James Clear

If you get 1% worse, 0.99 to the 365th power, then you drive yourself almost all the way down to zero.

Zero.

Yeah.

Look, real life is not exactly like a mathematical equation.

Your habits are not exactly like this formula.

But I do think that it highlights an important concept, which is the difference between making a choice that's 1% better or 1% worse on any given day

is relatively insignificant.

It's very easy to dismiss.

And this is, I think, one of the things that makes it underappreciated or underestimated.

You know, like, what is the difference between eating a burger and fries for lunch today or eating a salad or, you know, going to the gym for 30 minutes or not?

Well, on any given day, not a whole lot.

You know, your body looks the same in the mirror at the end of the night.

Scale hasn't really changed.

It's only two or five or 10 years later that you turn around.

You're like, oh, you know, those daily choices really do add up.

And I think you see this pattern again and again throughout life.

Like take knowledge, for example, the person who always reads for an extra 10 minutes each day.

Well, look, reading for 10 minutes a day does not make you a genius, right?

It's very easy to dismiss.

But the person who always does that over five or 10 or 20 years, yeah, really meaningful difference in wisdom and insight.