The imperfect habits of a long-term investor

British author and journalist Oliver Burkeman writes about the art of “imperfectionism” in an age which actively promotes the opposite. Our culture of constant optimisation can be costly - not only for our wallets, but also for our wellbeing. 

Whether it’s pressure from our social circles, or from curated highlight reels of people’s ‘lives’ online, we’re all relentlessly encouraged to be “glowing up” or drastically reinventing ourselves.

Of course, every individual is different – what motivates one person won’t motivate another. But Burkeman argues that “fresh-startism” is a form of perfectionism, and “the solution is to stop being such a perfectionist - to resign yourself to the fact that things probably won't unfold as flawlessly as you’d hoped”.

The first time you read this, it might sit uncomfortably, as it did with me, but there’s something liberating in that statement. It means shifting our focus away from big transformations and towards small actions.

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It doesn’t mean passively accepting circumstances, or accepting the worst version of ourselves. It means embracing the fact that our progress in any area of our lives may be bumpy. And this could prove more sustainable for the long term. This perspective shift could help us instil a more habitual approach to reaching our financial goals and building long-term financial confidence.

‘Where can I live from this place today’?

In Burkeman’s concept of “starting from sanity”, rather than operating from an arbitrary “clean slate” which may never arrive, he encourages us to shift away from grand visions of our goals to bite-sized questions such as: “What’s one tiny imperfect way where I can live from this place today?”

So, if your goal is to build financial resilience for you and your family, or if it’s more specific such as dreaming of becoming an ISA or SIPP millionaire, what’s one way you can live from that place today?

Show up, and then keep showing up

Perfectionism can cause delay. We wait for the “perfect time”, or we avoid putting ourselves in positions where we feel there may be a loss of control. Investing in the markets must be suitable for an individual’s stage of life, financial situation, and tolerance for risk. But if it is right for you, it can help grow your money more effectively than cash savings over time (the FCA’s InvestSmart Campaign outlines some key questions to ask yourself before embarking on an investment journey).

Investing is about long-term discipline. Taking more inspiration from Burkeman here - in many ways, continuing to show up, even if things don’t always go as planned, is far less brittle than expecting perfection. In fact, it’s much more resilient.

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Becoming a successful investor for many of us may mean committing to a steady little-but-often approach. Does committing to this approach mean a perfect journey? Nope. But staying the course, and celebrating the small wins, makes for a much more rewarding experience.

Contrary to “optimisation culture”, which encourages us to optimise everything - when it comes investing, you can do it steadily over time. This means you don’t need to be putting huge lump sums away to generate wealth, or be shooting for “quick wins.”

Rather, regular investing can be your most powerful ally, regardless of how much you can afford to tuck away each month. Even better - small or modest contributions can make a big difference over time thanks to the magic of compounding, meaning you’re effortlessly reinvesting any interest to your accrued sum, earning interest on this too, which creates a snowball effect over time. Investment behaviour like this is habitual, and can pay off over the long term, but only if you stick with it.

Understanding our limits and focusing on what we can control

Understanding our limits is another core pillar of Burkeman’s writing. Again, this feels uninspiring when you first look at it, but it can be a brilliant way of overcoming barriers between you and your goals. Again, it forces us to shift away from unrealistic expectations and focus on the controllables.

Our recent research* shows that many UK adults have a negative view of investing for the future, with one quarter of respondents saying that it feels risky, and they’re worried about losing money.

Accepting our limitations within the context of investing in the markets means acknowledging that none of us have a crystal ball. We cannot control the day-to-day movements of markets which are inherently choppy. But habitually, we can commit to things which can help over the long term.

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We must be prepared for our short-term emotional reactions to volatile markets; we are human. Nevertheless, we can choose to keep showing up. Going back to the habit of regular investing, for example – through this, you’re drip-feeding money into the stock market, helping to smooth out this volatility, while building a healthy investing habit that may not be perfect, but is sustainably heading towards those long-term financial goals.

We can also focus on other controllables, such as spreading our risk. Practically, this means investing in a range of sectors, regions, and asset classes – i.e. not putting all our eggs in one basket. Other simple tasks within our remit include: making the time to check where we’re invested, and trying new tools or reading new insights to expand our knowledge. But we don’t need to do it all at once. And we don’t need to do it perfectly.

Why not share your investment habits, experiences, and goals with other like-minded investors on interactive investor’s ii Community?

* 2026: Censuswide survey on behalf of interactive investor - 1,000 UK adults (18+) who hold investment products including S&S ISAs with a balance of at least £20,000, survey in field from 16 January to 20 January 2026.