BY JESSICA STILLMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, INC.COM@ENTRYLEVELREBEL

For Inc.

Photo: Getty Images

Anyone who has written for the internet long enough can tell you that people love the phrase “just one.” The promise of improving your life by changing just one thing, switching just one word, or asking just one question is irresistible. Who doesn’t like big rewards for a tiny amount of effort?

The problem, of course, is that what sounds too good to be true often is. You will not reinvent your career, reboot your personality, or finally lose 15 pounds by doing just one thing. But that doesn’t mean that promises that you can see real benefits from just one small change are always clickbait. Sometimes they come backed by Harvard research and a best-selling author.

A modest but meaningful improvement with zero effort

The key to identifying actually useful “just one” advice is to look at both the source and the promise. Is there actual, reputable research or expertise behind the claim? And is the author promising significant benefits or complete transformations? (If it’s the latter, maybe don’t waste your time.)

A recent quick but useful idea from best-selling author Dan Pink’s short video series Pinkcast ticks both these boxes. In it, Pink shares a tip for how to frame the question we all ask ourselves whenever we’re facing any kind of dilemma, from what to do next in your career to what to have for dinner tonight. The idea comes from a Harvard study that he helpfully links to.

“When we face those challenges we often ask ourselves this question: What should I do?” Pink says. That’s a fine question to ask but, according to the Harvard researchers, you can significantly improve it by changing just one word.

“They found that when people made a very subtle shift, moving from ‘What should I do?’ to — listen carefully — ‘What could I do?’ they generated many more solutions and better solutions,” he explains.