The 1% Rule: How to Get Better Every Day

Ever hear people say you should aim to get 1% better every day?

It sounds cliche to a lot of people at this point and I get that...

But that's because no one shows you HOW to do it...until now!

Cuz that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Lifestyle design and living the life you want is not about waking up one day and suddenly everything is awesome.

It’s about small, steady changes.

In our Design Mastermind, people are constantly shocked when we apply this to their lives and after just one month, they've totally exceeded their expectations on the progress for their goals.

Small wins --> Motivation --> Habits --> Discipline --> Success

Let’s break down how you can use the 1% rule to make a big difference in your life.

The Magic of 1%

First, let’s understand what this 1% rule is all about.

Improving by just 1% daily might seem tiny, but these small gains add up.

Imagine you’re climbing a mountain. Each step might be small, but each step gets you closer to the top.

But here’s the catch: many people don’t know how to put this into practice.

They hear "get 1% better" and think it's all about big changes. Spoiler alert: it’s not!

Common Mistakes

Here are a couple of common mistakes people make:

1. Miscalculating Time: People often calculate 1% based on 24 hours. But guess what? We need sleep!

So, we should calculate based on 16 waking hours.

That’s about 9.6 minutes, which we can round up to 10 minutes.

Just 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference.

2. Vague Goals: Having unclear goals is a big no-no.

For example, instead of saying, "I want to build a personal brand," be specific.

Say, "I want to increase my LinkedIn following by 50% in six months."

Clear goals are easier to tackle.

A Step-by-Step Guide

Alright, to avoid keeping this at cliche, let's put some rubber to the road and actually do this. If you want to watch me go through it, check out this video on my channel.

So let’s break down the 1% rule into a simple process:

1. Write Down Your Goal: Grab a pen and paper. Digital distractions can be tempting, so go old-school. Write down your goal(s) with a clear time frame (usually I recommend a week or a month).

2. Use the 25/5 Method to Prioritize: List 25 things you need to do to reach your goal. Then, narrow it down to the top 5 most important, urgent, and significant items. Focus on these top 5 tasks before anything else. This method helps you prioritize effectively and stay on track.

3. Identify Top Two Actions: From your top 5 tasks, pick the two most urgent, important actions. These are your big movers.

4. Break Actions into 10-Minute Tasks: Take those top actions and divide them into 10-minute tasks. Schedule these tasks daily. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in just 10 minutes.

5. Get an Accountability Buddy: Find a friend or a colleague to keep you accountable. Regular check-ins can boost your chances of success. And if you're married, you and your spouse can obviously work together on this.

A Real-Life Example

Let’s look at an example. Imagine you want to grow your LinkedIn following by 50%. Here’s how you could apply the steps:

• Write Down the Goal: "Increase LinkedIn following by 50% in six months."
• 25/5 Method: List 25 actions like reading a book on personal branding, updating your LinkedIn profile, posting daily, commenting on other posts, etc. Narrow the list down to the top 5 most important, urgent, and significant tasks.
• Top Two Actions: Maybe the top two are reading a personal branding book and updating your LinkedIn profile. Start with those before anything else.
• 10-Minute Tasks: Break it down. Spend 10 minutes a day reading the book and 10 minutes updating your profile.
• Accountability Buddy: Ask a friend to check in with you weekly about your progress and share a calendar invite so you both know its coming.

The Power of Small Wins

Small wins are powerful. They build momentum and turn into habits.

Even if you only make a tiny effort each day, it adds up.

Over a week, these minimal daily efforts can lead to significant improvement, way more than just 1%.

Improving by 1% every day isn’t just a motivational phrase. It’s a practical strategy.

Write down your goals, break them into tiny tasks, and stay accountable. Over time, these small steps lead to big changes.

So, grab a pen, jot down your goals, and start your journey to becoming 1% better every day.

And remember, it’s the small steps that get you to the top of the mountain. Keep climbing!

Using the 1% rule is like planting seeds.

Each small action is a seed that grows into something big over time.

So, take those 10 minutes each day and make them count.

You’ll be surprised at how far you can go!