Why 1% Better Every Day Is the Key to Optimizing Your Life & Ministry
Being an itinerant preacher which affords me certain ministry luxuries.
And no, I'm not talking about a fancy watch or car from all the money I get selling my "prayer cloths" on TV.
I'm talking about the ministry luxury of getting to preach the same sermon more than once!
For a preacher, that's a nice perk.
While I'm always working on new material, I maximize "recycling."
But, there is a powerful lesson about life that it taught me that's help me "optimize" more of everything else I do in full time ministry... and with my health and vitality, too.
Each time I preach a sermon again, I've worked made it just a little better.
The goal is just 1% improvement.
Sometimes it's just tweaking a phrase—something so subtle, I'm the only one who might notice.
Other times it's an entirely new illustration—something that feels like I'd just unlocked the mysteries of the universe!
I'm thinking of one particular sermon that, over time, became a powerhouse, most-requested message.
(Yes, the power is in the proclaimed Word itself, but the incarnational aspect through the preacher is real, as YOU well know. Sermon delivery can always be improved.)
By improving it just 1% every time, it went from “okay” to “great” to “wow, I’d actually pay just to get to preach that again.”
All from small, incremental changes.
And here’s where the math nerd in me gets excited: those little 1% improvements compound.
If you improve by 1% every day for a year, you’re 37 times better at the end of the year.
That’s not just improvement; that’s transformation on steroids.
If this works for sermons, why not life?
Small, steady improvements, day after day.
And just like with that sermon, the results would stack up over time, turning an ordinary life into something extraordinary.
Tweaking Your LIFE Like You Do Your Communication
The concept is simple: every area of your life—faith, health, relationships, ministry—can get better exponentially with small, deliberate changes.
You don’t need to overhaul everything at once.
Just focus on being 1% better today than you were yesterday. That’s it.
Now, let’s dive into how this works.
But first, let’s address the elephant in the room: the 5-year plan.
You know the one I’m talking about.
The plan where, in five years, you’re waking up at 5 a.m., running a marathon before breakfast, writing a best-selling book, and mentoring a dozen young leaders—all while making sourdough bread from scratch.
Sounds great, doesn’t it?
Except "future you" is never going to show up unless "present you" starts doing something about it.
Here’s the deal: your 5-year plan isn’t a plan.
It’s procrastination with a fancy title.
The only way to make it real is to start living it right now, one tiny improvement at a time.
How the 1% Improvement Works in Life
Let’s bring this concept down to earth with a few key areas:
1. Health and Vitality
Ministry is exhausting. Late nights, early mornings, and more fried chicken than anyone should legally consume.
Start with one healthier habit—a glass of water, 15 minutes of walking, or maybe just saying no to the pie at the potluck.
(Why is it that church potlucks always feel like a competition? “Who can bring the most carbs in one dish?” Start small—grab a little salad. And I don’t mean the one with marshmallows in it.)
One better choice a day—an extra glass of water, one less cookie, or a walk around the block. Do that for a year, and you’ll feel the difference.
2. Connection and Community Building
Ministry thrives on relationships, but building connections takes time. Most pastors feel lonely and isolated.
Start by reaching out to one person every day.
You ever notice how the people you think you’re closest to are the ones you haven’t called in six months? “Oh, we’re tight—haven’t talked to them since Easter.”
One text a day, my dude. That’s all it takes.
Send an encouraging message, or grab coffee with a fellow pastor, or facetime a former classmate from seminary.
Daily consistency builds deeper connections.
3. Self-Reflection and Growth
Just like how I’d reflect on my sermon after every delivery, we need to reflect on our own lives.
Take five minutes at the end of the day to ask, “What went well? What could I do better tomorrow?”
The truth is, most of us have spent more time picking out the perfect notebook than actually writing in it.
So do this...
Jot down one takeaway from the day. Over time, those reflections build a roadmap for personal growth.
The Compounding Power of 1%
Not many years ago, I would have never thought I would be the guy who published a book, leveraged tech, taught others on so many topics, plus the traveling and preaching I do week after week.
But even more than that...
I never thought I'd be the guy writing a weekly newsletter about optimizing health and productivity.
But it's happened at the end of a very long series of 1% improvements.
But wait...
Know this principle works in reverse too.
Get 1% worse every day—skip the workout, eat the donut, put off the tough conversation—and pretty soon, you’re sliding backwards faster than a greased pig at the county fair.
The choice is yours.
Your 5-Year Plan Starts Today
So here’s the challenge: stop waiting for the perfect moment.
Stop dreaming about the person you’ll be five years from now.
Start living that vision today, one tiny improvement at a time.
Because whether it’s a sermon or a life, the secret to greatness is the same: small, steady improvements.
One percent today.
One percent tomorrow.
And before you know it, you’re not just better—you’re a completely transformed version of yourself.
BEST LINKS
💪 Health & Vitality
- Why Your Computer Screen Hurts Your Eyes (PopularScience)
- Moringa Benefits Explained by Nutrition Experts (NewsWeek)
- Sitting Too Much Is a Danger Not Even Exercise Can Undo. Here Are 5 Tips to Move More (Fortune)
📈 Productivity
- How to Find Motivation to Get Work Done (FastCompany)
- Maximize Productivity With These Time Management Tools | Dr. Cal Newport & Dr. Andrew Huberman (Huberman Lab Clip on YouTube, 9 mins)
👀 ICYMI
Scott N Smith
