When I started out playing darts, I didn't always hit numbers. I was always aiming at the middle, so my variance was the dart board.
I'm currently at the point where I'm never leaving the inner circle (trips) when I aim at the middle. Going forward, I'll work on consistently hitting a number and the end goal is more frequently hitting bulls-eye.
I'm improving because I'm reducing the variance around my throws. I now find myself using this thought process in other areas of life.