It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. — James ClearÂ
1% Better Daily
In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear makes the argument that tiny improvements can yield big results. He offers the example of the 2003 British Cycling team. The coach, Dave Brailsford, was committed to the concept of aggregating marginal gains—in other words, improving lots of tiny things in small ways to lead to a huge overall improvement. For the cycling team, this meant not only redesigning bike seats and field testing fabrics to find which offered the least wind resistance, but also things showing the team how to wash their hands properly so that they would get sick less often and finding the best pillows so that they could sleep well. These tiny improvements led to 178 world championships and five Tour de France wins in ten years.
One Small Change
As writers, we often focus on big-picture things, like “the essay” or “the novel” as a whole. But every piece we write and everything we do before we approach the page impacts the output. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you taking your vitamins? Are you reading enough? Are you writing every day? Please do not take this to mean that you need to start doing all of these things every single day! Just begin by picking one small thing and doing it a little bit better. The reason that I’m offering a free 21-Day Writing Challenge is simply (and obviously) because this is a small habit that I know from experience can have a huge impact. When I play/write daily, warming up my mind with a creative prompt, I find that all of my writing improves, as does my flow of ideas. As with exercising any language, doing at least a little every day is the best practice.
Start 2021 Off Right!
If you like to join me and start 2021 off with a small new habit that could lead to big wins, simply sign up using the button below to join the free challenge! Starting January 4, you’ll receive a friendly note and the daily Bookflow writing prompt. You can also join our private Facebook group (The Creative Wave) to check in daily and receive the cheers you deserve.
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