The 1% Rule and How Marginal Daily Gains Will Change Your Life

"Most people overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a month. We overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade." ~Mathew Kelly "The Long View."

As healthcare professionals, it is essential to prioritize personal growth to provide better patient care; that should be our primary focus in business. Our patients may not be coming to us consciously because they seek a life change or a spiritual awakening. But that may be what they need to heal from the physical maladies that brought them into our office.

I have learned over the years that if you aren't walking your talk, meaning that if you aren't trying to improve your life, then your patients would put forth the effort to heal themselves. And this translates to that if you aren't getting off your ass, you will have to work that much harder to get your patients off their ass to make your job easier!

For me, this really becomes that I don't give a damn what you SAY you do. I want to know what you do and are willing to do, and my patients are the same.

After you realize that you have to get off your butt and become a better doctor and person, the question becomes, how do I make the changes, and how do I become the person who can lead my patients to health?

One of the most effective strategies for effecting personal growth and change is the 1% Better Rule. The premise behind this rule is that you can achieve large-scale results over time by making a small, incremental change every day. In other words, by making a 1% improvement in any area of your life daily, you can achieve a 37x improvement at the end of the year.

The math game and thought process are relatively simple; you start as a whole 1, and if you increase just .01 (1%) every day at the end of the year, you have moved 37 times bigger than your original 1.

(1.01)^365 = 37.78

However, if you do nothing and stay the same, remaining at 1.00, then nothing changes!

(1.00)^365 = 1.

Now the worst is when entropy and atrophy start to take hold in life; when you actually regress daily 1 percent worse

i.e. (sit on the couch, eat fast food, negative self-talk, etc.), the math will look something like

(1-.01)^365 = (.99)^365 = .025

You would be a shadow of your former self! This is how you can see some people's lives completely unravel in a year.

In "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones," James Clear presents a comprehensive guide to habit formation and personal growth. Building on the idea that small, consistent changes can lead to significant long-term results, Clear provides practical strategies and insights to help readers develop positive habits and eliminate negative ones. He introduces the concept of "atomic habits," which are tiny, incremental adjustments that, when compounded over time, can result in substantial transformations. The book focuses on four fundamental laws of behavior change—make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying—that enable readers to implement and maintain lasting habits. Clear combines engaging storytelling with actionable advice, drawing on scientific research and real-life examples to illustrate the power of atomic habits in fostering personal and professional success. "Atomic Habits" is essential for anyone seeking a systematic approach to habit formation and lasting self-improvement.

In his groundbreaking book, "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business," Charles Duhigg delves into the science behind habits and how they shape our lives. By exploring the psychology and neuroscience underpinning these automatic behaviors, Duhigg explains the crucial role habits play in our daily lives, from personal routines to workplace efficiency. Central to his analysis is the habit loop, a three-step process consisting of a cue, a routine, and a reward. Duhigg argues that understanding this loop can effectively break bad habits and cultivate new, positive ones to drive personal growth and success. Throughout the book, he shares compelling case studies and anecdotes to illustrate the transformative power of habits, emphasizing the importance of harnessing this power to create lasting change. "The Power of Habit" is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the mechanisms behind our daily actions and looking to develop strategies for implementing positive, sustainable habits in their personal and professional lives.

These are two of the best books I have ever read about making things a habit. At heart, they both talk about the premise of small actions done daily and how they can change your life, and I highly recommend reading both!

Let's discuss what this means for us as AK docs and Chiropractors.

The Science Behind the 1% Better Rule

The concept of the 1% rule is rooted in the idea of marginal gains, which posits that making minor, incremental improvements in various aspects of your life can lead to significant overall progress over time. This is primarily due to the compound effect, where the accumulation of minor improvements results in exponential growth. For example, if you were to improve by just 1% each day over a year, you would be 37 times better than when you started. In personal growth, this compounding of daily progress builds momentum and has psychological benefits. Achieving small wins consistently boosts your self-confidence and motivation, making you more likely to continue to strive for growth. By understanding the science behind the 1% rule, you'll be better equipped to harness its power and transform your life in a meaningful and sustainable way.

The Concept of Marginal Gains

Marginal gain is a principle that focuses on making minor, incremental improvements in different aspects of your life or performance, believing that these minor enhancements will accumulate and lead to significant overall progress. This concept was popularized in sports by Sir Dave Brailsford, the former performance director of British Cycling, who demonstrated its effectiveness by transforming the British cycling team into a dominant force. The idea is to identify areas where you can make tiny improvements and consistently work on them. Over time, these seemingly insignificant adjustments can synergize and contribute to substantial positive change. By embracing the concept of marginal gains and applying it to your daily life, you can harness the power of minor progressions to achieve your long-term goals and unlock your full potential.

How do I implement this in my life!

Daily life can get hectic and crazy; I get it! This is the beauty of small incremental changes. For me, it's as simple as adding one little habit or a new technique I learned or studied over the weekend to my daily and weekly practice. Personally, when I am healthy and doing what I need to do, I take care of myself first thing in the morning. I have an 8-stage micro-habit that I take care of before I go to the office!

I break it into daily habits for Body - Fitness, Fuel, Being - Meditation Journal, Meditating - Balance - Wife and Kids.

THEN I move on to my business by learning and teaching something after I have taken care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

These are becoming Identity-based habits, which means they are becoming part of who I am, not just what I do on autopilot. Just like muscle testing is part of my Identity, I had to make it an identity-based habit to become part of my DNA of who I am and what I do.

How do you become one of the masters of habit and make Applied Kinesiology part of your Identity-based habits?

Shockingly enough, it doesn't take that much, just small daily habits and a natural curiosity to ask, "Why is that"

So here is your call to action:

Take a topic from your notes or books on Applied Kinesiology or Chiropractic

Read everything about that topic from EVERY source you can find

AK Books, Physiology Books, Websites, The writings of Goodheart you can get from the ICAK, etc.

Write out your own note on the topic.

Then test every person for it, and if they have it fix it. See if what you found is the same as the sources you used.

Do this every day for at least a week with that one topic. I guarantee that you do this repeatedly with everything in your life; you will become one of the masters of habit!