Ouch! Every time the cost of gas goes up one penny, it costs the US Post Office $8 million dollars!

That’s not too surprising given there are over 200,000 vehicles in the post office fleet – I can’t imagine how many miles a day these vehicles travel! I recently heard a radio segment on how the postal service is addressing the problem of rising fuel costs. The solutions are mostly what you’d expect – negotiating bulk rates for gasoline, shifting carriers to walking or bicycle routes, etc. — however, I was impressed that they also analyze vehicle route down to the foot and adjust accordingly. They’ve reconstructed routes to eliminate left hand turns and u-turns that create backtracks, thus eliminating many minutes and feet from the daily routines and saving on resources.

Clearly small changes in complex system like the postal service can have a big impact, but this principal works in our personal systems as well. Most people find resources more limited these days. Prices are rising, of course. And most of us complain about lack of time. So what small changes can you make in your “system” to have a major impact on your life?

Here is an exercise to try when you don’t know where to start:

Over several days collect the small changes or activities related to change you wish to make as they come to mind. These should be activities or changes that can be done simply or within a 30-minute period of time. (Examples: clean the refrigerator, put away shoes; clip grocery coupons; wash the dog; write classified ad to sell car…)

Write the changes or activies on small scraps of paper and put them in a bowl in the center of your kitchen table or some other central place.

At least once a week, take a 30-minute “Change Break.” Pull any piece of paper out of the bowl and DO IT.

Your own small changes will add up big over time!