When you’ve got decades to save for retirement, how should you begin?

It famously took J.R.R. Tolkien 17 years to write The Lord of the Rings, and Michelangelo four years to paint the Sistine Chapel.

The lesson? It takes time—for everyone—to reach their goals. That includes financial goals, like saving for retirement. But time also pays benefits for your retirement savings.

Your retirement may be a decade or more away, but starting today—even with the smallest of steps—makes a meaningful difference. Use these ideas to help.

First: Do you have a retirement savings plan through your employer—and are you enrolled?

Good news: 73% of workers have access to a retirement plan, typically a 401(k), through their employer. The not so good news? Six out of 10 people who are not contributing to those savings think they are, according to Principal^® research. Why the disconnect? If your workplace doesn’t auto enroll you when you start your job, you need to opt-in to participate.

What you can do: Check your status—and start contributing. There are three ways to do this:

1. Contact your HR department, if you have one.
2. Check your paystub. 401(k) contributions are typically listed as “additional deductions, 401k.”
3. Log in to your Principal account. On your dashboard, click the “401k account” card for details on your contributions.

Two more benefits to participating in your 401(k): Many employers match a certain percentage of your contributions. So, when you’re starting out, try to save at least enough to get the full employer match—it’s essentially like free money. And, contributions to a 401(k) are pre-tax (deducted from gross pay), helping to reduce taxable income. (You will eventually pay income taxes when you use the money in retirement.)

Next: No retirement savings plan through work? Open a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA

About 57 million people don’t have a retirement plan through their employer. If that’s you—or if you simply want to save more in another type of account—you have several options, including a traditional individual retirement account (IRA) or a Roth IRA.

Traditional IRAs are built with pre-tax dollars (just like 401(k)s), while Roth IRAs are built with post-tax dollars (you pay income tax now, not in retirement). Both accounts travel with you, no matter what job you have, so you can always contribute to them.

What you can do: If you’re just getting started, research which one—a Roth IRA or traditional IRA—makes the most sense right now. Check the minimum needed to open an account, and try to carve that out of your budget, either as a one-time, once-a-year contribution or with ongoing deposits. (Even small amounts add up.)

Every year: Slowly build savings over time.

What’s easier: Saving $10,000 in one year or over 10 years? For most people, it’s probably the latter. And that’s a good mindset to use when you approach retirement savings: Think incrementally, over time. For you, that might mean increasing your savings rate by 1% every year. Or, you might add a bonus or gifts to your IRA. The goal is simply to save a little bit more, every year, year over year.

What you can do: Check out how saving just 1% more a year affects total savings over time. Set a goal to work toward (generally, saving 10-15% of your income each year, if you can, is a best practice) and gradually make progress.

During big life changes: Periodically check on and consolidate your savings.

Over your lifetime, you’ll have about 12 jobs. That may mean you have some retirement accounts left at previous employers—they’re still yours, but perhaps information is out of date or their allocation doesn’t match your goals. Usually, you can consolidate them, either in your most current 401(k) plan (if it allows), or by rolling them into an IRA. (Log in to your Principal account to see if your plan permits rollovers.)

What you can do: Not sure how to complete a rollover? Use this information to get started; you’ll have to contact your current and past provider, so have those details ready.

At any time: Learn about yourself as an investor.

Ups or downs in the market don’t mean that you should stop saving for retirement, but they do mean it’s important to know how you feel about risk (and potential reward). If you’re not sure, start with this investor risk profile quiz (log in to your Principal account, then access the quiz).

What you can do: No need to understand all the terms that accompany investing—from appreciation to vested balance. Start with these basic investing terms to help build your vocabulary.

Through the years: Diversify how you’re saving.

After you tackle retirement savings basics, you may want to consider savings to help achieve specific goals. A 529 college savings account, for example, helps prioritize education funds. A health savings account (HSA) is a way to plan for health expenses (and can be used to pay for retirement, too).

What you can do: Financial goals change through the years—and that’s OK. As life’s demands change, you may increase saving in one account while holding steady in another. Take time to decide what’s most important each year.

But most importantly: Just start.

Many people might think saving isn’t for them—they don’t have the “right” income or can’t put an “ideal” amount away. But progress—and prioritizing your future retired self—comes in all forms. Do what you can, for as long as you can, and the benefits will build.