The 1% better philosophy is built on the power of compounding. Tiny gains made with great regularity tend to accumulate exponentially over the years. This is the superpower of consistency in action. 

Mastering this superpower is what this blog is all about. 

Here are my top three 1% improvements over the past week:

1. Most of my week was dedicated to writing my first paper on energy system modelling. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years, but I only recently managed to get the contacts, software and expertise to actually do it.
2. Another 32 km of rollerblading and near-perfectly clean eating habits.
3. A rapid and complete recovery after the sporting gods tried their very best to spoil my week. 

Although point 1 certainly represents my most important progress this week, point 3 is also noteworthy. 

Indeed, last Sunday was one of the most disappointing sporting weekends ever. First, Ferrari were totally outclassed by Mercedes at the British F1 race. This was somewhat expected, so it wasn’t all that bad. 

But then came the double whammy. First, Roger Federer managed to win every stat apart from the final score in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic. After a tortuous four hours, he finally earned himself two championship points on serve and then proceeded to lose four points in a row. Eventually Novak managed to force a third tie-break, where he showcased his inhuman big-match temperament and took the title.

In parallel, New Zealand were playing England in the cricket world cup final. I really wanted New Zealand to win, but they managed to draw not once, but twice, and then lose the world cup on a technicality. A draw in cricket is highly unlikely and doing it twice in a row is unheard of. In addition, England just managed to reach the first draw based on one of the biggest pieces of luck I ever saw on the third-last ball of the innings. 

These sporting dramas not only led to huge frustration, but also ate up a lot of time. But I managed to shake it off, realize that the world is still turning and start another highly productive week (see the red bit in my consistency graph below). 

Yes, life will always have its bad days. The key is simply to get back to growth ASAP and to avoid a multi-day slump at any cost.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and see you tomorrow!