RazzWorks

Razz’s 1% concept

I’m going to begin by explaining the 1% concept as this will be key to everything else we talk about. Razz’s 1% concept is about doing 1% more and/or 1% better today. For this post, I’ll focus on the 1% more as it can be difficult when you already feel overworked and stressed. Some would tell you how to get motivated first but motivation comes from doing. So first we’ll cover that one small thing to get us going.

Step 1. Begin

This is the hardest stage and the one that I procrastinate on. I don’t need to discuss what the project is or should be since we all have things we want or need to do all the time. Just pick something. Preferably a pretty easy task. As an example, I’ll use one that I do frequently and that is ‘craft project’. I like to do all kinds of crafts especially to give as gifts. It doesn’t matter what it is, getting started can take a bit of a push for me.

That’s when Razz starts coaching me to use the 1% concept. Offering me suggestions on how I can get started and stressing how tiny the tasks can be. And finally, I get started.

Step 2. Do something

Even if I’m not sure exactly what craft I’m going to make I can usually at least choose a medium i.e. wood project, painting, crochet, etc… That’s all I need to know to ‘do something’. In this case, I’ve decided I’m doing a crochet project. Not sure what I’m making yet but I can still do something like getting out my crochet kit and put it where I can see it and get to it easily. If that was too easy then I can go online to my Pinterest account and choose something to make.

That’s enough for today. I did something and that’s all that’s required. I actually overachieved because I did two steps by choosing my project. That’s my 1% for today. I realize there’s really no way to measure how much of the project I’ve completed. 1% is an arbitrary number meant to represent a small task. Can I finish my project in 100 days if I do one small task per day? Probably, so it might not be far off in this case and it doesn’t really matter.

The point is to do something, anything, just find a small step to take today. If you feel like doing more that’s great! You’ve motivated yourself with one tiny action. Way to go you!

But wait! So you did one little thing, now what? One task doesn’t get you far if you don’t continue, which brings us to step 3.

Step 3. Consistency

Now comes the challenge. This will take some willpower but you can do it. It’s really very simple. Just repeat step 2 every day – do something! The tasks or actions you take can be big or small, easy or complicated, it’s up to you.

What kind of day are you having? On a good day, you can choose to do more or do a more difficult part of the project. On a bad or busy day, however, this system allows you to still be productive, complete your one small task, and feel good about yourself for sticking to it.

Now don’t go beating yourself up because you only did a tiny action. That’s not how this system works. You did a task, you’re done for today, it’s that simple. Remember it is the 1% concept, not a race to the finish. I’ll give you an example.

Maybe your project is sorting your paperwork. We all have to do this from time to time. On day 1 you decided to do it. Is that 1% of the project? Honestly, I think it’s way bigger than 1% so that’s it for the first day.

Day 2 you’re still not pumped about this project. Besides, you’re tired and you’ve got tons of other stuff to do. OK, so on day 2 you gather together all the papers hanging around on your desk, table, coffee table, top of the fridge, and anywhere else you normally toss them. It might be sort of a big job but it’s not difficult and shouldn’t take long. Don’t do any sorting yet or throw anything out. Gathering the papers is enough for today. You’ve done your 1%.

Tomorrow you can start sorting the papers and then keep picking at it every day until it’s done. We have a method we use for sorting paperwork which I’ll write about in a future post. For now, you simply focus on doing something every day.

It’s up to you if every day means 7 days a week like Razz does; 6, like I do since I take Sundays off; or just weekdays. But a word of warning. Taking even a single day off can make it harder to stick to the system. So it might be a good idea to stick strictly to every day, at least in the beginning until you are in the habit of doing 1% more every day.

How About it?

Can you see this concept being useful to you? What project do you have in mind to try it out with? Doing a little something every day doesn’t seem very intimidating. It really is quite simple so far.

We’ll focus more on doing 1% better in a future post. It is another important part of the 1% concept but you don’t have to apply both at the same time. It’s enough sometimes to just get things done. Once you’re caught up with all those projects and work that you’ve procrastinated on you can look into improving your skills, getting fit, becoming a better person, or whatever you want to start working on improving.

I hope you liked this, my first blog post. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas for future posts please send me an email at rworks@mail.com or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.