I’m reading a great book called Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s nothing related explicitly to physics (although physics offers many case studies of why and how things work successfully). The word ‘atom’ suggests ‘the smallest unit,’ and the secret is to improve each process element.
The book's premise is clear and straightforward: If you change/improve your habits by 1% daily, the compound effect yields a 37% increase over a year. I’ll leave James Clear to explain the mathematics if you read the book.
The book cites several fascinating case studies on progress made through tiny changes. For me, the most startling case study was hiring David Brailsford as Performance Director at Team Sky Cycling in 2003.
At this stage, the UK had won just one gold medal in the last 100 years, but subsequently, 60% of the gold medals in the Beijing 2008 Olympics were won by the UK, followed by nine Olympic records and seven world records in London 2012. As if that wasn’t enough, three UK riders have recently won five Tours de France. If that is not evidence of significant improvement in a particular field, then I don’t know what is.
How was this achieved? Sir David Brailsford calls it the aggregation of marginal gains. Effectively, you look at what you do, break it down into small pieces, and see how you can improve each item. He deconstructed the bicycle, looked at every element of each rider in the team, and looked for a 1% improvement in everything. Over time, the compound interest is startling.
There was a famous incident with the French cycling team when it was announced that the UK team had rounder wheels (the UK team had bought wheels from a French supplier).
So, what does this mean for me/you?
I have some bad habits as a businessman. I didn’t like bookkeeping or accountancy, but I knew that I had to do it. So, instead of leaving essential documents in envelopes collecting dust, I’ve systematised my process. I have box ledgers for each company and plastic folders for categorised inputs. I’m putting items in date order, and I’ve started a diary of events, payments, and confirmations. I annotate documents with notes and actions to keep track of progress.
What does that mean for your communication skills?
Imagine knowing the techniques to bring you the success and peace of mind you crave. What if you could improve the overall technique and delivery in one huge chunk, and then build on that exponentially in the coming years? It might be the best investment you ever make. That was Warren Buffett’s best investment as a young man.
Why is that important?
Well, generally, I’m busy as a trainer and so focused on my classes and clients. But when year-end approaches, I go into cold panic trying to find the documents and evidence of payments, and my relationship with my accountant has strained over many years because of my lack of due diligence.
So, in 2019, I am determined to make small, incremental, positive changes that, in the next five years at least, will have a profound impact on professional success and personal fulfilment.
