Mark: A recent study found the average American worker is only productive for about two to three hours a day. That's it. For the other five or six hours, we're basically professional distraction artists. What if the secret to reclaiming that time isn't a massive overhaul, but something ridiculously small? Michelle: That sounds depressingly accurate for my Mondays. Two to three hours of real work, followed by five hours of staring at a spreadsheet, answering emails that could have been thoughts, and planning what I'm going to have for lunch. So you’re telling me there's a fix that doesn't involve a life-altering productivity retreat? Mark: That's exactly it. The fix is simpler, quieter, and honestly, a lot more powerful. It's the core idea behind the book we're diving into today: The 1% Rule by Tommy Baker. Michelle: The 1% Rule. I like the sound of that. It feels manageable. Who is Tommy Baker? Is he some kind of productivity guru? Mark: He's an interesting guy. He's a coach and the founder of the 'Resist Average Academy.' His whole philosophy is built around developing emotional resilience by leaning into small, low-stakes challenges. He believes the process itself is the real prize, not just the final trophy. And that idea is the engine of this entire book. Michelle: I can get behind that. We all set these huge, ambitious goals—write a novel, start a business, get in shape—and we start with so much energy. But then… life happens. Why do so many of us fizzle out? Is it just a lack of willpower? Mark: That’s the million-dollar question, isn't it? And Baker argues that it has almost nothing to do with willpower. The problem is that we've all been given the wrong map.

Michelle: The wrong map? What do you mean? Mark: We’ve been sold a complete fantasy about how success works. We see the highlight reels on social media, the stories of "overnight success," and we think the path to a goal is a straight, six-lane highway. But in reality, it's a bumpy, unpaved backroad with constant detours. Michelle: Oh, I know that road. I’ve been on it many times. Mark: Baker tells this perfect story to illustrate it. He and a friend were driving from Arizona to Venice, California. They had a full tank of gas, a great playlist, and this perfect vision of a six-hour joyride. They were excited, optimistic. Michelle: Sounds like the start of every new project I've ever attempted. Mark: Exactly. But what happened? First, the passenger forgot his wallet. They had to turn around, adding an hour to the trip. Then, they hit a massive traffic jam from an accident that turned the highway into a parking lot. And just when they thought it couldn't get worse, a tire started acting up, forcing them to a grimy mechanic shop in the middle of nowhere. Michelle: That is so painfully relatable. You start a project all fired up, and the moment you hit that first 'flat tire,' that first unexpected obstacle, all you want to do is turn the car around and go home. Mark: Precisely. That’s the Expectation Myth in action. We expect a smooth ride, and when reality delivers potholes and detours, we think we've failed. We think, "This is too hard, it wasn't meant to be." Baker says we need to ditch that expectation. The journey is supposed to be messy. Challenges are not a sign to quit; they're just part of the trip. Michelle: Okay, that makes sense. But what about the destination itself? The book talks about another myth, the 'Be-All, End-All Myth.' It gives these examples of huge companies like YouTube and Instagram that had to completely change their original idea. But pivoting sounds a lot like giving up on your original dream, doesn't it? Mark: It can feel that way, but it's a crucial distinction. YouTube started as a video dating site. Can you imagine? Nobody was using it for that. The founders noticed people were just uploading videos of, well, everything. So they pivoted. Instagram started as a check-in app, but they realized the photo-sharing feature was what people loved. Michelle: So they followed the evidence, not the original blueprint. Mark: They followed what was working. The magic, Baker says, is in the pivot. Your first idea is almost never your best one. It's the starting point. Being willing to adapt and change course based on feedback and reality is a sign of intelligence, not failure. It’s about falling in love with the journey, not being dogmatically attached to a single, outdated destination. Michelle: I see. So the problem isn't our lack of effort, it's that we're operating with these broken beliefs: that the path should be easy, that our first idea must be the final one, and the big one—that we have to wait for the 'perfect time' to start. Mark: The Perfect Timing Myth is the most dangerous of all. It’s the ultimate excuse for procrastination. "I'll start my business when the economy is better." "I'll start writing when the kids are older." "I'll get in shape after the holidays." Michelle: Guilty as charged. Mark: Baker’s response is blunt: Your time is now. There is no such thing as perfect timing. You create it by starting. And the tool to do that, to actually get on that messy road and stay on it, is the 1% Rule itself.

Michelle: Okay, so let's get into it. The 1% Rule. It sounds almost too simple. What is it, and why is it so effective when "massive action" so often fails? Mark: It’s effective because it's simple. The core idea is that instead of trying to make huge, dramatic changes, you focus on improving by just 1% every day. It's about choosing consistency over intensity. Michelle: So it’s less like a New Year's resolution to run a marathon, and more like just putting on your running shoes and walking to the end of the driveway every single day? Mark: That's the perfect analogy. It’s about making the action so small, so non-intimidating, that it's almost impossible not to do it. The author John Grisham is a fantastic example. When he was a young, busy lawyer, he wanted to write a novel. His rule? He had to write just one page a day. Michelle: Just one page. That feels doable. Mark: Some days it was easy. Other days, after a long day in court, it was a brutal slog. But he did it. Every single day. That one page a day, consistently, is what made him one of the most successful authors in the world. He didn't wait for a four-hour block of inspiration. He just wrote the page. Michelle: That’s a powerful mindset shift. We're so conditioned to think we need these big, heroic efforts. But the real heroism is in the quiet, daily discipline. Mark: And here’s where it gets really mind-blowing. The math behind it. You’d think that improving by 1% every day for a year would make you 365% better, right? Michelle: Right, 1% times 365 days. Makes sense. Mark: But that’s not how it works. Because of the power of compounding—each day's improvement builds on the last—you actually end up over 3,700% better. You become 37 times better than when you started. Michelle: Wait, 37 times? That can't be right. That's insane! That feels like a typo. Mark: It's not a typo, it's just the magic of compounding. It's the same principle that makes a small investment grow into a fortune over decades. The initial progress is almost invisible. You do five push-ups today, you're not stronger tomorrow. But do it for a year, and the transformation is monumental. This is why so many people quit. They don't see immediate results, so they assume it's not working. Michelle: And this ties into what the book says is the greatest motivational tool, right? It’s not some inspirational video or a weekend seminar. Mark: Exactly. A Harvard Business Review study found that the single most powerful motivator is making progress in meaningful work. Even the perception of progress. When you complete that tiny 1% action each day, you're giving your brain a small hit of victory. You're proving to yourself that you're the kind of person who follows through. That feeling is more addictive and more sustainable than any external hype. Michelle: So the goal isn't to find motivation to do the work. The goal is to do a tiny bit of work to create the motivation. Mark: You've got it. You fall in love with the process, with the simple act of showing up. The results, the 37x improvement, just become a very pleasant side effect.

Michelle: Okay, I'm sold on the philosophy. Debunk the myths, embrace the tiny, boring, consistent progress. But here's the practical hurdle for me, and I bet for a lot of listeners: How do I figure out what my 1% action even is? How do I connect 'writing one page' to my huge vision of becoming a bestselling author? There’s a huge gap there. Mark: That gap is what Baker calls the space "where dreams go to die." It's the paralysis of the 'how.' We have the 'what'—our vision—but the 'how' is so overwhelming we never start. So, the book gives us a blueprint to reverse engineer our success. Michelle: Reverse engineer. I like that. It sounds strategic. Mark: It is. The first step is to stop worrying about the 'how' for a minute. Instead, you ask yourself a different question: "What would have to happen in the next 90 days for me to know my vision is coming true?" You identify one to three 'Big Rocks'—major milestones that are tangible and a little bit scary. Michelle: So if my vision is 'launch a successful podcast,' a Big Rock might be 'record and release the first three episodes'? Mark: Perfect. That's a concrete 90-day goal. Now, here's where the 1% Rule kicks in. You take that Big Rock and you ask yourself the daily '1% Question': What can I execute on right now that will prove my outcome is not only possible, but coming true? Michelle: That’s a powerful question. It forces you into the present moment and demands action. Mark: It cuts through all the noise and indecision. Baker uses this great analogy of a vegan at a restaurant. When the menu comes, they don't agonize over the steak or the chicken. They have a code—'I am vegan'—so they immediately eliminate 80% of the options and focus only on what aligns with their code. Their decision is simple and stress-free. Michelle: So the 1% Question acts like that code. It filters out all the distractions and points you to the one thing that matters today. Mark: Precisely. It cures indecision, which Baker calls a "dream killer." So let's take your podcast example. Your Big Rock is 'release three episodes.' Your 1% Question for today might lead to the answer: 'Research and outline the first episode.' That's your 1% action. It's specific, it's doable, and it directly serves the Big Rock. Michelle: And tomorrow, the 1% action might be 'write the intro script.' And the next day, 'record the intro.' Each action is a tiny, undeniable step forward. Mark: You're building the bridge from your vision to reality, one plank at a time. The process is simple: have a clear vision, reverse engineer it into 90-day Big Rocks, and use the 1% Question every single day to determine your single most important task. It turns an overwhelming mountain into a simple, daily walk.

Michelle: It’s amazing how this all connects. You start by realizing the popular ideas of success are basically a form of self-sabotage. They set us up for failure. Mark: They really do. We start by throwing out that broken map of 'overnight success' and 'perfect timing.' Then we embrace this quiet, relentless engine of 1% daily progress, trusting in the unseen power of compounding. Michelle: And finally, we build a bridge from our wildest, most intimidating dream to one single, doable action we can take right now. It takes the grand, terrifying vision and makes it a simple, daily practice. Mark: It transforms the entire game. You’re no longer waiting for inspiration or permission. You’re generating it yourself, every single day, with one small, deliberate action. You're not just hoping for success; you're embodying it, 1% at a time. Michelle: It feels like the biggest takeaway is that the most powerful changes are the ones that are too small to fail. We get so fixated on giant leaps that we forget the power of a single step, taken consistently. Mark: Absolutely. And that step builds on itself until you look back a year later and you're in a completely different place, wondering how you got there. You got there 1% at a time. Michelle: So the question for everyone listening is: What is the one, tiny, almost laughably simple thing you can do today to get 1% closer to your vision? Mark: That's the only question that matters. Mark: This is Aibrary, signing off.