Incrementalism is a key to success.

It’s been my experience that whenever we want to change an organization, most people look at big sweeping changes first. The problem though is that the bigger the change, the more system pressures work to keep it things the same. As an example, if you push hard on a tire, you cannot change its shape. But if you focus on a specific spot, you can see the indent. This is all just a fancy way of saying, “The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.”

The way you make a big change in an organization is by making lots of small ones. Using silly math, a 1% change every week yields almost 68% change over the course of year.

In my own life, I’ve set a few goals for the coming year. I want to relearn Spanish (I took it in high school, but it never really clicked). I want to upgrade my trades license (adding Journeyman Electrician, and Master HVAC), and I am working on a comic collection.

Each of these three things can be accomplished in an incremental manner. Rosetta Stone offers a milestone based program for languages, which can be done in 10 minute lessons. I aim for about an hour a day, which means I will complete the program in about a year.  The trades licenses have mandatory time requirements, so I need approval to take their associated tests, but I can pick up the materials in advance and be prepared when approved. The comic collection is probably the most daunting because it’s the largest scope. So I set up some rules, to constrain myself, in addition to goals to challenge myself. If I stick to them, I am looking at about 4 years to complete the first phase, but it will far less painful, both mentally and financially than if I just started buying.

With all that said, taking an incremental approach is going to yield fabulous results because I can adjust as I go. I can test how things are going, and I am never really subject to the sunken cost dilemma. I can change gears whenever I like.