Improving just 1% on a consistent basis can lead to enormous improvements and, over time, can make a big difference to our success. It is called the principle of “aggregated marginal gains” and consists of the idea that if only 1% is constantly improved, those small gains will translate into a significant improvement. The key is that every small effort of the 1% may not change the outcome on its own, but collectively it can. Over time, the 1% compound improvements and the sum of all the 1% improvements can be a much greater advantage.
Marginal gains, which are sometimes used interchangeably with the 1 percent rule, refer to small incremental improvements in any process. My observation is that the 1 percent rule seems to work much better when applied as small changes in many different aspects of a larger goal. I decided to apply this 1% rule to my personal growth and to my health and fitness, and I've seen that compound effect that James explains. Another way to apply it is to choose something you want to excel at or become an expert at, and increase your efforts by 1% every day.
You can create a more meaningful life by applying the 1 percent rule to live your personal values every day. I know that it's not realistic to try to adopt all habits, all the daily rituals, all things at once, but rather I focus on progress, a progress of 1% every day. When you first start out, instead of trying to achieve a 1% improvement every day, you can commit to the first 1%. On the contrary, if you get 1% worse every day, your ability will have dropped to almost nothing by the end of the year.
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