Photographer: artem belinsky | Source: Unsplash
The Secret to Extraordinary Results: The Compounding Power of Tiny Daily Wins
Why do some people seem to make massive progress in every area of life while others struggle to get going? It’s a question I’ve explored for years — in business, in health, in personal growth.
Tommy Baker, author of The 1% Rule, spent years looking for the very same answer. After interviewing high achievers, studying human behaviour, and testing countless strategies, he discovered something beautifully simple:
Extraordinary success isn’t built through big breakthroughs…
it’s built through small wins that compound over time.
Let’s explore what this means — and how you can use it to radically shift your life, one tiny habit at a time.
Why 1% Matters More Than You Think
Most of us are conditioned to think big: big goals, big changes, big effort. But the human brain doesn’t run on giant leaps — it runs on momentum.
A small win changes how you feel.
A series of small wins begins to change who you are.
String enough of them together and compounding takes over.
Improve by 1% a day and you might expect to be 365% better after a year.
But that’s not how compounding works.
1% daily improvement over a year equals a 3,700% transformation.
That’s 37 times better — in energy, health, clarity, confidence, relationships, decision-making… everything.
And yet, almost no one experiences this.
Why?
Not because they can't.
But because they don’t stay consistent long enough for compounding to work its magic.
Consistency Beats Intensity Every Time
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, puts it perfectly:
“The quality of our lives depends on the quality of our habits.”
He rebuilt his life after a traumatic brain injury through small, repeatable actions. Those tiny steps led to a global audience of millions and one of the most influential habit frameworks in the world.
His findings are crystal clear:
- With the same habits, you get the same results.
- With better habits, anything is possible.
Momentum — and any truly effective growth system — rests on this truth.
Enjoy the process, and the results will follow.
How Tiny Habits Work With Your Brain (Rather Than Against It)
Most people try to improve their lives using willpower. It’s no wonder they feel exhausted — willpower is temporary fuel.
Winning habits are built on psychology, not pressure.
Here’s how.
1. Make It Obvious
Clarity reduces resistance.
To build a habit:
- Know exactly what you’ll do
- Know precisely when you’ll do it
- Know where it will happen
Momentum uses “habit stacking” — attaching a new habit to an existing one. Once you complete habit #1, your brain automatically cues habit #2.
Your environment becomes the silent partner in your success.
2. Make It Attractive
We are neurologically wired to chase what feels rewarding.
The anticipation of feeling good — not the outcome itself — drives action.
Momentum is designed so that each step delivers a psychological reward:
- Clarity
- Calm
- Energy
- A sense of control
Within days, you start to crave that feeling.
And then there’s the deeper motivator: community.
Humans are tribal creatures. A supportive group can dramatically increase your follow-through.
3. Make It Easy
A habit that’s too big won’t stick.
A habit that’s simple becomes automatic.
One good decision early in the day sets off a cascade of better decisions. This is why a solid morning sequence matters so much.
Momentum includes “one-time actions” that automate future behaviour — small setups that make doing the right thing effortless.
4. Make It Satisfying
A habit sticks only if it feels rewarding.
You reinforce this by:
- Focusing on progress rather than perfection
- Tracking your streak
- Celebrating the feeling of starting your day right
Humans hate breaking winning streaks.
This alone can carry you through the early adoption phase.
As your energy improves, so does your confidence. People respond to you differently. You start making choices from a higher state.
This is the upward spiral you want — and compounding rewards it handsomely.
Protecting Your Momentum: The Art of Limiting Losses
The quickest way to destroy compounding is to stop.
A missed day isn’t a problem.
A missed week is.
The solution?
Always have a fallback tiny habit.
If you can’t run, walk for two minutes.
If you can’t meditate, sit quietly for 30 seconds.
If you can’t write a page, write one sentence.
You’re not aiming for perfection.
You’re preserving identity.
And identity is the true driver of long-term change.
The “Tiny Habits” Framework: Your Foundational Structure
BJ Fogg, a Stanford researcher, discovered that the easiest way to form a habit is to start with something so small you can’t fail.
Put on your running shoes.
Drink a single glass of water.
Breathe deeply twice.
The size doesn’t matter.
The repeatability does.
Momentum uses this framework beautifully:
- Start tiny
- Let the routine become automatic
- Extend it only once the foundation is built
Personalised habit options — combined with optional DNA testing — ensure your daily actions align with what your body needs most.
My Own Turning Point: The Discovery Anyone Can Use
Every successful person I’ve ever met shares one trait:
They stay consistent when it’s inconvenient.
My brain gives me a hundred reasons a day to skip the things I know matter — exercise, writing, the hard-but-important tasks.
So I started using a simple approach:
When resistance showed up, I agreed with it — and then did the “tiny version” of the habit anyway.
Too tired to run?
Fine — I’ll just walk.
Not in the mood to write?
Fine — I’ll just open the document.
And almost every time, that tiny step turned into the full thing.
This is how I became consistent.
Consistency changed my identity.
Identity made the habits effortless.
That’s the real transformation — when the behaviour becomes who you are.
The Real Magic of Compounding
Compounding doesn’t just change what you achieve.
It changes what you believe is possible.
A year from now, you could be:
- 37× healthier
- 37× clearer
- 37× more energised
- 37× more disciplined
- 37× more confident
But you don’t get there by leaping.
You get there by showing up at 1% each day.
Because you don’t just build habits.
You build yourself.