Effective strategies for becoming 1% better each day

There’s a concept developed by author James Clear that I like to think about every day. The idea is simple to wrap your head around, and it’s something that can have a massive impact on you if it’s something you take to heart. By putting your efforts into becoming 1% better every day , it can make a massive difference in how you improve in the long run.

Clear wrote the book “Atomic Habits.” In it, he outlines ways you can begin building lasting habits by starting small and breaking bad habits that get in the way of our self-improvement. It’s a concept that I strive to embrace in my daily life because I recognize how powerful it can be. No matter the goal, if you break it down into smaller habits and repeat them, it’s the daily habits that can make you more successful.

One of the points Clear makes is that by focusing on becoming 1% better every day, by the same time next year, you’ll be 37 times better. That’s quite the motivation. And if it’s an idea that resonates with you, here are the strategies you can use to get there.

Set clear, attainable goals

What do you want to work on improving every day? That’s a personal decision, but because it’s so personal, you should make sure it’s something that you can set with clarity. The key is to know what you want to improve upon. From there, you can set specific, measurable goals to help you get to a larger goal down the road.

While I love to talk about business and leadership, keep in mind that personal goals can fit right into how you show up at work each day. If a goal is to improve your fitness and you’re making progress toward that goal daily, your mindset will change throughout your life. The key here is to make sure you know what those goals are and make plans to achieve them.

Think about it this way: if your goal is to eat five varieties of fruits and vegetables per day for two weeks, it can drive what you choose to eat every day. Before you know it, you could find yourself opting for an apple instead of a cookie to meet your daily goal. Clear objectives provide direction, and they are incredibly motivating as you meet those goals along the way. And those five fruits and veggies will feel a lot better of helping you meet a fitness goal than a cookie will.

Build healthier habits

Some habits can be a detriment to meeting your goals. For example, procrastinating, doom scrolling on social media , negative self-talk , and not getting enough sleep are negative habits that often are related to anxiety or fear. Fortunately, making small changes can begin to compound over time. If you can identify small habits to incorporate into your daily routine, it’s easier to stick with it for the long-term.

BJ Fogg is a researcher who runs the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University . His research focuses on how to change behaviors by making small changes and celebrating those small victories. In his 2012 TED Talk, he explains that the best way to change your behaviors for the long-term is to “design for the behaviors that lead to the outcome .”

As an example, Fogg says to focus on building tiny habits that will lead a long-term change. He explains that you need a trigger based upon what comes after your other habits. He uses this easy example: After I go to the bathroom, I will do two pushups. Then pat yourself on the back or do a dance. Before long, you may be doing 50 pushups per day, and it all happened because you focused on creating the habit.

Commit to learning something new every day

A great way to focus on becoming 1% better every day is to stay curious. There are simple ways to learn something new every day. One way is to commit to reading 10 pages of a book. Maybe you can spend 10 minutes listening to a TED Talk that interests you. It could be listening to a podcast on your way to work. James Clear even offers a MasterClass on building habits that stick.

Continuous learning keeps your mind sharp and opens you up to new ideas and new possibilities that you didn’t exist previously. And making those small commitments to reading, watching, or listening in a way that is low-stakes and attainable can go a long way toward expanding your mind.?

There are so many great ways that you can focus on daily learning. Whether it’s following TED Talks on YouTube, getting a library card, downloading podcasts, or using a learning platform like LinkedIn or Coursera , you can find any number of ways to increase your learning and challenge your knowledge.

Embrace positivity

To truly become better every day, you must frame every day in a positive way. As I mentioned above, many bad habits are born from a negative environment. Surrounding yourself with support and positive influences will help you build a positive mindset , which can help you handle stress and challenges easier. A positive mindset can also boost your motivation and keep you on track toward meeting your goals.

To focus on your positivity, make sure you’re connecting with the friends, family, mentors, and other communities that will support you and keep you uplifted. Reframe stressors like, “I’m swamped and overwhelmed” with phrases like, “I’m blessed with so many opportunities right now.”

I also encourage you to embrace any mistakes you may make and see them as opportunities to learn and grow. And the more you focus on the small changes you’re making every day, the more positive you’ll feel about what you’re doing. In fact, as James Clear mentions in his book, if you are only 1% better five days a week throughout the year, you’ll still get 10 times better by the end of the year. Don’t beat yourself up for taking a break or making a mistake. Staying positive can have massive results.

Celebrate small wins

In Fogg’s book, he suggests literally celebrating your small victories by cheering, “You’re awesome!” or doing a dance. And while it may sound silly, it has a huge impact on your success. Celebrating your wins is positive reinforcement, and that reinforcement helps keep your motivation high. Make these celebrations a reminder that you’re one step closer to your bigger goals.

After you’ve accomplished a task that meets even the smallest goals, tell yourself, “I did it!” Or say, “Way to go!” The more you celebrate learning something new today, doing those pushups, or swapping out those cookies for veggies, the more you’ll want to stay on track every day.

What has been a setback for you in the past? Often, we stop achieving when we feel we’ve gone off track. But a small win may be as simple as going for a short walk when you feel like laying on the couch. Those wins add up. Consider keeping a journal to see how far you’ve come. Or you may want to share those successes with a friend or mentor who will celebrate with you. Remember, you deserve to celebrate, because every celebration means you’re closer to that bigger goal.

Be consistent

The biggest challenge to becoming 1% better every day is to keep showing up. It literally takes consistency. Even on days when your motivation may be low, committing to taking small actions toward these goals gets you closer to achieving them.

The challenge is to focus every day on making progress. Remember why you’ve set the goals you have. Create the triggers that make you take action. Stay positive and keep celebrating. If you keep doing those things every day, that daily 1% will compound over time, simply because you chose to show up.

What will you do to improve yourself today?

What ideas do you have for becoming 1% better each day? If you focus on these simple strategies, the growth you’ll see by this time next year will remind you just how far you’ve come. It’s worth the effort as you look for new ways to grow and challenge yourself in business and in life.

Jim Allen is a business leader and entrepreneur who has built one of the top-producing real estate groups in the Triangle. He is President of The Jim Allen Group , which is consistently named one of the top real estate teams in North Carolina and even North America.