Small Move, Big Change - by Caroline L Arnold (Paperback)

About the Book

"First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2014"--Title page verso.

Book Synopsis

"The most useful guide to getting things done since Getting Things Done."
--Adam Grant, author of Give and Take

Learn how small behavioral changes can lead to major personal and professional self-improvement

Whether trying to lose weight, save money, get organized, or advance on the job, we're always setting goals and making resolutions, but rarely following through on them. According to longtime Wall Street technology strategist Caroline Arnold, the "big push" strategy of the New Year's resolution is designed to fail, because it broadly pits our limited willpower stores against an autopilot of entrenched behaviors and attitudes that is far more powerful. To change ourselves permanently, we need to focus our self-control on precise behavioral targets and overwhelm them. Small Move, Big Change is Arnold's guide to turning broad personal goals into meaningful and discrete behavioral changes that lead to permanent improvement. Providing scores of engaging real-world examples and new scientific findings, she shows us that while the traditional resolution promises rewards on a distant "someday," microresolutions work because they reward us today by instantly altering our routines and, ultimately, ourselves.

Review Quotes

"Small Move, Big Change is a rare self-improvement book that actually works. With the right mix of science and practical examples, Caroline Arnold offers powerful advice for motivating ourselves to save more, eat less, get organized, boost our willpower, and even keep our New Year's resolutions. It's the most useful guide to getting things done since Getting Things Done."
--Adam Grant, Wharton professor and bestselling author of Give and Take

"Rich...Wisdom from time immemorial--take it a day at a time and moderation in all things--reworked by Arnold to morph broad goals into manageable, measurable microresolutions."--Kirkus

"The only thing this book did for me was to get me to floss regularly, which led to less red wine, which led to snapping at my kids less, which led to them doing the dishes more. Who knew that flossing could change your life?
--Dr. Wendy Walsh, CNN's Human Behavior Expert

"Didn't expect to -- but I love this book! From page one, Small Move, Big Change is filled with wisdom, insight, and whip-smart "micro" suggestions you can actually implement to change your life. Caroline Arnold manages to be funny, down to earth, and hard-hitting all at the same time. This is a must-read."
- Amy Chua, Yale Law professor and author of Battle of the Tiger Mother and The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups

About the Author

Caroline Arnold has been a technology leader on Wall Street for more than a decade, managing some of the financial industry's most complex and visible assignments. She received the Wall Street & Technology Award for Innovation for building the auction system for the Google IPO, and her name appears on technology patents pending. She now serves as a managing director at a leading Wall Street investment bank. Arnold grew up in the San Franciso Bay Area and graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a degree in English literature. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.