Think Small

To achieve big, you will need to think small

• Create an actionable plan

We usually assume that when we set ourselves a goal we will probably pursue it with focus and attention, drawing heavily on our slower, reflective system.

It’s a curious and wonderful thing about the human condition that we are often a mystery to ourselves

Think Small is not a checklist.

trengthening your social relationships;

getting healthy and active;

learning something new;

being more curious; and

giving to others.

link the reward to your ultimate objective; make it meaningful; make it binding; and use loss aversion

something meaningful at stake. Link achieving your ultimate goal to a significant reward, and make it binding and enforceable.
Use small rewards to build good habits. Motivate yourself or others along the way by using smaller incentives linked to specific steps needed to achieve the overarching goal.
Beware of backfire effects. Financial incentives can ‘crowd out’ your intrinsic motivations, so be careful that rewards (or penalties) don’t undermine good intentions.

). Writing down a commitment, and even going as far as signing your name against the pledges you make, is a surprisingly effective way of encouraging consistency in behaviour

That we have found the tendency to conformity in our society so strong that reasonably intelligent and well-meaning young people are willing to call white black is a matter of concern’,