The Reality Check
Here on The Perch we talk a lot about change and improvement and how vital it can be to help you achieve your potential and to fully support your mission. The thing about change is that it can be hard to implement and even harder to maintain.
We are not all in a position of power to be changemakers or champions of workflow overhauls. We often don’t have control over the areas of our work or organization that we wish we could change. This can be frustrating and lead to mistakes, apathy and burnout. Meanwhile, habit forms all around us and we often adopt those that are already in place—especially when we encounter a process or workflow that has always been cumbersome or lacks modernization.
W. Edwards Deming, the father of continuous quality improvement philosophy, wrote that 94% of issues in the workplace are systemic. Only 6% are attributable to individual-level factors. Improvements, therefore, should focus on systems — not individuals. But here’s the problem: “Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure are deficiencies in the systems and process rather than the employee.”
“A bad system will beat a good person every time.” — W. Edwards Deming
Feeling like a cog in the wheel, unable to make things better, eats away at you. Having suggestions turned down time and time again can lead you down the same path. What do you do then? Give up? Leave?
No. You slow down and assess what you can actually do. Reclaim your agency and zoom in. We aren’t always able to fix the big problem, but often nothing is stopping us from attacking the small ones.
What You Can Control
First, let’s talk openly about what you can control and change. The list of things you’d like to be different or simpler is probably as long as your arm, but what you have the ability to do is often limited. You can still make small adjustments that have lasting effects and connect you more to your mission.
We do have control over our actions and ways of work, for the most part. I’ve worked with a lot of wonderful people who hated their jobs. Maybe I should say they hated how hard it was to do their jobs. Most were discouraged from making any improvements because they didn’t have power to fix all the problems. I’ve watched all-or-nothing thinking be the downfall of progress.
Nothing transforms overnight, just like habits aren’t formed overnight. Lasting change happens little by little. If we zoom in and notice all of the little things that make up the big challenges, it’s likely we’ll find something small we can adjust. Starting with your workflow and ways of work is best—you always have the power to work smarter or more efficiently. It can be hard to get more granular, but no improvement is too small.
Introducing the Just 1 Thing Challenge
I’d like to introduce the Just 1 Thing Challenge! It’s a call to action that isn’t audacious, doesn’t require budget or a committee’s approval. The idea behind Just 1 Thing is that our lives can improve through iterative transformation.
The challenge:
- Make 1 change each month that makes your job/life slightly better
- Make 1 change each quarter that makes your team or organization better
According to Dr. B.J. Fogg, founder of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University, large changes deplete willpower, which is a finite mental resource. Small changes, sometimes called ‘micro-habits’ or ‘tiny habits,’ are easy to perform even when motivation is low, preventing the brain from experiencing overwhelm and resisting the new behavior.
According to Sandra Wartski, Psy.D., in her Psychology Today article Smaller Is Often Better for Habit Change, “‘Microdosing’ change allows the brain and body to adjust to the shifts more slowly.”
The Just 1 Thing Challenge uses the same logic—make one minor shift each month that will add up to long-term sustainability. The time frame is also critical: the improvement is minor and the window is wide. 30 days is more than enough time to assess, identify, and implement a fix that makes your work or way of work better. And remember, these are supposed to be manageable, not stressful.
Monthly Changes: Your Sphere of Control
The monthly changes should be about you, confined to your way of work. This isn’t the process you don’t own, or the system managed by another department—it’s your inbox, your workspace, your organization methods, and how you interact with others. The monthly changes are yours and yours alone.
Start thinking about what those small tweaks could be:
Email & Communication:
- Adopt the 2-minute rule: if it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now instead of adding to your list
- Use strategic capitals in subject lines (DRAFT, FOR REVIEW, UPDATE, Action Required)
- Implement one email rule/filter to automatically route recurring messages
- Practice “one subject, one email”—no more asking 5 things in one message
- Reduce email folders from 30+ to 7-10 maximum (check out “Conquer Your Inbox” for the full approach)
Morning & End-of-Day Routines:
- Set a consistent wake-up time, even on weekends
- Prep the night before: lay out clothes, set up the coffee maker
- Block the last 30 minutes of your workday as “Day Wrap” time
- Create tomorrow’s priority list before you leave today (see “Tomorrow You Will Thank You” for the complete framework)
- Tidy your workspace before leaving each day
Professional Presence:
- Put devices face-down or in a designated spot during meetings
- Pick one device-free period daily (first hour of work, lunch conversations)
- Intentionally use your commute for decompression (playlist, podcast, audiobook you love)
- Practice the “Presence Check” before important conversations: “Do you have a few minutes to focus?” (explore more in “Here! Present and Accounted For”)
Workspace & Technology:
- Move one type of physical reminder to digital (sticky notes → task list)
- Clear one “pile” from your desk and create a systematic filing approach
- Delete one app you haven’t used in 30 days
- Turn off notifications for one non-essential app
- Set designated times to check certain apps instead of constant monitoring
Quarterly Changes: Your Sphere of Influence
Now at this point you have likely made three minor improvements to the way you work. They may not be moving the needle yet, but trust me they will. Over the course of those three months, stay alert and mindful of other small wins that can help you, your team, department, or organization.
The quarterly differences should extend beyond you and your immediate workspace. The changes should be minor enough that it doesn’t require any approval or budget but can still have an impact. Even the tiniest adjustment that’s intentionally focused on improving your team or organization and centered on your mission is a good adjustment.
The important thing to note here: do not move anyone’s cheese! You shouldn’t create a problem somewhere else.
Lead by Example—No Approval Required:
Meeting Excellence:
- Start “Agenda First” meetings: Create and share an agenda for every meeting you lead, even if it’s just 3 bullet points. Share the template when asked
- Practice “The 5-Minute Gift”: End your meetings 5 minutes early consistently
- Model “Device-Free Presence”: Visibly put your phone away at the start of meetings. Name it: “I’m practicing full presence”
- Apply “Send or Gather” principles: Use email thoughtfully instead of defaulting to meetings (Check out the framework in “Send or Gather: The Ultimate Communication Quiz”)
Communication Leadership:
- Practice “One Subject, One Email”: Model this consistently
- Send “Recap & Next Steps” notes: After every meeting, send a quick summary
- Create templates for your recurring communications: Share freely when teammates ask “how do you do that so quickly?”
Documentation & Knowledge Sharing:
- Document your own processes: Create simple how-to docs for tasks you do regularly
- Build your “FAQ Library”: Every time someone asks you the same question twice, document the answer somewhere accessible
- Share your templates: Meeting agendas, project briefs, email frameworks—make them available for others to copy
Workspace & Boundaries:
- Establish “Focus Time” blocks: Mark your calendar clearly and honor them
- Model healthy boundaries: Leave on time, don’t send emails after hours, take real lunch breaks
- Perfect your end-of-day routine: Visible preparation for tomorrow inspires others
The Key to Influence Without Authority:
- Name what you’re doing: “I’m trying something new…” makes it an experiment, not a demand
- Share your template/process freely: “Want a copy?” is more powerful than “You should do this”
- Wait for questions: When people ask “How do you…” you know they’re ready to adopt it
Listen for These Signals:
Keep your ears open—the struggles that are trivial but go unresolved are often talked about, or better yet, complained about often.
- “You’re always so organized, how do you…”
- “I wish we could…”
- “Why can’t we just…”
- “It drives me crazy that…”
- “I never have time to…”
These complaints are invitations to model solutions.
Your Challenge Starts Now
Let’s do the math: 12 monthly personal breakthroughs + 4 quarterly organizational influences = 16 intentional improvements in one year.
Sixteen ways to make your work easier. Sixteen ways that reduce friction. Sixteen small wins that add up to something significant.
I invite you to join me in the Just 1 Thing Challenge.
Commit to making one small change each month that makes your work or life slightly better. One change each quarter that makes things better for your team or organization.
That’s it. That’s the whole challenge.
Remember: You have more power than you think. You can’t fix everything, but you can fix something — and that matters.
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