Switch How to Change Things when Change is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

I bought this on the basis of a few minutes browsing, and I'm really glad I did. Hardcover, 258 pages of text. Even though I just finished it, I'm going to read it again, and take some notes. Here is the essence of the book in bullet points, which I hope is a teaser for you to read it.

• Direct the Rider
• follow the bright spots
• script the critical moves
• point to the destination
• Motivate the Elephant
• find the feeling
• shrink the change
• grow your people
• Shape the Path
• tweak the environment
• build habits
• rally the herd

Lots of projects that involve change like to use the word milestones. When that's too big, start with inchpebbles instead. I love it!

The book is full of practical useful advice about how to start change. Not just on a corporate level, but on a personal level as well. One small example that falls under 'tweak the environment' is that I'm really bad for checking email. Even if there isn't the 'new email' sound, I'll still check. Which is very distracting if I'm actually working on something, or should be. So what I'm going to do is check my mail in the morning and do whatever is needed, then turn it off. I'll check it again about lunch time, then turn it off. The same about 4pm.