The 1% Rule

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The following image showcases a powerful concept that states that if you strive to improve your work with only 1% every day, you will make considerable improvements in a year, as compared to staying the same – which doesn’t change anything, or in a more pessimist scenario, performing worse each day.

If you get one percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Source

This is the concept of continuous improvement – dedication to making small changes and improvements every day, with the expectation that those small improvements will add up to something significant. Focusing on taking little steps towards your goal in a consistent fashion is the most efficient way of getting good at something. It also has the advantage of removing burnout, frustration, and failure.

Some steps that can aid in the process are:

  1. Do more of what already works. Start with what you have, and identify one area that you can work on to improve. For example, let’s suppose that you wanted to read a certain book, but never found time. Start small, try reading one page. Tomorrow maybe try two pages. And so on, until you find a comfortable reading and understanding pace that you can keep up with.
  2. Avoid tiny losses. Eliminate mistakes, reduce complexity, and stripe away the inessential. For example, if your goal is to improve your mathematical skills, pay attention to the theory, practice with more examples, and repeat the concepts over time.
  3. Measure backward. While being focused on future goals, we often forget to take a look back on the progress that we just made. Therefore you should keep a log or a journal tracking your steps. For example, while working out, you can see that if last week you were able to easily squat with 17.5kg, this week you can push for 20kg. Or if your goal is to lose weight, from your calorie tracker you can see that you ate 2,400 calories on average last week, therefore this week strive for 2,300 calories.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works best for your goals. After overcoming the mental barrier and making this a habit, you can start being more creative and having fun with the process.

Source – abridged and adapted (Continuous Improvement: How It Works and How to Master It, James Clear)