The Tiny Tweak to Create Momentum
The start of a new year has a funny way of messing with us, doesn’t it?
On one hand, there’s energy. Fresh calendars. New intentions. The feeling of possibility.
On the other hand, there’s reality—overflowing inboxes, meetings back on the books (or back-to-back meetings!), routines snapping back into place, and the quiet pressure to “do better” or “achieve more” this year than last.
Most people respond by adding something new:
A new habit.
A new system.
A new goal that requires more time, more discipline, more motivation.
While admirable and sometimes necessary, that’s also where things can fall apart. Adding more isn’t always the answer. Sometimes the better answer is getting better at what you are already doing.
Only you know what the right answer is for you. Often, it’s a little of both.
Here’s what I’ve learned after decades of coaching high performers (and through observations of my own successes and failures):
Ironically, those tiny tweaks can be used to intentionally and strategically engineer your next reinvention, or breakthrough.
Quick wins build momentum—not because they’re flashy, but because they create evidence. Evidence that you can move forward, even during re-entry. Even when motivation is inconsistent. Even when life is loud.
Instead of asking, “What should I start?”
Try asking, “What’s already on my plate that I could do just a little differently?”
That’s where the fastest results live.
🤏TINY TWEEK Challenge
Think back to your new year planning.
You probably have a short list of things you want to start, improve, or do better this year. The mistake most people make is trying to tackle those items all at once.
This week, I want you to do something different.
Pick one item from that list and make a tiny tweak to something you already do that moves it forward just a little.
Not the full habit.
Not the full system.
Just the smallest meaningful adjustment you could make this week.
Here are a few examples to get you thinking:
If one of your goals is better meetings, add one sentence to the agenda: “Decision needed.”
If you want clearer communication, start your next update with the headline before the details.
If you want to be more proactive, block the first 10 minutes of your day for forward-looking work before email wins.
If visibility matters this year, add one line to work you already submit that spells out the value it creates.
Don’t overhaul the system.
Don’t add a brand-new habit you have to remember.
Just tweak what’s already happening.
Then watch what happens.
Small changes compound quickly when they’re attached to existing behavior. That’s how progress survives re-entry and how breakthroughs are engineered, not wished for.
If you want to keep exploring how tiny tweaks turn effort into momentum, I have three podcast interviews coming out this January that build directly on these ideas. I’ll also be back in the studio soon with short solo episodes that extend the conversations we’re having here, on social media, and in my speaking engagements.
So join me in making one small move.
