The 1% Rule (Continuous Improvement)
habits · easy · Varies — the improvement is marginal, built into existing activities
What is The 1% Rule (Continuous Improvement)?
Aim for just 1% improvement each day rather than dramatic overnight change. Compound growth means 1% daily improvement yields 37x improvement over a year.
Is there evidence for it?
EVIDENCEmoderate
How do you do The 1% Rule (Continuous Improvement)?
- 1.Identify one specific skill or area you want to improve
- 2.Each day, find one small way to be slightly better than yesterday — even marginally
- 3.Focus on systems and processes rather than outcomes or goals
- 4.Track your micro-improvements in a journal or log
- 5.Celebrate the process, not just results — identity-based change ('I am a person who...') is more durable than outcome-based change
How long does it take?
Varies — the improvement is marginal, built into existing activities.
Is it hard to start?
easy.
> how Shift handles habits and addiction
Source: James Clear (Atomic Habits, 2018). Inspired by British Cycling's 'aggregation of marginal gains' under Dave Brailsford. Mathematical basis: 1.01^365 = 37.78.
compound-growth · marginal-gains · systems · identity · long-term · kaizen
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