Consistency is a superpower.
How 1% improvements build better writers, cyclists, and vigilantes.
Welcome to EFFIGIES, a weekly newsletter offering actionable insights from my journey through reading and writing comics, designed to inspire you towards building a better life. To become our best selves, we must burn away who we are today.
What’s inside:
The power of +1% improvements toward your goal.
Zdarsky and Giandomenico’s Batman: The Knight.
How British Cycling dominated the sport.
5 steps to leverage 1% improvements to achieve your goals.
A few years ago, I learned about the concept of marginal gains. The idea is simple: by improving just 1% every day, these small gains compound over time, leading to extraordinary results.
I know we all dream of the silver bullet or hack that’s going to make us better, but the truth is, there’s no such thing as an overnight transformation. That's why focusing on tiny, incremental changes is so powerful. It’s manageable, sustainable, and over time, these small gains add up to something remarkable.
Originally, I had planned to write about another topic this week, but after reading Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico’s Batman: The Knight last week, I was inspired to revisit the concept of 1% improvements. This idea has profoundly influenced how I approach writing comics and life in general and, I think, it can make your life better, too.
The compound effect of +/- 1%.
James Clear (who we’ve discussed previously), in his book Atomic Habits, emphasizes the power of tiny changes:
“The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.”
Just like how money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits, good and bad, multiply as you repeat them. They seem to make little difference on any given day and yet the impact they deliver over months and years can be enormous.
The Knight.
The power of 1% improvements is captured perfectly in Batman: The Knight. In the book, we follow Bruce as he travels across the globe, mastering various skills and disciplines necessary to fight crime and bring justice to Gotham City. His training is anything but ordinary—it's rigorous, exhaustive, and mentally challenging. Bruce studies under numerous mentors, each imparting crucial knowledge and skills that, piece by piece, transform him into the formidable Dark Knight.
What's particularly great about this series is how it highlights Bruce's commitment to small, consistent improvements. Each mentor teaches him something new, whether it's the art of cat burglary, marksmanship, or a martial arts style. These skills, individually, might seem minor, but together they form the bedrock of Batman's legendary prowess.
The British Cycling transformation.
We can look to real life to see 1% improvements in action, too. One of the most compelling real-life examples of 1% improvements comes from the story of British Cycling. In Atomic Habits, Clear explains that in 2003, British Cycling hired Dave Brailsford, who introduced the strategy of “the aggregation of marginal gains.” This philosophy involved searching for tiny margin improvements in everything they did.
Brailsford and his coaches began by making small adjustments: redesigning bike seats, rubbing alcohol on tires for better grip, and using biofeedback sensors to monitor athletes' responses to workouts. They even tested different massage gels and hired a surgeon to teach riders the best way to wash their hands to reduce illness.
These small changes might seem insignificant alone, but together, they led to remarkable results. Within five years, the British Cycling team dominated the 2008 Olympic Games, winning 60% of the gold medals available. Four years later, at the London Olympics, they set nine Olympic records and seven world records. British cyclists also won five Tour de France titles in six years.
Putting it into practice.
So, how can you harness the power of 1% improvements in your own life? Here’s a simple framework inspired by the British Cycling team and Batman's early training as depicted in Batman: The Knight:
1. Identify your goal.
What is the end result you want to achieve? Whether it's writing a comic book (like me), getting in shape, or learning a new skill, clarity on your goal is crucial. Just as Batman aimed to become the best at everything to fight crime, traveling the world to master various disciplines, and the British Cycling team aimed to win major championships, having a clear goal sets the direction for your efforts.
2. Break it down.
Divide your goal into smaller, manageable tasks. My goal was to learn how to write a comic book, so I started by listing out all the skills I would need to master (storytelling, comic scripting, marketing, etc.) and then I worked at getting a bit better at each skill on the list. This is similar to how Batman broke down his training into mastering different skills—such as martial arts, detective work, and more—and how the British Cycling team focused on improving various aspects of their performance, from bike seats to muscle recovery.
3. Commit to daily improvements.
Dedicate yourself to improving just 1% every day. This could mean writing a few more panels, doing one more push-up, or learning a new technique. Dave Brailsford’s strategy of “the aggregation of marginal gains” for the British Cycling team, where they made tiny improvements in every aspect of cycling, shows how powerful these daily increments can be. As I read The Knight, I very much got the sense that there were no days off for Bruce, and while his mission was a bit more extreme than yours or mine, that level of commitment is how your gains compound. But remember, these are small improvements. Unlike Bruce, we also have to live our lives sometimes, and that’s okay.
4. Track your progress.
Keep a journal or use a habit-tracking app to monitor your daily improvements. Seeing your progress will motivate you to keep going. The British Cycling team meticulously tracked their gains and adjustments, which contributed to their extraordinary success.
5. Reflect and adjust.
Regularly review your progress and make adjustments as needed. Reflect on what’s working and what’s not, and refine your approach. In The Knight, Zdarsky constantly writes Bruce as being aware that he’s still got room to grow and when he feels he’s coming up short, he doubles down and puts in the work. One of the best things you can do for your own progress is be open to refining your methods to ensure consistent improvement.
By following this framework inspired by the British Cycling team and Batman’s early training, you can harness the power of 1% improvements to achieve your own extraordinary results. Remember, small, consistent gains can lead to significant, long-term success.
- Frank
I’m Frank Gogol, writer of comics such as Dead End Kids, No Heroine, Unborn, Power Rangers, and more. If this newsletter was interesting / helpful / entertaining…
You can also check out some back issues of the newsletter:
After credits scene.
Now that we’ve hit the 2-month mark of EFFIGIES, we’re going to take a quick break next week while I travel, so no issue next week. To those of you in the U.S., I hope you enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend!