Part 7: Ask bigger, better questions

Most days don’t need more effort. They need a better question.

Bad questions close doors:

• Why is this such a mess?

• Who’s to blame?

Better questions open them:

• What’s the next useful move?

• What would make this 1% better by Friday?

• Who can lend me strength for this step?

• If this had to be simple, what would I cut?

A tiny story:

I was stuck writing, asking myself the wrong question: “How do I make this perfect?”

New question: “What’s the best sentence I can write in two minutes?”

Two minutes later, I had a start - and momentum beats perfection every time.

Checklist (one question for one week)

• What’s working here - and how can I build on it?

• What am I assuming that might not be true?

• What’s the smallest version that still helps?

• What would my future self thank me for by 5 p.m.?

Conversation upgrade for today

At your next meeting, swap one “Why didn’t we…?” for “What’s our next good step, and who owns it?” End with a one-line recap: Step, owner, timestamp.

One-minute practice for now

Write one stuck spot → ask one door-opening question → take one tiny action.

That’s it.

Better questions don’t just find answers. They change what becomes possible.