When marginal gains clump together they create something great. In Atomic Habits, James Clear writes about the “aggregation of marginal gains” citing the British cycling team that created as many gains as possible from previously overlooked items.
For example, putting rubbing alcohol on the tires to get better grip, making the seats more comfortable, teaching riders to better wash their hands to minimize illness, etc.
These seemingly small things started to add up and the British cycling team went from being a perennial loser to winning multiple races and medals. I often think about this story and how to apply it to behavior around money.
A New Way to Look At It With Money
The concept of marginal gains, or getting one percent better, makes a lot of sense to me. The results really start to compound and create exponential growth rather than linear growth.
I thought about how this applies to money. Sure, I can start to optimize my behavior with money by making small improvements like buying food on sale, purchasing seasonal fruits and vegetables (at a lower cost and higher quality), negotiating my internet bill down, etc. These are all good gains to make.
What might be an even greater benefit is what it will do for your mindset. It gets your brain thinking about how to improve and get better. That’s when some of the really big money wins come like finding a great deal on a piece of real estate, staying steady during a market downturn, or paying off your car and investing the new-found money.
Your brain finds a way to expand on the small wins to create big wins that really move the needle. To me, this is a critical mindset shift that can take your money and career to higher levels than you ever thought possible.
Don’t Underestimate the Small Wins
So don’t underestimate the small wins, and making tiny progress. It matters–not only in the immediate future, but also in what it does for your mind and future self.
