The power of being unremarkable

Prajesh Chhanabhai

Change Maker I CROSSROADS Coach I Experienced Student Success and Engagement I Podcaster I

November 26, 2024

Over the last two weeks I have had the joys of attending some outstanding talks, meeting some remarkable humans, and as I think about my interactions and the messages they have share, I realised that

“You don’t need to be remarkable to become remarkable.”

Let that sink in for a moment.

I know, I know, your LinkedIn feed is probably flooded with posts about “crushing it,” “10X-ing everything,” and “massive action.” Trust me, I see these posts all day every day, and the number messages I get that tell me I can to any of those things has stopped making me fee excited :-) BUT I can seen how this constant pressure to be extraordinary can actually be the very thing holding us back.

Want to know something funny? The most successful people I work with often have the most boring routines. Yep, you read that right. While everyone’s out there trying to find the next revolutionary morning routine or life-changing productivity hack, these high achievers are just… showing up. Day after day. Doing the small stuff that doesn’t make for exciting social media posts.

The truth nobody wants to post about

Our brains don’t care if what we’re doing is Instagram-worthy. (Shocking, right?) They just care about consistency. It’s like building a house, nobody gets excited about laying one brick, but stack enough of them together, and suddenly you’ve got something pretty impressive. I have to acknowledge Will Smith’s book for this concept

Your brain loves easy wins

Researchers have found that your brain has a sort of “autopilot centre” (technically called the basal ganglia). This part of your brain absolutely loves simple, repeatable actions. Think about it, if something takes less than 30 seconds to do, your brain doesn’t even bother with the whole “should I or shouldn’t I?” debate. It just gets on with it.

Here’s the thing about your brain, it’s a bit like your phone’s battery. It has limited capacity for complex thinking at any given time. When you stick to simple, unremarkable actions:

• Your brain doesn’t get overwhelmed

• You learn stuff faster

• Changes actually stick around

• You do things better because you’re not trying to juggle fifteen complicated tasks

Small actions = strong brain connections

You know how a path gets clearer the more people walk on it? Your brain works exactly the same way. Every time you repeat a small action, you’re literally creating a stronger pathway in your brain. It’s like upgrading from a dirt track to a superhighway.

The really interesting bit? Your brain actually prefers building these pathways through small, regular actions rather than occasional massive efforts. It’s like telling someone their phone number, you’d rather do it in small chunks than try to remember all the numbers at once, right?

Here’s a mind-blowing fact: when scientists looked at people’s stress levels, they found that breaking big goals into tiny, “boring” actions cut stress hormones significantly. And guess what? Less stress means:

• Your brain makes better decisions (like, 37% better!)

• You remember stuff more easily

• You’re less likely to snap at <insert name of that person that annoys you>

• You’re actually more creative

How ordinary actions build an extraordinary life

Let me share some dead-simple actions that might seem ridiculously basic, but stick with me here:

1. Health and fitness:

• Skip the fancy gym memberships. Just walk for 10 minutes after dinner.

• Want to drink more water? Start by adding one glass a day.

• Stiff muscles? Stretch for five minutes when you wake up.

• Swap one processed snack for a piece of fruit each day.

• Park further from the shop entrance/the bus stop/work to sneak in extra steps.

These tiny actions might not feel life-changing in the moment, but over weeks and months? Game-changer.

2. Relationships:

• Send one kind text a day. “Thinking of you” goes a long way.

• Listen a little longer. Really hear what someone’s saying.

• Once a week, surprise someone with a small gesture—a coffee, a handwritten note, or even just a compliment.

• Say “thank you” to your partner, friend, or colleague for something small they did that you might have overlooked.

• Dedicate one evening a month to disconnecting from screens and spending quality time with loved ones.

You don’t need grand gestures to show you care. It’s the little things that people remember.

3. Career growth:

• Read one page of a book that’ll make you smarter.

• Spend five minutes at the end of your day writing down what went well.

• Reach out to one person you admire—shoot them an email or a LinkedIn message.

• Block off 15 minutes a week to update your CV or LinkedIn profile. Small tweaks keep it fresh.

• Keep a “done” list alongside your to-do list. Write down tasks you’ve completed to track progress and feel accomplished.

Over time, these small actions build momentum. You don’t “level up” overnight, but you will level up.

4. Personal growth:

• Write down three things you’re grateful for every night.

• Take two minutes to breathe deeply before a stressful meeting.

• Dedicate 15 minutes a week to something you love—painting, cooking, walking in nature.

• Keep a journal where you jot down one lesson you learned every day.

• Spend 10 minutes each morning planning how you’ll approach your day with intention.

Growth doesn’t always look like fireworks. Sometimes, it looks like quiet, steady progress.

5. Financial health:

• Save $5 a day. Doesn’t sound like much? That’s $1,825 by the end of the year.

• Set up an automatic transfer to savings. You won’t even notice it’s gone.

• Spend five minutes reviewing your bank statement each week to spot patterns.

• Round up every purchase to the nearest dollar and save the change. It adds up!

• Commit to one “no-spend day” a week where you only use what you already have.

Big financial wins start with small, consistent habits.

The SMALL framework

I’ve been tinkering with some of the learnings from various books, podcasts, reels, conferences and created what I think is a simple way to think about it:

S – Start surprisingly simple (Think: ridiculous-level simple)

M – Make it mundane (If it feels exciting, you’re trying too hard)

A – Accept average progress (Embrace the “meh” days)

L – Link little actions (Stack tiny habits like Lego blocks)

L – Let length of time work (Time is your mate here)

What does this look like in action?

Instead of “I’m going to revolutionise my entire morning routine,” try:

• Put your shoes on before checking Instagram

• Drink water while your coffee brews

• Send one work email before opening YouTube

See how boring these are? That’s the point.

By choosing to be unremarkable, you’re actually doing something pretty remarkable in today’s “crush it” culture. You’re choosing sustainability over show. Progress over perfection.

As always I have a wee newsletter call to action for you… and here it is:

1. Pick ONE thing from this post (just one)

2. Do it tomorrow

3. That’s it. Seriously.

Remember this the next time you’re tempted to overhaul your entire life in one weekend. Your brain’s sitting there like, “Hey, maybe we just start with remembering to drink water?” And you know what? Your brain’s probably right.

Drop a comment below: What’s the most unremarkable thing you’re going to do tomorrow? (Bonus points for boring answers!)

Off I go now to drink that one glass of water, till next week…….

Stay boring

Prajesh

P.S. If this resonated with you, please give it a share or follow Prajesh on LinkedIn.

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