Small and Consistent Steps Lead to Big Results

 ‘Bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘I’ve been trying to top the class for a while now. But however hard I try I am not making any progress.’

'True,’ said Rinku. ‘Why can’t we get big results through smaller and more efficient efforts? Why is change so big and difficult? Isn’t there an easier way?’

‘You can,’ said Rakesh. ‘Ín fact, all big things are a result of tiny changes, made consistently. In his book ‘Atomic Habits’ author James Clear explains how a simple 1% change daily can lead to unbelievable results.’

‘Just a 1% change?’ asked Rinku. ‘How?’

‘Look at this example to understand how it works,’ said Rakesh. ‘The British cycling team didn’t win a single major title since 1908. In 2003, Dave Brailsford took over and introduced the idea of ‘aggregation of marginal gains’ wherein they broke down every aspect related to riding a bike and improved each by 1%. Seats, grips, fabric, massage gels, hand washing methods, pillows, mattresses - all things directly and indirectly affecting the process.  Over the next decade the British team won 178 world championships, 66 Olympic and Paralympic medals and five Tour de France Championships. The marginal gains added up and delivered astounding results.’

‘Wow,’ said Rahul. ‘So, if I pick my studies as my area to improve, how can I breakdown the system?’

‘Let’s figure,’ said Rinku. ‘Where we study, when, who with, how, the chair, table, light, posture, clothes, food, water, rest, distractions, routine. Even a 5 minute improvement works out to 30 more hours more study over the year.’

 ‘True,’ said Rakesh. ‘Gains can result as direct process improvement or by cutting losses. Mathematically, a 1% gain daily over 365 days translates to a phenomenal 37.78 times increase, while a 1% loss daily takes you down to almost zero over a year. That’s the impact a 1% change has over a year. The key however are small changes made consistently. Big and inconsistent changes will have no effect.’

‘Great,’ said Rahul. ‘My goal is to top the class in the coming exams. I’ll use this marginal gains technique to achieve it.’

 ‘I’d suggest you adopt a systems-focused approach rather than an outcome-focussed one,’ said Rakesh. ‘Clear says we don’t rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems. So keep your focus on small improvements in all the systems that affect your studies - and you’ll achieve way more than you can imagine. A bigger benefit of being systems-focussed is that you’re fully engaged, the process becomes highly enjoyable and every 1% gain is a win.’

‘Wow bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘That’s true. I’m starting right away.’

Pro Tip: To get significantly big results, incorporate tiny 1% changes in your systems and processes daily. These tiny gains aggregate into huge results over a period of time.

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