Have you ever dismissed a small step because it feels like it won’t make a difference, or felt discouraged when you don’t see immediate results? We live in a culture that glorifies big leaps and instant success, but the truth is, lasting change is built through the small, consistent choices we make every day. The biggest mistake is undervaluing these small actions, often quitting right before the magic happens.

In this episode of the Positively Living^Ⓡ Podcast, I dive into the power of small steps and why they create big, lasting change. I share insights from foundational productivity books like The Slight Edge and Atomic Habits, and give you four simple steps to embrace consistency, build new habits, and trust the process.

I cover the following topics:

How cultural pressure for instant gratification makes us dismiss small steps and leads us to quit before we see results.
The science behind why our brains favor bad habits that offer instant rewards, while good habits with delayed benefits feel like so much work.
How the “compound effect” means that small, consistent actions accumulate into dramatically different outcomes over time, for better or for worse.
Four actionable steps to embrace small steps: reframing what “small” means, celebrating small wins, focusing on your identity, and using habit stacking.
My personal story of learning to play guitar to illustrate how small, consistent practice leads to significant skill acquisition over time.

Don’t let the simplicity of a small step fool you. The small choice you make today is shaping your future self. What will your first small step be?

The Power of Small Steps: How to Create Big, Lasting Change

Have you ever started a new habit or project with great energy, only to get discouraged when you do not see immediate results? We live in a world that praises big leaps and overnight success, but the truth is, lasting change rarely happens in one giant move. In fact, if you get frustrated and give up, you are likely stopping right before the magic happens. What if you learned to trust that the small choices you make every day are not as minor as they seem?

This article is for anyone who feels stuck, impatient, or struggles to maintain consistency in their goals. We will explore why we tend to dismiss small actions and give you four simple steps to build new habits that actually stick. Get ready to learn why small, steady effort always outpaces short bursts of unsustainable energy.

The Secret of the Compound Effect

We live in a culture that glorifies dramatic transformations and quick wins. We see makeovers on TV and expect instant results from our own efforts. But this mindset sets us up for failure because it ignores the simple truth that lasting change comes from the compound effect. This idea shows us that our small, daily choices accumulate over time, much like compounding interest on money. These small actions—whether they are good or bad—add up and build momentum, eventually leading to outcomes that are far greater than the effort we put in at the moment.

The big problem is that good habits often do not give us an instant reward. When you start a new habit, there is a gap between your efforts and the results you get. This is often called the “plateau of latent potential,” and it is where most people quit because they do not see immediate results. Meanwhile, bad habits give us instant gratification and a hit of dopamine, which makes them easy to repeat. To succeed, you have to be intentional and trust the process, even when it feels like nothing is happening.

Quick Wins & Key Takeaways:

Small, consistent choices accumulate over time through the compound effect.
There is a gap between starting a good habit and seeing results, which is why most people quit.
Bad habits are sticky because they offer instant, short-term rewards.
Trusting the process means believing that small, daily actions will add up to big change.

4 Steps to Make Small Actions Stick

Knowing that small steps are powerful is one thing; making them a consistent habit is another. Here are four steps that will help you reframe your mindset and build new, lasting habits.

1. Reframe What “Small” Means to You

We often dismiss a small step because it feels like nothing. We think “10 minutes of stretching” or “drinking a glass of water” is not enough to make a difference. The truth is, these small things are powerful, and they are also easy not to do. The mistake is thinking a small step is not a significant one.

Change your mindset by telling yourself a new mantra: “Small is significant. Small is sustainable.” A small step is the strongest bridge between where you are and where you want to go. It is what will get you through when you feel tired, overwhelmed, or are just beginning.

Quick Wins & Key Takeaways:

Small steps are not insignificant; they are the building blocks of big change.
Remind yourself that “small is significant and sustainable.”
Small, steady effort is always better than short bursts of unsustainable energy.
Find a small step that feels doable for you, even on your worst days.

2. Celebrate the Small Wins (Not the Outcome)

When you start a new habit, your brain needs evidence that your effort is worth it. If you only wait to celebrate the final outcome (like running a marathon or finishing a book), you will lose motivation long before you get there.

Instead, celebrate the act of taking the step itself. Track your daily actions, check them off, and reward yourself for the effort. This releases dopamine, reinforcing your motivation to keep going. When I was learning to play the guitar, I would celebrate when I played a “lick that sounded familiar,” not when I mastered an entire song. This kept me going even when progress felt slow.

Quick Wins & Key Takeaways:

Celebrate the act of taking a small step, not just the final result.
Track your actions and check them off to give your brain evidence of progress.
Rewards (like a small treat) release dopamine and reinforce your motivation.
Focus on celebrating the effort, not the outcome.

3. Focus on Your Identity (Not the Outcome)

This is a powerful mindset shift. If you only focus on the outcome—say, “run a marathon”—it can feel overwhelming and impossible. But if you focus on the identity you are building, the process becomes the priority. As a Greek philosopher said, “You are a writer if you write”. The act of doing is what defines you.

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to be. Do not aim to run a marathon; aim to become someone who laces up their shoes daily. My client who wanted to become a published author did not track her progress by how many pages she wrote. She celebrated the fact that she showed up and acted like a writer. That identity focus kept her moving, and she finished her book in under a year while running a business and raising a family.

Quick Wins & Key Takeaways:

Shift your focus from a big, daunting outcome to the identity you are creating.
Every small action is a vote for the person you want to be.
Celebrate the act of showing up, not the final result.
Focus on the process of becoming, which is a powerful motivator.

4. Use Habit Stacking

How do you make a new habit easy to start? Tie it to something you already do every day. This is called habit stacking, and it makes a new action feel almost automatic.

After I pour my morning coffee, I sit down with my calendar to review my day. After I brush my teeth at night, I floss. These micro-actions are so small you may wonder if they matter, but they create powerful habits. Habit stacking is a fantastic way to ensure consistency, and consistency always trumps intensity.

Quick Wins & Key Takeaways:

Tie a new habit to a habit you already have (e.g., after X, I will Y).
This makes a new action feel more automatic.
Habit stacking is a great way to ensure consistency.
Consistency always outpaces short bursts of unsustainable energy.

Your Path to Big Change Starts Small

The reality is that your life is not shaped by big, dramatic moves. It is shaped by the cumulative effect of your daily choices. The small steps feel hard because the benefits are delayed, but you have to trust that they are working for you, behind the scenes, every single day.

Here is your quick recap and action plan:

Reframe: Believe that small is significant and sustainable.
Celebrate: Give yourself a high-five for taking action, not just for getting results.
Identity: Focus on the person you are becoming, not the final outcome.
Stack: Connect your new habit to an existing one to make it easy to start.

I invite you to think about one small step you can take today toward a goal you really want and commit to it. Do not worry about how tiny that step may feel. Trust that it matters because it does. As a famous quote says, “What you do today matters. What you do every day matters. Successful people just do the things that seem to make no difference… and they do them over and over and over until the compound effect kicks in”.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!

Learn more about Positively Living^Ⓡ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/

Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit

CONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY:

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

Atomic Habits by James Clear

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Episode #227 on combining and stacking habits

(Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.)