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The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33The Compound Effect Summary –Darren Hardy13 MINUTE READThe Compound Effect (2010)Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Successby Darren HardyThe Compound Effect offers a concise, practical guide to mastering smallchoices that determine big outcomes which dictate the course of your life- by best selling author, publisher and motivational speaker, Darren Hardy.(162 pages)Note: This The Compound Effect summary is part of an ongoing projectto summarise the Best Productivity Books and Best Self Help Books of alltime.Contents1. The Compound Effect Review2. The Compound Effect Summary3. Chapter 1: The Compound Effect4. Chapter 2: Choices6. Chapter 4: Momentum7. Chapter 5: Influences8. Chapter 6: Acceleration9. Conclusion & Next Steps10. The Compound Effect Contents11. Best The Compound Effect Quotes12. The Compound Effect PDF Summary13. Read More: 5 Books Like The Compound ct-summary/Page 1 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.3314. Wish There Was a Faster/Easier Way?The Compound Effect ReviewDarren Hardy’s Compound Effect is in my favourite class of productivitybooks: it’s concise, it’s action focussed and it comes with a ton of freetemplates worth 10x the cost of the book.It also reinforces a message I’ve seen, learned and taught time and again.Big results don’t come from grand talk or gestures. Big results comefrom clarity plus small, deliberate actions – made and repeated untilactions reap a habit, habits reap a character and character reaps adestiny.In other words, the tortoise ALWAYS beats the hare. And when you thinkyou’ve seen otherwise, you’ve invariably confused the last lunge for thefinish with the journey that led to its end.These ideas are at the core of Darren’s philosophy – and they’re also thebeating heart of The Art of Living‘s TRACKTION methodology.Of course, the “What?” is always simpler than the “How?”. Luckily, this isprecisely where The Compound Effect really shines. What follows below ismy brief synthesis of the lessons you’ll find in the book. But for anyoneserious about jumpstarting their income, their life and their success – I’dsuggest grabbing your own copy here.The Compound Effect SummaryChapter 1: The Compound EffectThe Compound Effect “is the principle of reaping huge rewards from aseries of small, smart choices,” made consistently, over a long period ect-summary/Page 2 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33For example, would you rather have (A) 3 million upfront or (B) onepenny that doubles in value every day for 31 days?To maximise your gains, the correct answer is (B). But it doesn’t happenquickly. After 19 days you’d still only have 5,243 and you might feelpretty foolish next to a friend who chose option (A).It’s not until day 29 that the compounding gains of option (B) net you 3million. And by day 30 your patience would have tripled option (A)’s totaltakings. (See Figure summary/Page 3 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, ct-summary/13/01/22 15.33Page 4 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33Figure 1: The magic penny example demonstrates the compound effect in action.This example shows the power and subtlety of compounding.The choices that lead to life-altering change are, on the surface,disarmingly small. The good ones are easy to overlook and the bad onesare easy to forgive. What’s more, cause and effect are so distant thatthey’re hard to connect. Compounding requires enormous amounts ofpatience and faith.And that’s a problem because humans aren’t programmed for patience orfaith. We’re programmed for instant gratification. And that programmingruns deep. In the uncertain world of our ancestors, passing up chances toflee, feed or fornicate were shortcuts to physical or genetic death. Eventoday, the social pressure to keep up with peers, even when we knowwe’re making poor long-term decisions, is an almost invincible addiction.But compounding is real. And it’s powerful. And it’s defining the course ofyour life, right now, both for and against you, based on every decision youmake.So, what’s the first step to tip the balance in your favour?The answer is to take full responsibility for your life.Think about it – if small choices made consistently lead to big outcomes,it follows that many big outcomes come down to small choices.The 10 minutes you read before bed. The 15 minutes you snooze in themorning. The 100 calories you don’t need at lunch.Every thought you repeatedly have, every impulse you often indulge,every decision you consistently make contributes to some kind ofcompounding.Even if you can’t match cause with effect your life is the product of -summary/Page 5 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33choices.ACTION STEPS:Decide to take full ownership of your life – even if you can’t explainhow you got here.Write down 6 seemingly inconsequential positive steps you can startdoing daily.Identify 6 seemingly inconsequential negative actions you can put astop to.Identify any areas of life where you’ve enjoyed success in the pastbut may have become complacent and are no longer improving.Chapter 2: ChoicesSo if it all comes down to the choices we make, how do we get better atmaking them?The answer, like compounding, is disarmingly simple: stop living onautopilot and start making conscious decisions.Choose gratitude.Choose 100% responsibility for your relationships.Choose 100% responsibility for your setbacks and the lessons they’llteach you.Choose 100% responsibility for your luck. Remember always that “Luck Preparation Attitude Opportunity Action” and that you can chooseto influence or neglect each part of that sum.Choose to make conscious choices about even (/especially) the smallestof choices in any part of life you want to effect-summary/Page 6 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33How? “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” so chooseto start tracking every action in the part of life that you’re focussingon.Want to lose weight? Track your weight. Track your measurements.Track your calories. Track your steps. Track the minutes you exercise eachday. Track anything and everything that compounds you towards or awayfrom your goals.Start slowly. Track one habit for one week. Then add to your list untilthere’s not a choice, big or small, you don’t know about.At first, you’ll be shocked. Not just at the state of your choices but also athow hard it is to stay conscious of them. But before long you’ll besurprised then delighted at the power of clarity in shaping your actions.The most important choices of all? Choose to start early. Choose tostart now.Because the sooner you start making conscious choices, the sooner youcan turn those choices back into habits.And that’s when the real magic begins.ACTION STEPS:Identify the one area of life you’re struggling most with and startjournalling all the things you’re grateful for about it.Identify and assess an area of life you want to change and that you’renot taking 100% responsibility for.Start tracking at least one behaviour in one area of your life you’d liketo change and improve.Chapter 3: ct-summary/Page 7 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33Habits are “an acquired mode of behaviour that has become nearly orcompletely involuntary.” They’re choices on autopilot. And they growstronger with each repetition.Most people let their habits form unconsciously. Those habits then dictatethe choices that determine the course of their lives.Taking control of your life means mastering your habits. It means takingfull responsibility for creating good habits while removing the bad ones.To Take Responsibility for your Habits:1. Acknowledge the power of habits in light of the compound effect;2. Determine a powerfully motivating “Why?” for changing yourbehaviour;3. Set effective goals and clearly visualise what success looks like;4. Identify and remove the bad habits holding you back from your goals;and5. Identify and create the good habits you’ll need to reach your goals.To Determine a Powerfully Motivating “Why?”:Define your core values – see Darren’s Core Values Assessment(one of the many excellent free downloadable templates that comewith the book);Draw on love and enmity – inspiration doesn’t need to be noble, justto motivate; orSet concise, compelling and awe-inspiring goals – see Darren’sGoal Designing Cheatsheet in the templates above).To Eliminate Bad Habits:1. Identify your triggers – what, who, when or where are the triggersthat kick-off the behaviour you want to stop?2. Eliminate those triggers from your environment – make fect-summary/Page 8 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33your friend to prevent undesirable action;3. Substitute with a reward that has the same effect – want to feelgood? Call a friend instead of eating a cookie; and then4. Either: Ease into your new reward – some habits are easier tochange by cutting them down slowly.5. Or: Make a hard change – others are more easier to dislodge with aquick decisive tug at the roots.N.B., You may not want to totally eliminate all your vices – and that’s OK! Ifthere’s something you enjoy – but know can get out of control –periodically abstain from it for a 30-day period to prove to it and yourselfthat you’re still the one driving.To Create Good Habits:1. Start Strongly – your motivation will never be higher than it is on day1 – start as you mean to go on;2. Set Yourself Up to Succeed – make friction your friend byeliminating as many barriers between you and your desired action aspossible;3. Think Addition, Not Subtraction – focus on what your new habit willadd to your life instead of worrying about what you’ll be losing;4. Make a Public Commitment – create your own peer pressure anduse it to steer you in the right direction;5. Find a Success Buddy – create accountability by checking in with acoach or success buddy on a frequent basis;6. Set up Some Competition – even the challenge of beating your ownstreaks and records can be enough to get you through a tough day;and7. Celebrate – training your brain is much like training a dog so don’tunderestimate the power of small, simple rewards for goodbehaviour.And remember: Change is hard, and that’s a good ct-summary/Page 9 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33Be patient with yourself, stick with it, don’t get distracted and stayfocussed on the simple but profound disciplines that lead to success.ACTION STEPS:Identify your three best habits you can learn from, three worst habitsyou need to stop and three new habits you want to start;Identify your core motivation;Practice designing concise, compelling and awe-inspiring goals.Chapter 4: MomentumConsistency and persistence are critical ingredients in compounding.But making active daily decisions and deliberately changing your habits ishard. It’s easy to fall off the wagon. And it’s precisely at moments likethese where momentum will give you an edge.You’ll recognise momentum when it feels weird not to do something that’sbecome a regular part of your day. It’s the gyro that keeps you uprightwhen you wobble. It’s the wind that lifts you over your hurdles.How can you create it? One powerful way is to master your dailyroutines. And the most important routines are ones at the start and theend of your day.As long as you control your mornings and evenings you know you canstart and end strong. And a strong start and finish are your best chance atconsistently winning.For practical guidance, I’ve written at length about morning routines hereand you can check out Darren’s own two-hour ritual below:5:00: Wake Up (8 mins)Reflect on three things I’m grateful -summary/Page 10 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33Visualise sending love to the people around me; andVisualise my number 1 goal and 3 actions to progress it.5:08 Get up (12 mins)5:20 Stretch (10 mins)5:30 Read (30 mins)6:00 Deep work (60 mins)7:00 Calibrate (15 mins)Review big picture goals; andSet 3 most important tasks for today.Darren’s evening routine is much simpler and follows three steps:1. Compare actuals with plan – Ask: How did today go compared tohow I thought it would go? Why?2. Reflect on new ideas and insights – Ask: What did I learn today?What can I use to make tomorrow better?3. Read 10 pages of an inspirational book – If you’re stuck for ideas,you’ll find plenty of suggestions here.An interesting point: If you notice something in your rituals that used toenergise you but is no longer generating powerful results, don’t be afraidto change up your routine. Your rituals are there to help you so don’t letrigid thinking get in the way of a good outcome.What next? With your daily rhythm in check, start focussing on yourweekly, monthly and quarterly rhythms. Darren suggests using a RhythmRegister to keep track of regular habits and actions. You’ll find a templateamong his free downloads and a similar system in TAoL’s TRACKTIONPlanner.Most important of all? Make your new habits and rituals sustainable.Going from couch potato to 8 miles a day, overnight is a guaranteed pathto burn out and injury. That inconsistency is very expensive. It takes a lotof energy to get a derailed train back on the ect-summary/Page 11 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33The same lesson goes for your routines. Sustainability leads toconsistency, consistency creates momentum and momentum makes iteasy to stick to your rhythm.In other words: be realistic and ease into your new lifestyle gradually.ACTION STEPS:Build your bookend evening and morning routines.List three areas of life where you’re not consistent enough. What hasthis cost you? Decide to be consistent from now on.Create a rhythm register and write down a half-dozen key behaviours.Chapter 5: InfluencesChange is a hard enough challenge without trying to paddle upstream.That’s why, one of the most important steps you can take to jumpstartyour success is to consciously tailor the information, associations andenvironment that you swim in.Take Control of InformationYour brain is an information processing machine: garbage in, garbage out.Darren’s solution? To change the quality of your thinking, change thequality of your inputs with these two fool-proof wins:1. Guard Against Garbage – Put yourself on a media diet and stopreading news; and2. Join Drive-Time U – Absorb audiobooks and courses wheneveryou’re hands free.Wherever you are, whatever you do, you are constantly bombarded ect-summary/Page 12 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33Make it your mission to replace as much of the hateful, harmful anddownright unhelpful sources as you can with healthy alternatives for awiser, happier existence.Take Control of Your AssociationsThe people you associate with (your “reference group”) determine asmuch as 95 per cent of your success or failure in life.First, take control of your friendships:1. Evaluate your current associations – Are you surrounded bypeople who love, support and inspire you? If not, why not?2. Visualise your ideal associations – If you could bring five imaginaryfriends to life, what or who would they be like?3. Weed out the worst ones completely – Where immediateelimination is hard, find ways to increasingly avoid or distanceyourself from bad actors.4. Consciously limit what’s left – When it comes to loved ones, qualityis far more important than quantity.5. Expand and replicate the best ones – Ask: Where do people like mybest friends hang out? How can I make more friends like these?Next, find yourself one or more peak-performance partners – peoplewho share the same goals, values and determination to become their bestselves as you do. Create a lasting bond of accountability with weekly callsand messages to hold each other accountable.Finally, cultivate and invest in mentors and advisers. “Never askadvice of someone with whom you wouldn’t want to trade places.” Andfor the best results, find ways to seek help and advice without making it abig time commitment for others. (N.B., mentorship can also be partly orcompletely indirect, through books and audio d-effect-summary/Page 13 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33Take Control of Your EnvironmentLast up on our checklist of influences is taking ruthless control of yourphysical and mental environment.Consciously take control of whatever surrounds you – physically,emotionally and mentally – including (/especially) the place and spacewhere you live. (Did you know, for example, that an additional 20 minutescommuting per day has the same negative effect on job satisfaction asreceiving a 19% pay cut?)Eliminate all the incomplete, poisonous clutter (both mental and physical)that you can from your life.And remember: “You will get in life what you accept and expect you areworthy of.”ACTION STEPS:Identify the influence of media and information on your life. Identifyways to protect it from negative and flush it with positive information.Evaluate your current associations. Which must you stop or limit?How will you expand your associations?Pick a peak performance partner and decide when, how often, whatto and how you’ll hold each other accountable.Identify three areas of life you are most focused on improving. Findand engage a mentor in each area of those areas.Chapter 6: AccelerationGiving a little more energy or your thought to your efforts won’t justimprove your results, it will multiply them.We all face moments of truth, or walls when it feels like there’s nothing leftto t-summary/Page 14 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33Approach these moments not as obstacles, but as opportunities.First, understand that it’s only after these walls that real growth happens.Everything up to the wall was just a warm-up.Second, know that everyone else is facing the same wall, and the vastmajority will give up, which is why the open plains success lies on theother side of it.Stand out from the crowd. Do the unexpected. Look for as manyopportunities to surprise and “WOW” others as you can with the level,speed and originality of your accomplishments as possible.Don’t just choose to meet expectations, choose to do better and thenchoose to do better than that.Take extraordinary action. Harness the compound effect. And you’ll findyourself well on the way to jumpstarting your income, your life and yoursuccess.ACTION STEPSIdentify times when you hit your moments of truth and commit topushing through them when you next get there.Find three areas in your life where you can do “extra” and make a planto do more.Identify three areas in your life where you can beat expectations thenplan where and how to create “wow” moments.Identify three ways you can do the unexpected. Where can youdifferentiate from what is common, normal or expected?Conclusion & Next StepsDarren Hardy’s Compound Effect is a powerful book with a simplemessage – disarmingly small choices remade consistently over time -summary/Page 15 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33to life-altering changes, and those forces can work for or against you.Darren offers a simple 6-step process to help turn the tides in your favour:1.2.3.4.5.6.Accept the power of compounding;Make and track conscious micro-choices;Foster positive and banish bad habits;Set up daily and weekly routines;Optimise your environment; andTake extraordinary action.Simple, but not easy – which is why The Compound Effect is filled withpractical actions and templates (many of which you can download for freefrom Darren’s website, here).But now the ball’s in your court and your choice is straightforward.You can leave this summary and continue your life as it is; you can sinkback into your comfortable flow; you can leave your choices to chanceand in 5, 10 or 15 years, you can reap the haphazard harvest that’s takenroot in the garden of your life.Or you can choose ONE thing that you’ve learned here today and takeaction; you can put your fate in the power of compounding; you can takeresponsibility for the forces that are shaping your future and you candecide to become more extraordinary.If you choose progress, you might want to check out TAoL’s TRACKTIONPlanner – a simple, no-nonsense productivity tool that gives you theclarity, focus and accountability you need to build new habits andaccomplish more of what matters each day.But in any case, thank you for stopping and I hope you enjoyed this booksummary of Darren Hardy’s Compound ect-summary/Page 16 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33Good luck, go well and be awesome.The Compound Effect ContentsThe Compound Effect as 6 main chapters 1.2.3.4.5.6.The Compound est The Compound Effect QuotesThese The Compound Effect quotes come from The Art of Living's evergrowing central library of thoughts, anecdotes, notes, and inspirationalquotes."You will never change your life until you change something you dodaily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine."- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better."- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"You alone are responsible for what you do, don’t do, or how yourespond to what’s done to you."- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"Small, Smart Choices Consistency Time ompound-effect-summary/Page 17 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"Forget about willpower. It's time for why-power. Your choices areonly meaningful when you connect them to your desires and dreams.The wisest and most motivating choices are the ones aligned withthat which you identify as your purpose, your core self, and yourhighest values. You've got to want something, and know why youwant it, or you'll end up giving up too easily."- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"It's not the big things that add up in the end; it's the hundreds,thousands, or millions of little things that separate the ordinary fromthe extraordinary."- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"The first step toward change is awareness. If you want to get fromwhere you are to where you want to be, you have to start bybecoming aware of the choices that lead you away from your desireddestination."- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"You make your choices, and then your choices make you."- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"The (Complete) Formula for Getting Lucky: Preparation (personalgrowth) Attitude (belief/mindset) Opportunity (a good thingcoming your way) Action (doing something about it) Luck"- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect"Seek out positive people who have achieved the success you wantto create in your own life. Remember the adage: “Never ask ct-summary/Page 18 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.33of someone with whom you wouldn’t want to trade places.”"- Darren Hardy, The Compound EffectThe Compound Effect PDF SummaryWant to save this The Compound Effect summary for later?Click the link below to get this whole summary as a handy FREE PDF.Get the latest FREE The Compound Effect PDF Summary Note: Direct link to PDF. No email required.Read More: 5 Books Like The Compound EffectEnjoyed this The Compound Effect summary? You might enjoy the restof the books on these lists of the Best Productivity Books and Best SelfHelp Books of all time.And in the meantime.Here are 5 top books like The Compound ect-summary/Page 19 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.331. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey (FREESummary)Powerful Lessons in Personal ChangeThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a perennial masterpiece onleading a happy, productive and purposeful existence and an unmissablestop for any pilgrim of personal improvement - by educator, author andspeaker, Stephen Covey.Published 1989 // 372 pages // Rated 4.1 over 624,500 reviews -effect-summary/Page 20 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.332. First Things First - Stephen R. Covey (FREE Summary)First Things First is an action-oriented time-management manual, filledwith frameworks and exercises to help you do more of what matters andless of what doesn't - by the author of the #1 book on this list, StephenCovey.Published 1993 // 384 pages // Rated 4.1 over 40,400 reviews -effect-summary/Page 21 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.333. Goals! - Brian Tracy (FREE Summary)How to Get Everything You Want Faster Than You Ever Thought PossibleGoals! was the first book I ever read on productivity and probably themost readable and complete guide to goal-setting ever written - by saleslegend and time-management master, Brian Tracy.Published 1989 // 291 pages // Rated 4.2 over 14,200 reviews -effect-summary/Page 22 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.334. The Effective Executive - Peter F. Drucker (FREE Summary)The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things DoneThe Effective Executive is THE timeless classic on leadership andmanagement; on getting the right things done - by the dean of businessand management philosophy, Peter F. Drucker.Published 1966 // 208 pages // Rated 4.1 over 32,700 reviews -effect-summary/Page 23 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.335. The Slight Edge - Jeff Olson (FREE Summary)Turning Simple Disciplines Into Massive Success & HappinessThe Slight Edge is a short, punchy, practical guide to the why, what andhow of using simple daily disciplines to achieve breakthrough success by serial entrepreneur, speaker and author, Jeff Olson.Published 2005 // 168 pages // Rated 4.3 over 21,900 reviews onGoodreadsWish There Was a Faster/Easier Way?Whenever you’re ready, here are four ways I can help you be moreproductive, find more balance and live life more on purpose mary/Page 24 of 25
The Compound Effect Summary - Darren Hardy #1 FREE Summary, Review, Quotes13/01/22 15.331. Curious? Discover how productive you really are Take this free,2-minute assessment to unlock your PQ and discover the top 25habits you need to get big things done. Take the 2-minute quiz 2. Overwhelmed? Get a free chapter of my book Let me show youhow to beat procrastination, permanently, with this free sneak peekinside TAoL’s ultimate productivity primer. Download your freechapter 3. Stuck? Grab a 90-Day TRACKTION Planner Get the toolthousands trust to help them take control of their time, master theirhabits and hit goals in every part of their lives. Order your 90-dayplanner 4. Burned out? Join the TRACKTION Community Take the 6-weekmasterclass, get weekly group coaching, find accountability partnersand connect with like-minded self-starters. Get started FREE Arthur WorsleyI founded TAoL to discover and share the best wisdom on how to live longand prosper. Before that I studied Psychology, Philosophy & Physiology atOxford and consulted at McKinsey. Still curious? Learn more or take myFREE productivity t-summary/Page 25 of 25
Note: This The Compound Effect summary is part of an ongoing project to summarise the Best Productivity Books and Best Self Help Books of all time. Contents 1. The Compound Effect Review 2. The Compound Effect Summary 3. Chapter 1: The Compound Effect 4. Chapter 2: Choices 6. Chapter 4: Momentum 7. Chapter 5: Influences 8. Chapter 6 .
