So, if we weer to power up every day, then do you think that there is a standard rate that we should use to power up as a rule of thumb to 'play it safe...'?

For a long time I've powered up everything that came in. This allowed me to grow my stake. However this only makes sense if you also use this stake, either by giving upvotes or by delegating it for a return.

When you power up small amounts, you won't realize immediately that you have more hive power. It's only after 100 Hive power that you can actually generate curation rewards. With small amounts of Hive Power it's important not to split the votes so that you can get curation rewards (each vote should carry at least 100 Hive Power). To get the first 100 Hive Power is by far the most difficult passage for people on this platform. Once you start to generate curation rewards, it's getting interesting.

This is a great website to look in real time how your account grows: https://hive.nuthman.com/