Do you want to make significant changes in your life? Does significant change require significant action?
Incremental progress can be a game-changer when it comes to personal growth and achieving goals. By taking tiny, effortless steps, you can build momentum and create lasting change. This approach breaks down daunting tasks into manageable pieces, making progress feel less overwhelming.
Keep reading to discover how you can harness the power of incremental progress and transform your life, one small step at a time.
Incremental Progress
Once you’ve primed your brain for action, it’s time to take steps to make your desired changes a reality. Maurer says that the best way to move forward is to take actions that are so minute and effortless that they seem too trivial to count as progress.
Though small actions may seem trivial, this incremental progress leads to significant progress because small actions are easy to achieve and build upon one another. Beginning with one tiny action paves the way for larger subsequent actions. This incremental approach breaks down a daunting task into a series of manageable steps, creating momentum that ultimately leads to the change you’re seeking.
(Shortform note: Maurer emphasizes how small actions compound to help achieve a specific goal. For example, over time, taking a daily two-minute walk naturally evolves into taking a daily 20-minute walk. Taking this idea a step further, Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit) suggests that adopting a single positive habit can trigger a chain reaction that inspires a life-enhancing cycle of change. This is because focusing intently on one habit increases the likelihood of positive results, which motivates you to improve all your habits. For instance, committing to a two-minute walk every day—and finding you enjoy how it makes you feel—might motivate you to get more sleep and adopt a healthy breakfast routine.)
Integrate Incremental Actions Into Your Daily Routine
Maurer suggests that asking non-threatening questions (Strategy #1) uncovers specific actions you can take to facilitate the changes you want. To illustrate how small these actions should be, let’s look at examples of initial actions you might take:
- Overcoming self-criticism: After asking yourself “What’s one contribution I made at work today?”, you realize that you contributed valuable insights during a team meeting. You write down this contribution on a sticky note, so you can see and remember it later.
- Sparking creativity: Guided by the question “What’s one character trait I can explore further in my fiction writing?”, you discover an underdeveloped aspect of your character’s Irish heritage. You open up a playlist of traditional Irish ballads for inspiration.
- Pursuing happiness: Reflecting on the question “What’s one simple thing that brought me joy today?” helps you remember how much you enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee in the morning. You set your alarm for five minutes earlier so that you can savor your coffee in peace.
- Achieving goals: Upon considering “What’s one vegetable I can add to my meals this week?”, the enjoyable crunch of broccoli comes to mind. You add broccoli to your shopping list.
- Resolving conflicts: Pondering the question “What’s one positive intention behind their actions?” helps you understand that the other person might be trying to uphold a high standard of work. You note down one positive aspect of their work ethic.
Once you comfortably achieve your small step, Maurer recommends adding another small action to continue your progress. (Shortform note: If your small actions still feel overwhelming, James Clear (Atomic Habits) provides practical advice for breaking up a new activity into smaller steps: Use the two-minute rule. Instead of committing to an entire activity, such as a 30-minute walk, commit to the first two minutes to get the ball rolling. After that, continue breaking down the activity into two-minute increments.)
Exercise: Define Your First Small Step
Maurer argues that incremental progress is key to implementing change. This exercise will help you choose your first small steps.
- Reflect on the changes you want to make in your life and pick one. Write down the challenge, then list at least one non-threatening question that might reveal insights on how to move forward. (For example, if you want to change your career, you might ask yourself: “What one skill do I enjoy using in my current job that I could explore further?”)
- Consider what small, effortless actions you can take to support this change. Write at least one action down. (For example, you might spend five minutes researching job roles that align with your interests.)
- Reflect on any minor issues that might prevent you from making this change. Write down any that come to mind. (For example, maybe your cluttered inbox makes it difficult to locate and respond to emails from job agencies and networking contacts.)
- Think about what types of small rewards you can use to validate and celebrate your progress. Write down at least one reward. (For example, after completing a step, you might treat yourself to a relaxing cup of tea.)
