Progress

I get James Clear’s email every Thursday and sometimes the quotes in those emails stick with me. This week I kept turning this one over in my head: 

"The feeling of progress is one of the best feelings of all. This is true even when progress is small."

We often think progress needs to be big or fast to count. But there is much research out there that proves those notions false. Explore Mr. Clear’s body of work on continuous improvement here. Watch Stephen Duneier give his talk about marginal improvements here. Read One Percent Better by Brian Cain. The knowledge on the topic of progress is broad.

Let’s say you’re convinced that small, incremental progress is integral to feeling happy in your life. What are the steps you can use to put this insight into action? First, you need to decide what you want to make progress toward. This choice does not need to be monumental. You can just pick something you’d like to be better at or have more of in your life and go from there. A language you want to learn, a habit you want to build, a trip you want to prepare for, a relationship you’d like to improve. It doesn’t matter exactly what you choose, only that you do. 

Next, find ten minutes a day to spend on this little project you’ve got going. Sneak it in while you’re making dinner, driving to work or winding down at night. Set an alarm on your phone if you need help at first establishing the routine or setting aside the time. Consider habit stacking where you tie the new practice to something you already do.

The last step is recording your wins. Keep a written record. Start a note in your phone. You want to create a record of the progress you are making. At regular intervals, look back on your entries and see how far you’ve come. Bask in the glory of your fabulousness. 🙂

And there you have it. Three easy steps to tap into your desire to make every day count and to become your best self. 

Author Ben Short reminds us why the hard work is worth it:

"... looking at the work done and the work still to do, most people would have written the whole thing off as too much sweat for too little gain. But I didn't want an easy life. I wanted a beautiful one."

You’ve got this. Go create a beautiful life.