One Small Step Can Change Your Life summary

So, how do you start? Let’s say the change you’re trying to make is a particularly daunting one, like starting a big creative project. One of the best ways to begin is with a question – a small question.

This is the approach that Michael Ondaatje, the author of The English Patient, uses when he starts a new novel. Faced with a blank page, he asks himself questions. Not big, difficult questions like “What kind of character would readers like?” Instead, he thinks of a scene, like a plane crash, and then asks small questions, such as “Who’s the guy in the plane?” or “What year is it?”

Let’s look at another hack for your brain. It’s a technique called “mind sculpture,” and it was developed by the psychologist Ian Robertson. While it may sound a little strange and abstract, mind sculpture is actually very simple. It’s all about using your imagination to mentally rehearse for a future activity.

The swimmer Michael Phelps used mind sculpture while training for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He lay in bed and imagined that he was on the starting block. Then he visualized himself swimming, picturing each movement. In his head, he was doing everything perfectly.

So far, we’ve explored “small questions,” “small thoughts,” and “small steps.” You may be wondering, how “small” are we actually talking about?

Maurer’s advice is to make each step as small as possible – especially when you’re just starting to make a change. 

As you get into the habit of thinking small, use the same approach for any problems you encounter. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the big picture, start by tackling small problems.

This is the approach that William Bratton used when he was the New York City Police Commissioner. Bratton’s task was to tackle subway crime. In the 1980s, there were 15,000 felonies on the subway each year. Big interventions, like budget increases or putting more cops on the beat, didn’t seem to be making a difference. 

Focusing on small problems probably sounds pretty intuitive, right? But what about small rewards?

You might find it hard to believe, but small rewards often work better than big rewards. Just look at the success of employee suggestion programs. 

By now, hopefully you’re convinced that the small steps of kaizen can make a big difference.So why stop there? Apply the kaizen mindset to other areas of your life too. Give small things the attention they deserve. Relationships, for instance. What’s a relationship, really, but a series of small moments? We tend to focus on the big things – a special gift or a memorable vacation. But it’s the little, day-to-day moments that can make or break a relationship.

The psychology professor John Gottman conducted an in-depth study of couples, focusing on their daily routines and interactions. As a result, he was able to predict the couples’ futures with 93 percent accuracy. He could tell whether each couple would be happily married or divorced in the next few years.

So, those were the blinks to One Small Step Can Change Your Life, by Robert Maurer.

The key takeaway from all this is: