The Domino Effect

domino

Domino (also dominos or doms) is a generic term for a set of small, flat, rectangular playing pieces that can be used to play various games. They are also popular as decorative elements in home decor, or for entertaining guests by lining them up on a table. A common domino set contains 28 tiles, though larger ones with more unique combinations of ends exist. The individual domino pieces are sometimes referred to as bones, cards, tiles, stones, spinners, or tickets.

Lily Hevesh first discovered the pleasure of dominoes at age 9 when her grandparents gifted her a classic 28-piece domino set. She loved arranging the dominoes into straight and curved lines and flicking them over to see what happened next. Now she’s a professional domino artist who creates elaborate setups for movies, TV shows, and events like Katy Perry’s album launch. Her YouTube channel, Hevesh5, has more than 2 million subscribers.

Hevesh’s process starts with testing each section of a domino layout by building it on a flat surface. She then films each test in slow motion, which allows her to make precise corrections if anything doesn’t work as planned. She works until she’s satisfied that each domino has its own unique personality and that the entire layout is working as a whole.

The physics behind a domino effect is pretty simple: A domino standing upright has potential energy, which it stores by being against gravity. When a domino is knocked over, much of that potential energy is converted to kinetic energy and causes the rest of the dominoes to fall as well.

In business, a domino effect refers to the tendency for one positive change to influence a chain reaction of related changes that can have a substantial impact on an organization. For example, a CEO may decide to institute new policies to promote employee happiness. Those changes may include a more relaxed dress code or leadership training programs, all of which could lead to better morale and lower turnover rates. As the employee morale improves, performance in other areas such as productivity might increase, leading to an overall business improvement.

In personal life, the Domino Effect is often used to encourage people to keep trying to build good habits and not give up on them when they don’t immediately take hold. It’s important to prioritize tasks and focus on the one that will have the biggest impact. Then, once you’ve mastered that, let the other good habits follow naturally. Then the domino effect will be in your favor.