0.01%

Things that are easy to do and easy to repeat rarely lead to meaningful results. Think about it: doomscrolling, binge-watching, drinking—they’re all effortless, endlessly repeatable, and give us instant feedback loops. Yet they never make us feel like we’re progressing. The easier the habit, the faster it traps us.

In contrast, meaningful outcomes often come from simple things most people know but few practise. Exercise, saving and investing, developing a craft—none are complicated, yet few do them consistently enough to see results. Why is that?

The main reason is impatience. When we don’t see the feedback loop straight away, we lose our attention. It’s far easier to open social media and feel entertained instantly than to go running and wait months—or even years—to see the physical change.

While we can’t control how long it takes to see results, we can choose where to place our attention. Instead of waiting for a fit of our jeans—feedback that takes time—why not track our daily weight, running distance, the streak of days we run?

For me, seeing the scale drop by even 0.01% is enough progress to run again tomorrow. I know I’m moving forward, no matter how small the win. After all, a small win beats a big loss any day.