
I needed to choose consistency over random hustling.
30 mins of daily learning over every other weekend cramming.
I took to heart the moral of the story that the tortoise always wins the race…
And I declared my “year of the tortoise” 🐢
This was the year I would finish things.
This was the year I would choose to believe consistent wins add up.
This was the year of prioritizing 15-30 mins of learning every day after work.
To me it all came down to habits over motivation. 🧠
Fast forward, and 7 months later I had conquered many incomplete courses.
I knew I was making progress when my boss told me one day:
“Your skills are taking off like a rocket – don’t grow too fast, I don’t know if we can afford to pay you that much” 🚀 😎
I knew I was on to something.
Consistency and patient really do pay off.
I’ve declared a year of the tortoise twice in my career now.
1. When I wanted to become a fullstack engineer
2. When I needed to land a new job during the pandemic.
Both times paid off massively.
One of which resulted in over doubling my salary and joining one of Inc 300’s fastest growing startups 🚀
If you are struggling to grow in your skills and your career, maybe it’s time to declare your “year of the tortoise.”
2024 can be the year you choose consistency over random hustling.
The year you level up massively. 🚀
Very well written Addy, thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Yes consistent efforts do matters,but sometimes one needs to take rest. A breath of fresh air to rejovinate yourself. It's very interesting essay thumb up
Article
Thanks for sharing, alot to take and applied in my career
Addy, your article is truly motivating – thank you for sharing.
As a senior engineer, I've often struggled with how to effectively measure the daily progress. Is quantifying the slow progress essential, or is the sense of advancement sufficient?
I'd love to hear your perspective on this.