The consequences of any big dramatic action or decision is usually pretty obvious. Buying a house is naturally going to make a big impact on your finances. Changing your job will also shake up your lifestyle, at least temporarily. However, I’ve found that it’s often the little decisions and small things in life that, though seemingly minor, can have the biggest consequences, especially in the long term.
As an example, I’m going to talk about sandwiches. Yeah, that’s right. Sandwiches. Bear with me on this one, ok? I used to buy a sandwich for lunch at work every day. I could justify the expense because it was only two pounds. That’s not a lot right? But then I started looking at the cumulative effect. Over a week I’d spend over ten pounds. Again, perhaps not a great amount of money, but when I’m bored at the weekend I’d much rather put that money into a couple of DVDs.
Then of course, over a month that becomes over £40. Over a year that’s nearly £500. Five. Hundred. Pounds. On sandwiches. Ouch! That could cover my grocery costs for three months, my electricity costs for six months or my internet costs for nearly two years. In these tight financial times the cumulative effect of seemingly minor expenses is something worth considering. Thankfully, it can also work the opposite way. Putting aside just one pound per day may not mean a lot now, but what about in a years time?
It’s not just about the money though. It can apply to all sorts of lifestyle and personal growth decisions. I’ve spent the last year trying to simplify and streamline my life. But only now am I seeing how certain things I’ve cut out months ago had more cumulative value than I thought. How have your choices and decisions, while seemingly minor at the time, accumulated into unexpected consequences?
May 4, 2009 at 11:47PM
James, I may not agree with you on everything but I’m wholeheartedly behind you on this one.
It’s not just the concept of little things that add up either. I’ve found that when it comes to being productive (and I use the GTD methodology), the most important thing is to keep everything as simple and streamlined as possible.
Keep posting, I love everything you write, even the ones I disagree with!
May 5, 2009 at 05:23PM
Thanks for the comment Paul. In many ways it’s good that you don’t always agree. What I try to provide as much as possible is an alternative perspective to common problems and advice that is out there. It encourages people to think and question the conventional wisdom, because it’s not often right,