A gentle introduction to the most powerful question you’ve probably never asked.
Most of the time, we focus on doing things well.
We ask:
- How can I work faster?
- How do I fix this process?
- How do I help my team perform better?
- How do I improve?
These are good questions. Necessary ones.
But what if we’re missing a deeper one?
A quieter one.
The one that sits behind all the others:
How do we improve how we improve?
It’s a strange question at first.
It folds back in on itself.
But it might be the most important one we can ask — in work, in learning, in relationships, in life.
A Simple Model That Changes Everything
Douglas Engelbart — one of the early pioneers of computing and collaboration — gave us a deceptively simple way to think about this.
He called it the ABC model.
It’s not a formula.
It’s more like a lens — a way to see where we are, and where we could go.
Here’s how it works.
A-Level: Doing the Work
This is the everyday stuff.
- You send the email.
- You cook the meal.
- You manage the project.
- You build the product.
- You raise the child.
You show up. You get things done.
This is action — necessary, real, human.
But over time, if you only do the work, you start to feel stuck.
So you try to improve.
B-Level: Improving the Work
This is the level where reflection begins.
- You reorganize your schedule.
- You streamline a process.
- You ask for feedback.
- You study what worked and why.
This is learning from experience — and adjusting.
Most growth happens here.
But even this level has limits.
Because sometimes, the way we try to improve… doesn’t really work.
It loops. It stalls. It solves surface problems, but not root ones.
And so Engelbart asked:
What if we could go one level deeper?
C-Level: Improving How We Improve
This is the recursive level.
The one that changes everything.
It’s when we step back and ask:
- How do we notice what needs improving?
- How do we choose what matters most?
- How do we reflect — not just on outcomes, but on how we reflect?
This level isn’t about doing better — it’s about evolving the way we grow.
Here are some examples:
- A teacher doesn’t just revise their lesson — they rethink how they design learning.
- A team doesn’t just fix a broken meeting — they ask how they make decisions as a group.
- A friend doesn’t just apologize — they learn how to understand their own reactivity more clearly.
- A founder doesn’t just ship faster — they build a rhythm for sensemaking, not just speed.
C-level work is subtle.
It’s not urgent.
But it’s powerful.
It builds the foundation for long-term clarity.
It’s how people — and systems — grow wisely.
This Is Not Just for Work
This way of thinking can apply to anything.
- A-Level: You try to get better at listening.
- B-Level: You read a book on communication.
- C-Level: You reflect on why you interrupt, what you fear in silence, how your identity shapes attention.
Or:
- A-Level: You work out.
- B-Level: You improve your technique.
- C-Level: You explore your relationship to discipline, self-worth, and how you define strength.
This isn’t “overthinking.”
It’s deep noticing.
Why This Matters Now
We live in a world that rewards doing.
Sometimes it rewards improving.
But rarely does it reward evolving the way we improve.
That takes time.
It takes care.
It takes reflection — not just on what went wrong, but on how we even frame what “wrong” means.
The ABC model gives us permission to slow down.
To move from reactivity… to reflection.
To move from surface change… to root evolution.
And it gives us a compass, especially when things feel unclear:
Am I doing?
Am I improving?
Or am I improving how I improve?
Start Small
You don’t need to overhaul your life.
Just pick one area.
Something that feels like it’s looping.
Something where the same problems keep coming back.
Ask yourself:
- What might I be missing about how I’m trying to improve?
- What assumption is baked into the way I’m approaching this?
- Where is the system (or self) asking to evolve — not just be fixed?
Sometimes, the shift happens in a sentence.
Sometimes, in a season.
But once you learn to see this recursive layer — you can’t unsee it.
The Question That Changes the Questions
There’s a quiet strength in those who ask better questions.
And there’s one question that keeps unfolding — in work, in systems, in life:
How do we improve how we improve?
Not to be clever.
Not to be efficient.
But to be in right relationship with complexity.
To grow, not just quickly — but well.
A mix of what’s on my mind, what I’m learning, and what I’m going through.
Co-created with AI. 🤖
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My aim is to live a balanced and meaningful life, where all areas of my life are in harmony. By living this way, I can be the best version of myself and make a positive difference in the world. About me →