Minimum Regular Dose

“A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.”_Jim Watkins

Why do so many of us fail to keep new resolutions—especially, the ones accompanying a new year?

According to widespread records, more than 80% of us do.

Is it because change is too hard? 

Or is it because the majority of people are weaklings?

Now, how do we train ourselves to become the type of persons who can make new decisions and live by them?

If you have interests in these kinds of questions, this article is written for you.

First of all, know that winning at anything is not really complicated once we understand the process of progress. 

Winning is the natural consequence of unshakable consistency at doing whatever it is that we need to do to achieve the result we want. That level of consistency is nurtured by momentum, and momentum is the engine of real success.

The reason many of us fail to accomplish certain things is simply because we lack the momentum necessary to propel us toward the destination of desire. 

Therefore, the idea of today is to suggest a strategy for creating such momentum, which will contribute more to our self-efficacy and personal effectiveness.

However, the proposed idea is in contrast to setting a daunting goal and facing it with grand acts of grit that are beyond the capacity of most people. It is not about using superhuman strength to force our way to victory.

It is about using a slow but steady pressure to create a momentum for success. It is about choosing to be a tortoise rather than a hare. It is the strategy of minimum regular dose (MRD) of right actions and essential inputs.

To create a minimum regular dose for a goal, ask yourself this question: “What is the smallest version of my goal that, if started early and repeated daily can cumulatively get me the timely result I want in the nearest future?”

To be clear, this doesn’t mean our ambition should be cut down to size; quite the contrary!  Our goals should be as high as we can imagine but the necessary daily actions should be set at the barest minimum of potency and effectiveness.  

As you may know, I synthesize my phrase (Minimum Regular Dose) from the term, ‘Minimum Effective Dose’ used by Tim Ferris, the author of the bestselling book, ‘4-Hour Work Week.’ In a nutshell: the concept is all about the least effective steps we need to consistently take for steady progression and ultimate achievement of the goal that we have chosen. 

For example: If we need to take only three steps consistently, we don’t allow our ambition drive us to plan for seven. We deliberately strategize for the minimum viable move that is essential for the realization of our purpose.

So, instead of starting with the gritty approach that we may not be able to sustain in the long-run, we adopt the minimum regular dose, as a reliable method to accomplish the goal of our choice.  

Clearly, the way to ensure consistent right action is to design something you can maintain. The concept of minimum regular dose will guarantee your progress and eventual success on any goal that you may seek. 

When you effectively design a minimum regular dose of action, you instantly create a defense against burnout and the possibility of failure. 

For example: instead of thinking to read the whole encyclopedia in a burst (which may never happen), you apportion the content by certain number of pages per day (e.g. three pages a day). 

This is tangible enough to establish the good habit of daily reading and it is easy enough for almost anyone to sustain. The beauty of this strategy is that, it is easy to stick to. Even on a very turbulent day, you can still find a way to read just three pages. 

And that continuous success generates in you the identity of someone who can live by their plans, especially when it is easier not to. Here in lies the amazing windfall of minimum regular dose: the force of a new identity.

Now, after you have accomplished your daily minimum, you can still choose to go further on some days, and the progress you are making will strengthen your confidence to do even better, the next day. As a result, you will be anticipating tomorrow’s turn, rather than dreading it.

Finally, once momentum fully takes over, you can eventually achieve beyond what you had initially imagined. In other words, your original resolution is practically guaranteed. That is the power of minimum regular dose.