Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the Queen Mary—the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there's a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trim tab.

It's a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trim tab. Society thinks it's going right by you, that it's left you altogether. But if you're doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go.

So I said, call me Trim Tab.

— Buckminster Fuller

Interview in Playboy February 1972

When I feel overwhelmed or that I can’t make a difference, I look for trim tab opportunities.

If the group I belong to is making a decision I feel is the wrong way to go, and nobody is listening to me, instead of becoming a victim, I trim tab. Who can I gain as a partner? What one idea can gain agreement on?

If I feel overwhelmed with the clutter in my space, I pause and trim tab. What difference can I make in the next 15 minutes?

If I can’t get to the ideal state today, what small steps can I take today to make it work easier for future Todd?