The "Right" Change

How Do I Pick the “Right” Small Change?

The “right” small change is really any change that breaks your routine. It doesn’t have to feel exciting or life-changing—it just needs to be different. If it sparks even a little curiosity or feels slightly out of your comfort zone, away from your normal, that’s a great place to start.

What is Normal - Discovering Your Unique Norms - Habits

The tricky thing about habits is that they don’t announce themselves. We don’t wake up and think, Today, I will follow the exact same routine I have for years because that is what I always do.  Instead, it just happens. We take the same route to work, buy the same groceries, talk to the same people—or avoid talking to them—without really thinking about it. It feels natural, but it’s really just repetition turning into routine.

A while back, I realized just how deeply my own normal had set in. I had always made my coffee the same way—same beans, same method, same mug. I didn’t make a conscious decision, just something I did every morning. One day, out of pure laziness, I didn’t want to grind fresh beans and reached for an instant coffee packet I had gotten as a free sample. I expected it to be terrible. Instead, it tasted... different. Not bad, just not what I was used to. And in that moment, I realized something: I had convinced myself there was a “right” way to make coffee. But in reality, there were many right ways. I had just been stuck in one of them.

That’s how habits work. They make us feel like there’s a “right” way to do things, when in reality, there are always other ways. The same applies to how we move through our day, the people we talk to (or don’t), and even the ideas we entertain.

Picking Your Own Small Change From "Normal"

So how do you figure out what your normal is? Try this:

1. At the end of the day, think back to moments when you acted on autopilot. Where did you go, what did you do, what did you say?

2. With this in mind, ask yourself: If I had to do this slightly differently tomorrow, how would I do it?

3. Then, the next day, try that slightly different thing. A small shift—a new route, a new café, a different radio station, or saying hello to someone you usually pass by.

It probably won’t feel dramatic, but that’s the point. It could still be hard to do, because you have to think about it.  In my experience, you will be aware that you are changing something. If I were a dog, my ears would have perked up with attention.  Pay attention to that feeling of moving out of your routine.   Notice that awareness.

The first time I changed up my coffee routine, nothing revolutionary happened—except that I started becoming aware of my habits.   And once you start noticing habits, curiosity follows.

Over time, these small shifts add up. You realize that routine isn’t wrong, but it’s also not the only way. The “right” small change is just the first step toward seeing new possibilities where before, you only saw the familiar.