Today, we discuss why uncertainty means it’s time to initiate change.
Indeed, the following applies whether you are alone or working with a team.
Let’s dive right in because the best time is now:
Today's Lesson: Timing Change Properly
When starting is most sensible and effective
Number Of The Day
To decide whether to make a decision, consider how you will feel 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years from now. This is the 10-10-10 rule. It helps us focus on the bigger picture instead of getting stuck in nuances that appear important at the moment. All it needs is one time to take action and one time to turn uncertainty into order. We often underestimate how quickly a year goes by, while it only takes one day to initiate change.
If you ask anyone this question, it is almost impossible to get a “yes.”
If we frame our questions wrongly, we will tend to look at the wrong factors because our emotions often taint our evaluation of our prospects. Changing our perspective can help to see what our limited mental capacity otherwise excludes. For example, we can worry that budgets are not sufficient and hope that this will change, or we can simply use what is available, realizing that limited financial resources often lead to more creativity and lower follow-up costs.
The reason is rather simple: We can almost always imagine more advantageous circumstances.
Things can always be better. So why settle for the mediocre now?
The crux is that we are about to do something new. Therefore, we do not really know what circumstances “above-average good” would look like.
Importantly, our loss aversion is not just something we experience retrospectively. It shapes our behavior prospectively. Given that our psychology is inherently risk-averse, not starting becomes our default.
As a result, there is a strong incentive not to start.
An Emotional Reality
Moreover, we have to consider that we do not really feel the loss of not starting. If everything stays as it is, we do not perceive it as a loss.
Effects compound, both when taking action and when not taking action. However, we have almost no intuitive way to predict those effects. We all know that putting aside a little money now will strongly compound over time, but we generally don’t do it - it simply doesn’t make us feel much now and therefore provides very little motivation.
However, if we initiate something and invest in it and it does not work out, we suddenly have a clear baseline against which we can compare our loss.
So, how do we get to a “yes”?
We need to realize that we don’t need to win.
When it comes to sustainability in science, we do not need optimal or perfect circumstances to start, because we are not playing to win or lose. What we are doing is improving.
As you can see, we will not avoid plastic waste or energy use altogether. However, there are frequently opportunities to reduce them by over 50%. It’s not about becoming perfect, but about taking a step in the right direction.
There is no set of necessary starting conditions, just as there is no ultimate end to sustainability. Rather, we can, should, and will optimize at any point.
Therefore, there is no better time to start than now.
Embracing Imperfection
Surprisingly, starting at a “suboptimal” time can sometimes be advantageous.
When we start in a situation where some things are not possible, we face fewer choices.
As neatly outlined by this article where the jam example comes from, the paradox of choice is truly paradoxical, and we see it everywhere. Cross a certain threshold, and the more options you have, the more likely you won’t take action, even if the best ones are within the set. Therefore, driving change institute-wide is possible, but not getting overwhelmed is key.
In other words, we have a smaller pool to choose from, and action becomes easier because it is clearer what we should do.
And since we drive change in science, there is another nuance.
Factoring In Safety
As safety and robustness are core principles, starting does not mean immediately reworking fundamental processes.
How to drive change safely? We addressed this question previously.
Instead, it often means first gathering the necessary information and planning thoroughly.
Sustainability becomes a risk when people suddenly believe everything must change drastically at once. This leads to rushed actions and shortcuts that are anything but sustainable.
> Therefore, the concern about starting is often greatly exaggerated.
The point is to take the first step and set things in motion, not to fundamentally rework everything at once.
Why Now Yields The Biggest Returns
Starting early is valuable because it allows you to leverage the fact that things will evolve over time.
What seems feasible today might not be tomorrow. But once you overcome that challenge, your solution is often even more robust than the initial one was.
Pragmatically speaking, you need to see workflows firsthand and talk to people to understand what is possible and what is not.
Modern technology gives us the impression that everything has to be immediate. You ask ChatGPT a question, and you get a solution ASAP. Look at nature, and you’ll see that almost nothing works that way. There is a reason we let whiskey or wine age. There is a reason most animals go through a phase of learning and development. We feel under constant pressure and therefore don’t allow ourselves to let things unfold to their full potential.
With enough time, when challenges arise, you have the capacity to do research, talk to other experts, and approach the people you need at the right time.
Not to mention that new opportunities will arise the longer you invest. Often, those who succeed are simply those who survive the longest.
Give Them What They Need
Finally, you should also consider that change takes time.
It sounds harsh, but if you start too late, it may eventually be too late, because opportunities fade.
If leadership is currently supportive, delaying action might mean losing the chance to act once leadership changes.
Therefore, if you have some people behind you, seize the opportunity!
The same applies to colleagues. You don’t work with all parts of an institution at once.
As discussed previously, it is often a good idea to initiate change when things slow down or are just beginning, because driving change in the middle of a project is usually not ideal.
Some people will be ready while others are not, and this makes it easier to know whom to work with.
And if you have enough time, you will eventually reach everyone.
Applying The Knowledge
Believing that you must wait for the perfect time is a mental mistake, because there is no optimal time.
You do not know what “optimal” means, nor can you know when it has arrived.
The later you start, the more you potential you miss out on. Again, it’s not about rushing, it’s about being decisive so that you don’t need to rush.
So how do you know whether you should start now or wait another week?
As a rule of thumb, if a concrete hindrance comes to mind, such as an upcoming vacation or the end of a project, it may make sense to wait until then.
In other words, if your mind presents you with a concrete deadline, that can be the right time to start.
Anything else is often just uncertainty disguising anxiety or psychological inertia.
Can you open your calendar and concretely pin down when the "suboptimal circumstances" will end? If not, now is the time. In other words, if you can write your concerns down, they are often valid. However, once they are concrete, you can get an idea of how to solve them or whether they might resolve themselves by waiting longer. All in all, this is not to say that there aren’t advantageous circumstances, but we are rarely able to recognize them.
So what should you do?
I would argue that you should take the first step—one that is small but “irreversible.”
That is, instead of avoiding printing or reusing pipette tips, it should be something that proves commitment.
Reach out to leadership, contact a colleague, or write the notes for the change you want to drive.
Remember: thinking too much will never make you jump from the diving board.
How We Feel Today
References
Penndorf, P., et al., 2023. A new approach to making scientific research more efficient – rethinking sustainability. FEBS Letters, 597(19), pp. 2371–2374. doi:10.1002/1873-3468.14736.
Alves, J., et al., 2020. A case report: Insights into reducing plastic waste in a microbiology laboratory. Access Microbiology, 3(3), 000173. doi:10.1099/acmi.0.000173.
Freese, T., et al., 2024. The relevance of sustainable laboratory practices. RSC Sustainability, 2(5), pp.1300–1336. doi:10.1039/D4SU00056K.
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