Recent events sparked some new thoughts on a concept I introduced in a previous post.

Pay attention to the rules before engaging in the game. Intimately understand the system and identify the levers that achieve maximum impact.

I did not participate in the 28 February economic blackout:

• It’s the wrong tool for the intended impact. Halting spending for one day seems significant to the average person, but it’s a rounding error – a mere blip – on the Income Statements of the targeted large-cap, multinational companies currently in the crosshairs. These companies measure their finances quarterly, in lockstep with financial markets – they easily absorb a single-day financial hit.

• Going cold turkey never works anyway. Keeping the first bullet in mind, companies won’t even see the impact of a one-day sales drop if individuals switch back to regularly scheduled “spending” programs and merely shift planned blackout day purchases to the next day*. Abruptly halting all spending on a single day is not sustainable for the average consumer anyway, and the inevitable return to normal spending habits becomes a non-impact since those sales still appear on the same quarterly financial statement.

_{*We’ll ignore for now the rare instance where a blackout day falls on the last day of a fiscal quarter.}

If financial impact was the goal, a barrage of wooden arrows just shattered against tank armor.

If the goal is to stand in solidarity with a specific community or cause – great.

Unify.

Drive change.

I support the intent – just recognize the false lever and re-evaluate the strategy.

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So no, I did not participate in the Feb 28 economic blackout:

I did shop at local stores though – because I typically do anyway.

I still used my credit card sparingly – I always do anyway.

These two actions form the core of the normal spending habits I established over the past decade.

Looking to make an impact? I emphasized “normal spending habits” twice in this post for a reason. Incrementally alter daily habits, fiercely and resolutely guard that checking account, and allow the desired global impacts to become a side-effect of individual self-improvement.