There are many ways to make decisions, some better than others. One tactic is to choose what’s familiar, to repeat, to copy, to imitate, to avoid change - to choose the status quo. This works, until it doesn’t.

Imagine a game of chess where 80% of your moves are restricted to patterns you’ve established in previous games. Instead of choosing freely move-by-move, in most situations a computer co-player simply makes the move for you, based on what you’ve done before in a similar position. I know nothing about your chess skills, but I imagine even experts with great track records would feel constricted in this scenario.

In the game of life our preference for the status quo is this unwanted co-player. If you were to mostly make the default move, you’d do alright. But not always. And sometimes you’d get it wrong in areas that matter.

And this is the reason I’m writing this book. The more I looked the more convinced I became that our exaggerated preference for the status quo is holding us back in more ways than we realise.

The ideas this week explore common sayings that keep us stuck, why we only change when things get unbearable and how small changes can lead to large outcomes.

I hope you enjoy reading them.

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1. Sayings that stick

Settling for the status quo is a trap. Don't be fooled by these sayings:

• "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

• "Go with the flow"

• "Leave well enough alone"

• "When in doubt, do nothing"

John Le Carré knows the danger:

"There's one thing worse than change and that's the status quo."

2. Small changes in the right direction

Big change seems scary.

Focus on a small change in the right area.

Consider these two dimensions of change:

1. Importance

2. Benefit

If something is important and there are large benefits to change even a small improvement can lead to massive results.

Here’s an example.

Struggling with productivity in your business? Try one "meeting-free" day.

In one study with 76 companies having a few meeting-free days boosted autonomy, communication, satisfaction and productivity:

3. The imaginary audience

Making decisions to please an imaginary audience?

When we choose an unconventional path we fear being branded an outlier.

A 2001 study shows how exaggerated these fears are. When imagining the reactions of others to our social blunders, intellectual failures or embarrassments people reliably overestimate the negative response they will receive from others.

People simply don't care that much.

This may seem harsh but it opens the door for a more brave and authentic way to function.

Time to say goodbye to imagined social penalties.

Read the study here.

4. Five reflections on change in a growing business

(After 15 years of getting it right and messing up)

Managing change in a growing business is hard. Here are some things I'd do better next time.

1. Don't vilify the status quo

People hold on to familiarity. Attacking the status quo can backfire.

2. Change for the better, not just for change's sake

Some new initiatives fail because they aren't better. Make sure the benefit is real and worth the resources devoted.

3. Convert influencers, then the masses

Win over key allies first. Their early adoption triggers a ripple effect of acceptance.

4. Hit the ground running

Announcing change too soon breeds anxiety. Start taking action right after the big reveal to avoid unnecessary fear.

5. Set a deadline

Change can drag on without focus. Set a firm completion date to ward off procrastination

5. When unbearable is better than ok

The region-beta paradox: stuck in “not so bad” limbo.

The Region-Beta Paradox is a psychological tendency to only act once mild discomfort becomes unbearable.

It explains why we tolerate things that aren't quite terrible. The dead-end job, the ok relationships, the task we have lots of time to complete. The uninspiring, but familiar - the comfort zone.

In business, we may ignore the early signs of customer churn and complaints, the inkling of team dissatisfaction, our sluggish innovation pipeline.

But, acting only when things hit rock bottom digs a deeper hole to climb out of.

Life's too short to act on every mild discomfort. But we shouldn’t tolerate the slide into mediocrity in the important areas that are headed for the bottom.

Being deliberately aware of what’s important and what is sliding should be an ongoing process, before reaching an all-time low.

Hit reply to me know which of these ideas struck a chord or to share your own take on getting unstuck.

Thanks for reading.

Henk