Skip to main content
The Incentives Lab
HBT-TIM-0001 · Dimension TIM · Time

Compounding

Small advantages, applied consistently, become uncatchable.

Systems·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Small advantages, applied consistently, become uncatchable.

Plain-English Definition

Small advantages, applied consistently, become uncatchable.

Feynman Explanation

Boring discipline beats brilliant inconsistency. Always.

Core Principle

Small advantages, applied consistently, become uncatchable.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Small advantages, applied consistently, become uncatchable.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Talent, learning, brand, and reputation strategy.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Boring discipline beats brilliant inconsistency. Always.

Examples

Everyday
  • 1% better every day = 37x better in a year.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Talent, learning, brand, and reputation strategy.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Design for consistency over heroics. Measure rate-of-improvement.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Talent, learning, brand, and reputation strategy.
Amplifying Incentives
Talent, learning, brand, and reputation strategy.
Org Failure Modes
Talent, learning, brand, and reputation strategy.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Design for consistency over heroics. Measure rate-of-improvement.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Design for consistency over heroics. Measure rate-of-improvement.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Design for consistency over heroics. Measure rate-of-improvement.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-TIM-0001 · TIM
Compounding
CoMVMaker vs. Manager TimePDPath DependenceTBTime BlockingDRDiscount RateFSFuture Self ContinuityHaHabitKHKeystone HabitQDQuasi-Hyperbolic (β-…RSRepresentational Sys…RHRepresentativeness H…

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.