1% Rule : The Lazy Bastard Guide To Get Better Everyday
We all know that habit plays an important role in redesigning our lives. There might be one productive afternoon where we arrange some plans to start something, but once we go a quarter of the way, everything is slowing down (truth hurts : this is what happens to every New Year’s resolution, ordinarily lasts until February) — and eventually, all those plans just become the might-have-been ideas.
Why does this happen so often?
Most of us, are often obsessed with the big picture (the result of starting something), instead keeping an eye on the tiny progressive actions we create on a daily basis. Besides, getting trapped on the big picture captured in our head gets us paralyze into inaction.
James Clear, the Author of Atomic Habit once said : If you get one percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you are done. This is why small choices don’t make much of a difference at the time, but add up over the long-term.
Getting yourself 1% better everyday can be reading 3 pages of book, listening to 1 podcast, running for 15 mins — but, constantly doing it, daily. That’s also what he calls “The Art of Showing Up” where you train yourself to actually start, since you (us) are less likely to quit when doing something small and simple.
Consciously or unconsciously, every action you take is a kind of vote for the type of a person you want to become (or you believe you are). Therefore, you need to master the right acts/habit to cast vote for the person you are desired to be. Doing 1 minute plank won’t make you having those 6 packs overnight, instead it creates the identity of someone who has a consistency in working out.
Once you are get used to the habit you build and you’re begin to adopt ‘that identity’ within you, you’ll act in an alignment with the type of a person you already see in yourself. All these things will make it easier for you to show up each day, because you’ve changed the internal story.
“Every action you take is like a vote for the type of person that you want to become or the type of person that you believe that you are, and so the more that you perform these little habits, whether it’s reading one page, or writing one sentence, or…meditating for 60 seconds, the more you reinforce, you provide evidence, you cast a vote for that identity of being a reader, or being a writer, or being a meditator.” — James Clear
Yes, small progress and improving yourself 1% everyday won’t make it headlines overnight — #sorrynotsorry but you need to reject the idea of creating something/changing your life quickly. In point of fact, small differences in our performance can lead us to the remarkable distributions if we practice it consistently.
Bear in mind that the cost of good habit is in the present; the cost of bad habit is in the future.
Thank you!
I appreciate you taking time to read this — hope this is helpful and insightful. Feel free to leave some comments/feedbacks! ❤️
