I recently read this blog post by James Altucher regarding his version of the 1% Rule. The idea is that you can’t become a master in one day. It takes time to build skills and get to the level you want.

The key is to have small improvements day after day because the work you do compounds over time. If you have 1% improvement every day, it doubles every 72 days. In an uncanny coincidence, I just completed my 72nd post on 200WAD. Based on the 1% rule, I should be at least at double the writing skill I had when I started. It is difficult to quantify writing skill, but I certainly feel differently about writing after taking on this challenge to write every day. It feels like a real habit now. It has become automatic.

Thinking about doing something is fine, but that’s just thinking. Deciding to do something is fine, but still nothing has happened. The bottom line is taking action. Action is what matters. 

And every day is important. Each day you miss, you lose that day’s accumulation toward the compounding effect of the 1%. Worse yet, as James points out, if you go long enough you start to lose 1% per day. The compounding effect is just as powerful on the way down as it is going up.

Stop worrying about how long it’s taking. Focus on today and take 1% action today. Then take 1% action tomorrow. Make it 72 days in a row and your performance will be double where you started.

But you have to start by taking ACTION.