Line up your dominoes

Knock down one right thing and it builds momentum to topple progressively bigger ones.

Why it works

Progress is sequential: completing the right small thing builds the capability, confidence, and conditions that make the next, larger thing achievable — the way a small domino can topple a much bigger one. Focusing on the next correct domino, rather than trying to move everything at once, lets accomplishments compound instead of dissipating across scattered effort.

How to do it

1. Identify the first, smallest right action rather than the whole sequence.
2. Complete it, then let it set up the next slightly larger action.
3. Keep your attention on the current domino, trusting momentum to handle the chain.

Evidence

An illustrative metaphor backed loosely by self-efficacy and "small wins" research — early successes raise confidence and lower the perceived cost of bigger steps. The "geometric" domino claim itself is a vivid illustration, not a measured effect. Weick’s "small wins" analysis grounds the compounding logic, arguing that reframing a large problem into a series of concrete, winnable steps builds the momentum that makes the next, bigger step feasible. (mechanistic)

The domino imagery overstates predictability; real progress is messier, but the core point — sequence and compounding — is sound.

Sources

• Weick (1984), "Small Wins", American Psychologist
• Weick, K. E. (1984). Small wins: Redefining the scale of social problems. American Psychologist, 39(1), 40–49.

Common mistake

Trying to topple the biggest domino directly or push many at once, instead of completing the small right action that makes the next one possible.