Atomic Habits’ “1% Better Every Day”: Why I Show Up Daily and Still Feel Stuck

Atomic Habits’ “1% Better Every Day”: Why I Show Up Daily and Still Feel Stuck

I've been working out consistently, but the person in the mirror looks about the same.

I read, I study. But if you asked me how much my life or my results have actually improved, I couldn't really answer.

"I'm working pretty hard. But, why does it feel like nothing's changing?"

I've been thinking this a lot lately.

I work out every morning. I keep building and running MOAVO Habits. I keep doing what needs to be done. But when the change I was hoping for doesn't show up, it's frustrating.

Sometimes I can't tell if I'm actually doing well, or just staying busy in the same place.

That's when one idea comes to mind.

Get 1% better every day, and in a year you'll be about 37 times better.

At first, that was really encouraging.

Even if what I did today was small, it would add up to a big difference someday. But after applying it to my own life for a while, a question came up.

What exactly got 1% better?

Can I really say I grew 1% since yesterday just because I worked out today?

1. Where does "37 times better in a year" come from?

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, uses compound growth to explain what happens when small improvements add up over time.[1]

Start with a value of 1, and assume it goes up or down by 1% every day compared to the day before:

James Clear's math is correct.

But life doesn't improve at the same rate every day, climbing steadily like a formula.

Reading a book doesn't mean your knowledge grew by exactly 1%.

Working out doesn't make you 1% fitter every single day.

Some days go well, some days you need rest, and sometimes you need to change your approach.

So I've decided to take it as a simple reminder:

"Don't write off small efforts too quickly."

Missing a day doesn't erase everything you've done.

2. What to take from the British cycling story

One story James Clear often shares is about Dave Brailsford and British Cycling. The idea was to break performance down into small parts and find a little room for improvement in each one. It's called the "aggregation of marginal gains."[2]

What I found interesting was how carefully they looked beyond training, not just at the bikes, but even at things like how the riders slept.

Of course, the team's success can't be explained by this one approach alone.

But for me, a single question from the story turned out to be more useful than how many races they won: "What keeps making the thing I want to do harder than it needs to be?"

If you decide to read every day, start by putting the book somewhere you'll actually see it.

If you keep wasting time getting ready for your morning workout, look at what you could set out the night before.

Change one small thing in your environment at a time, and check whether it actually made things a little easier.

3. Logging it doesn't mean you grew that much

The best part of keeping a record in MOAVO Habits has been being able to look back at days that already passed.

Without a record, you remember things vaguely:

"I think I've been working out a bit lately?"

"I've been so busy with work, I probably skipped it?"

But when you jot down a quick note each day, you can look back at what you actually did, in much more detail. I also liked watching the dots build up on the calendar through the MOAVO Habits heatmap.

Even on days when I felt like I hadn't done much, looking back at my records made me think, "Well, I've still been putting in the work."

Whether you were consistent, and whether it actually helped. Those are two different questions.

If you put in the study hours but can't explain what you learned, it's time to change how you study.

If you're working hard on your business but the results aren't there, it's time to rethink your approach.

If you keep publishing blog posts and nobody responds, it's time to check whether your titles or topics are right.

Honestly, that last one is my story right now.

James Clear also explains that the feedback you get from tracking habits can help you adjust your direction.[3] So when I look at my records, I try not to just ask, "Should I keep going?" I also ask, "What should I change?"

4. Add one line next to "done"

A simple check mark already shows how often you did something.

Add one more line about what was going on, and you'll have something to learn from next time.

Something like this:

That's enough. You don't need a brilliant insight every day.

"Didn't go well again today. I was too tired after work."

Even a line like that can be useful later.

If you keep seeing entries like it, you can cut back the amount or move it to a different time.

5. This week, change just one thing

If there's something you want to overcome, or something you want to do consistently,

pick one thing you'd like to keep going like a habit.

Then think about a recent moment when you didn't do it, or when doing it felt uncomfortable.

• Did it take forever just to open the book?
• Did you plan to do too much?
• Did you keep putting it off because you never decided when?

Change just one of those things, and read back through your notes a few days later.

• Was it easier to get started than before?
• Did the change actually help?
• Will I keep doing it this way, or try something else?

You don't have to do more every day.

It's better to make the habit small enough that you can do it without pressure, even on busy days.

As for me, I still don't know what my efforts will turn into.

Building MOAVO Habits doesn't mean the business will take off on its own, and writing consistently doesn't mean readers will show up right away.

But when I keep a record, I at least have something to think with when deciding what to try next. And right now, that matters to me.

6. Log what you did today, and where you got stuck, in MOAVO Habits

I write a short habit journal in MOAVO Habits, the app I built.

I look back at the days I followed through using the dots on my calendar, and reread my notes to remember what was going on that day. You can also get comments from AVO, the AI coach. And starting with a paper notebook or your usual notes app is fine too.

Write down one line about what you did today, and which of the habits or tasks you meant to keep was hard.

When you read it again in a few days, you might spot one thing to change next time.

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References

1. James Clear, Continuous Improvement: How It Works and How to Master It. On small improvements and the math of compounding.
2. James Clear, This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here's What Happened. An excerpt from Atomic Habits on Brailsford and marginal gains.
3. James Clear, The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide. On tracking your habits and getting feedback.