Rule #59 "Make Big Problems Tiny Pieces"
“Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.” -Descartes
In James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits” he drives home the point of focusing on small decisions that can lead to extraordinary outcomes. This is terribly powerful. Whether you are trying to learn a language, lose weight or play the guitar break the task down into small bite sized pieces. The effect of mastering these small incremental steps can be huge.
Daren Hardy makes the same point in his book “The Compound Effect.” A formula Hardy uses is as follows Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = Radical Difference
Check out this math:
Three guys decide they want to drop the spare tire. Let’s call them Frost, Perry and Baldwin.
Perry does nothing. He just complains and pretty much sticks to his normal lifestyle but gripes about being out of shape.
Frost starts making small almost unnoticeable changes. He reads 10 pages per day, listens to some educational podcasts and decides to cut 125 calories from his diet every day. He’s also going to up his daily steps by taking an after work walk.
Baldwin-First he has a kid. Then the wheels come off. This guy buys a big screen TV and installs a home bar complete with kegerator. He works for some retailer named after a river in the rain forest and buys snacks in bulk to store in his home bar.
At the end of five months, no perceivable differences exist between these three dudes.
Frost continues to read a little bit and listen to more podcasts including Texas Titans where the exceptionally talented interviewer Jason Wright talks to leaders across the Lone Star State and beyond.
Perry keeps on keepin on with no real change. He just gripes about losing hair instead of weight.
At the end of 10 months, we still can’t see noticeable changes in any of their lives. It’s not until we get to the end of the 18th months that the slightest differences are measurable in these three friend’s appearance. But about month twenty-five, we see and expansive difference. And, by month thirty, the change is startling. Baldwin is now fat while Frost is trim. By simply cutting 125 calories per day, in thirty-one months, Frost has lost thirty-three pounds! Perry is now bald and a little thicker around the mid section and as grumpy as ever. His daughter is adorable though. *This story is adapted from “The Compound Effect.”
The math-
31 months = 940 days
940 days x 125 calories/day = 117,500 calories
117,500 calories divided by 3500 calories per pound = 33.5 lbs! Boom!
Another great point I learned from author Greg McKeown in his book “Essentialism” is small moves early big moves late. This means the later we start something the bigger the moves will have to be to complete the task. Start a task early and you can make small, comfortable actions.
Give yourself time. Break things down in small pieces. Be consistent. The success will show up one day, but the small decisions along the way are what really matter.
You rule!
Ps.
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