We convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action. Whether it is losing weight, building a business, writing a book, winning a championship, or achieving any other goal, we put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about.
Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable- sometimes it isn’t even noticeable – but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for a year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.
We often dismiss small changes because they don’t seem to matter very much in the moment. If you save a little money now, you’re still not a millionaire. If you go to the gym three days in a row, you’re still out of shape.
We make a few changes, but the results never seem to come quickly and so we slide back into our previous routines.
But when we repeat 1 percent errors, day after day, by replicating poor decisions, duplicating, tiny mistakes, and rationalizing little excuses, our small choices compound into toxic results.
This is a small excerpt from one of my favorite books on habits, if you are interested, click here:
Habits make the difference between a normal person and a successful person, if you want to become more productive, learn to recognize bad habits and eliminate them, and learn to create good habits.
