Week 30: Small Steps (The Bullet Journal Method Book Club)
/Hello Sunshine!
Let’s continue to break down our goals from last time by talking about small steps!
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This week’s behind the scenes:
I took the photo and wrote out the words on the image.
Small Steps
Pages 166 - 174
Welcome!
Kim’s summary: Ryder starts with stories about three different experiences in following a dream. They all tried their dream out, but only one kept with it. The one who kept with it did so by starting small and trying out different approaches.
In order to effect change in a sustainable way, we can look to the concept of kaizen, which means good change. It “focuses on surfacing opportunities for incremental improvement. It’s an approach to problem-solving that takes the form of small questions…This is a powerful way to suss out achievable improvements, which makes it much easier to enjoy continued progress.”
Ask small questions through the lens of curiosity to break down your goals and focus on what you can work on now. This will help reduce overwhelm so you can focus on what you can do next.
Test out the small questions through iteration. “When actively embraced as a learning mechanism, it can help us grow.” It takes the form of the Deming Cycle of “Plan -> Do -> Check -> Act.” Continue this process and “if the change didn’t work, go through the cycle again with a different plan. If you were successful, incorporate what you learned to plan new improvements. Rinse and repeat.”
This process can be implemented into your Bullet Journal. “Each day can be viewed as an iterative cycle. The most straightforward way is to plan during your AM Reflection (136), do during the day, and check and act during your PM Reflection.” He states that you can do this process whenever you’d like, whether it’s daily, weekly, or during your Monthly Migration.
Better days are ahead. Ryder ends with an encouraging message: “This may all seem like a lot of work, especially if you’re feeling low, stuck, or overwhelmed. You tell yourself that you lack the money, energy, time, or will to tackle your professional goals, let alone your personal ones. Just because these thoughts are real does not make them true. Even at the very bottom, you have a choice. You can choose to focus on all the reasons why you can’t, or you can look for some small way in which you can. Find something, anything, that will make your life a little better.”
Discussion Points:
- What questions do you ask yourself?
- What are examples of small steps you take towards your goals?
Action List:
- Look at your Goals (150) and their Sprints. Break down the Sprints into Tasks by asking yourself small questions.
- Iterate every day (Plan: AM, Do: during the day, Check & Act: PM) for 1 month and keep track of it in your Bullet Journal.
- Ask yourself, “What tiny thing could I do tomorrow that would make my life a little bit better?” every day for one month
< Go back to Week 29: Goals
> Go to Week 31: Time
- See all of the The Bullet Journal Method Book Club articles
