About Me I would like to introduce TED, which proposes a very wonderful theory.
Stephen Duneier is an American known for his work as a professional investment manager, strategy consultant, speaker, lecturer, author, artist, and Guinness World Record holder. He combines cognitive science with investment management and is famous for his yarnbombing art installations.
The importance of ‘Marginal Adjustments’ is as follows. He didn’t summarize the important points in the lecture, so I summarized them.
- Break Down Large Goals into Manageable Tasks
- Improve Decision Success Rate Gradually
- Active Participation in Decision-Making
- Adjust Daily Routines
- Utilize Existing Habits and Passions
- Make the Process Incremental and Continuous
- Engage in Active Learning and Skill Acquisition
- Apply Marginal Adjustments Across Different Areas of Life
1. Break Down Large Goals into Manageable Tasks
He emphasizes the importance of breaking down ambitious goals into smaller, more manageable tasks that require shorter focus times. This approach helps in maintaining focus and making consistent progress.
To enhance his college grades, He adopted a strategy of breaking his study sessions into short, 5-10 minute tasks, rather than long periods of concentration. This method allowed him to consistently achieve A grades and gain admission into a top graduate program.
2. Improve Decision Success Rate Gradually
He points out that even a slight improvement in the decision success rate can lead to substantial outcomes, as demonstrated by the career progression of Novak Djokovic. Incremental improvements in making the right decisions can significantly impact the final results.
Highlighting Novak Djokovic’s career, He demonstrates that a slight increase in the point-winning success rate from 49% to 55% propelled Djokovic to the world number one ranking, establishing him as one of tennis history’s greatest players.
3. Active Participation in Decision-Making
Rather than being a passive observer of one’s decision-making process, He suggests actively participating and making conscious choices to move towards the desired outcome. This involves making a series of small decisions correctly over time.
By actively engaging in the decision-making process, He improved his average grades from a C- to excellence. This achievement was the result of focusing on small tasks and a proactive approach to achieving goals.
4. Adjust Daily Routines
He highlights the impact of making small adjustments to daily routines to facilitate learning and achieving goals. For example, he learned German by replacing music with language tapes during his daily commute, showcasing how a slight change in routine can lead to accomplishing significant objectives.
He mastered a new language by utilizing his commute time for learning German, replacing music listening with language learning audio programs. This small daily routine adjustment enabled him to acquire new skills.
5. Utilize Existing Habits and Passions
By making marginal adjustments to existing habits and passions, one can align them with their goals. He lost weight not by setting a direct goal for weight loss, but by resolving to hike all the trails in the Santa Barbara Mountains, leveraging his habit of walking and passion for the outdoors.
Leveraging his daily walking habit and passion for the outdoors, He set a goal to hike all 33 trails in the Santa Barbara mountains. This led to a 25-pound weight loss during the process.
6. Make the Process Incremental and Continuous
The approach to achieving goals should be incremental and continuous, focusing on making small, consistent steps rather than trying to accomplish everything at once. This method ensures steady progress and keeps the task manageable.
Setting a goal to read 50 books, He began with manageable steps: one book, one chapter, one page, or even one word at a time. This incremental approach helped him consistently continue reading and ultimately achieve his goal.
7. Engage in Active Learning and Skill Acquisition
He advocates for active learning and acquiring new skills through marginal adjustments. He took on new challenges and learned new skills, like knitting and crocheting, by integrating them into his daily activities and gradually improving his proficiency.
To learn new skills, He embarked on a variety of activities, including unicycling, parkour, slacklining, jumping stilts, and drumming. Actively participating in these activities allowed him to acquire many new skills.
8. Apply Marginal Adjustments Across Different Areas of Life
The principle of making marginal adjustments can be applied not just to professional or academic goals but across various aspects of personal life, from learning new languages to engaging in physical activities and beyond.
He applied the principle of marginal adjustments not only in his professional life but also personally, achieving various goals such as language learning, weight loss, and acquiring new hobbies or skills. These achievements stemmed from small changes and choices in his daily life.
