Try One Thing: The Tiny Experiment That Changed Everything
What if the way to become a more intentional, strategic, grounded leader… started with email?
Not with a new planner. Not with a mindset course. Not with a dramatic productivity overhaul.
Just a tiny experiment:
👉 Check your email twice a day. That’s it.
That was the experiment I started two weeks ago — and it changed everything.
Not fancy - just focused. My two-week email experiment, on paper.
Why email?
I’ve always taken pride in being responsive. In a past role, being quick to reply was the job. It made me feel valuable, on it, useful.
And let’s be honest — sometimes it still does.
But lately, I’ve noticed something: the work I do now is project-based. It’s strategic. It requires deep thinking, not surface-skimming.
And constant email checking? That’s the fast track to skimming through your whole workday.
What I tried
Inspired by Anne-Laure Le-Cunff’s book Tiny Experiments, my PACT was simple:
✅ Check email twice per day
✅ Only check intentionally … not between calls, while walking the dog, or because “I had a minute”
✅ Give myself a checkmark when I followed through
Success wasn’t about inbox zero. It was about attention. Mine.
What I noticed
Within a few days, I felt more clear, more grounded, more present with my work.
Ideas flowed more easily. Projects moved forward.
And, maybe the biggest surprise, when I tackled my email list - it didn’t take that long after all.
There were slip-ups (of course). I gave myself a silver star one day. But even that moment taught me something: I wasn’t reacting, I was choosing. I was still in the project. I stayed in flow.
It’s a habit in progress. But I’m seeing the impact. (Progress, not perfection, is my new mantra.)
Then something funny happened…
A client, who was new to a leadership role, came to a session, frustrated with how reactive he felt. Last-minute scrambling. Pinged all day by notifications. No room to think ahead.
As we unpacked it, he landed on his own experiment: turn off notifications. Set email times. Be intentional about DND on Teams. Be proactive instead of reactive.
Different story, same insight.
Mine came from years of being driven by responsiveness and wanting to serve.
His came from an operations background and NEEDING to be on emails 24-7.
But we both discovered the same truth: mindless checking ≠ meaningful action.
If we were to put our words on sticky notes, here’s what emerged:
📌 Mine: Intentional
📌 His: Proactive
A peek behind the scenes of what keeps me aligned - my word of the year (intention), and some lovely affirmations from my coach.
How do you set your environment up to commit to your goals?
My view on this on change (and why this matters):
Most people think behavior change has to be big, bold, and public.
I think that’s a lie productivity culture sold us.
Big change doesn’t come from big gestures.
It comes from laughably small decisions, repeated daily.
Tiny experiments are quiet.
But they’re where the real transformation begins.
Want proof?
Just look at your inbox. Or better yet - don’t. Not yet.
Try your own tiny experiment.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, unfocused, reactive, or just... scattered:
Try one thing. Just one. It’s ok if it feels ‘too easy’ - that’s a great indicator you’re on the right track.
Start today.
See how it goes.
And if you need a partner in building a leadership practice that’s grounded, human, and sustainable, I’m here to help.