I know we all feel that SN is crawling at a snail’s pace these days, but if we zoom out, we’ll notice that posts here normally have a lifespan of 1, at most 2, days. So, objectively speaking, its half-life is rather short.

This is an impression compounded by Daily Rewards. Every day at 1pm (or the equivalent timing in your time zone), the payouts are distributed and it’s off to another fresh start to grab a share of tomorrow’s pie.

We, therefore, are conditioned to think that if we don’t get many zaps within 24 hours, our posts cannot be considered to have done well. We sigh, assuming that our efforts to disseminate wisdom via impactful posts have gone down the drain.

I got reminded of something when I received a FB message from a stranger yesterday. I had posted some ChatGPT-related insights on setting comprehension passages for examinations on a FB page connecting Singapore teachers from primary to pre-tertiary levels last year. This lady came across my post recently when she was researching for ideas on how to set comprehension passages. Apparently, my post helped her a bit.

While instant gratification is a desirable outcome of participating in SN, it would do me good to remember the adage: Good things take time. Just because an article doesn’t make a lot of zaps or inspire many comments doesn’t mean that someone won’t find it useful in the future. I have got to take a longer trajectory and believe that my writings are evergreen stores of value. In fact, there is a Chinese saying that goes 前人种树后人乘凉 （qian ren zhong shu huo ren cheng liang). Warren Buffett must have known this proverb because he is attributed to have said the English translation:

So, don’t be disheartened by the lack of sats. Impact just takes a longer time to germinate and bloom, that’s all.