Work in the "slight edge summer" and avoid "slight edge winter"

Either your habits are compounding forward (summer) or backward (winter) — neutral doesn’t exist.

Why it works

Olson uses the seasons metaphor to make the directionality of compounding vivid: a habit that is consistently practiced is in summer — building compounding returns. A habit that is regularly neglected is in winter — compounding in the wrong direction. The key insight is that there is no stable neutral: even skipping a behavior has compounding consequences over time. This binary framing removes the comfort of "I’ll get back to it."

How to do it

1. For each key habit, ask: "Is this in summer or winter right now?" Be honest.
2. Any habit in winter gets one decision: return it to summer today, or consciously decide to let it go.
3. Don’t carry habits in winter indefinitely — they erode self-trust as much as they erode the skill.

Evidence

Habit decay and re-formation are real behavioral phenomena — interruptions slow automaticity. The seasonal metaphor is Olson’s framing; the underlying behavioral concept of compounding in either direction is consistent with habit science. (mechanistic)

The binary "summer/winter" framing is motivational and useful but oversimplifies reality — habits can be dormant without actively compounding negatively in all domains.

Common mistake

Allowing a habit to stay in extended "winter" without deciding consciously — it drifts, taking self-trust with it, rather than either reviving or being actively dropped.