For the most part, I agree.
Yet a big goal can be daunting, and when we set the bar too high, the goal often doesn’t get accomplished, or doesn’t even get started. Procrastination sets in. Or the feeling of being overwhelmed.
So maybe there’s a different way.
Yet a big goal can be daunting, and when we set the bar too high, the goal often doesn’t get accomplished, or doesn’t even get started. Procrastination sets in. Or the feeling of being overwhelmed.
So maybe there’s a different way.
Years ago when Miss Mary and I moved into our first house, we
looked around at all the work needed and made an 8-page list.
We didn’t have the time, money, or expertise to do
everything all at once. So, we went the other direction. Instead of setting the
bar high …
We set the bar low.
That first day in our new house we simply unpacked our boxes
and ate a pizza dinner. The next morning we went to our respective jobs.
Then, slowly, almost unnoticeably, we started working on the
house.
Some items were easy to cross off. Like renting a pressure
washer and cleaning the driveway.
Some items were more involved. Months went by before we
tackled them. Like rotor-tilling the backyard, rolling and raking the soil, and
planting new lawn.
For some items, we needed to save up and hire professionals.
Like ripping away the old, rotting siding and having new siding installed.
And some items we never did get to. Like replacing the windows.
We lived in that house for 7 years. Little by little, we
crossed off three-quarters of our list. We ended up selling that house for
almost twice what we paid for it.
Setting the bar low means you tackle your goal in bite-sized
chunks. You don’t do a lot, not right away at least. What you do might even
seem inconsequential at first. But the “little” that you do is achievable. It actually
gets done.
For instance …
·
Want
better upper body strength?
Set a goal of doing 1 pull-up today. That’s
right. Only 1. If you can, do 12 reps of 1 pull-up today, and you’ll be well on
your way to being a pull-up machine.
·
Want a
better marriage?
Kiss your wife for 15 seconds when you come
home from work this evening. That’s right, 15 solid seconds on the lips, and
see what good things happen from there.
·
Want to
save for retirement?
Phone up your local investment office, and
put $25 this month into a mutual fund. Forget the lofty goal of saving 15
percent of your income. Start with $25.
·
Want to
be a better spiritual leader for your family?
Read 1 Bible verse after dinner, or when you
tuck your kids into bed. 1 verse. Any man can do that.
·
Want to hone
your mind?
Read 1 chapter from a classic book during
your lunch break. Or maybe only 3 pages.
Whatever your goal is, start small. Start doable. Then slowly
and surely watch your goal be achieved.
It’s an old joke, but it holds forth an extremely practical
principle … How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
Question: how are you succeeding at a big goal by breaking it down into
bite-sized chunks?
16 comments:
I like to make lists - but only for one day at a time.
Those darn lists. :)
Nice blog. I am afraid that now I have to start doing pull-ups! I will honestly start that again. I completely agree with you on the bite-sized chunks. We have been traveling/moving around the world twice now. This means, that all the money we save up in a few years, is completely gone every time we move. We have now settled on finding a nice place to live, and stay there. We already agreed on starting with just a few furniture items, and just save up for some nicer, more expensive furniture that we really like. slowly turn the apartment (or hopefully house) into a home, one small step at a time. So far we have been moving too much, but this is the plan for now, and I sure hope it works out. In the past we managed to do these things as well. Take some more time to achieve something. I do the same in writing a book. Small parts at a time, seeing the chapter grow. Funny..after reading your blogs I often feel very "relaxed" and have some new ideas to try out. Thanks!
SO true!! That's how I've built up a successful part-time business around my 2 young kids, and how I achieved a great physical transformation last year. Massive action sometimes, but mostly baby steps done consistently over time to lead to great results... to paraphrase Darren Hardy. You'd love his book The Compound Effect, it completely aligns with this post! I listened to the audio last year and that's what completely helped by shifting my mindset to digging in with those bite-sized chunks. I highly, highly recommend the book and/or audio.
Karise
I do that with SO many things. I break down getting my house clean, a little each day. In time, everything is looking good without me feeling overwhelmed. I break running into bits too. Rather than envisioning a 26 mile marathon, I think about getting through the first 6 and then the next and so on. If I'm running a shorter distance, I break it down too.
I do that with helping my daughter get through school too. Build the foundation first and gradually work your way up.
Great thoughts folks!
By the way Yuri ... I love this comment of yours--not quite sure why the effect is produced, but your comment made my day.
"Funny..after reading your blogs I often feel very "relaxed" and have some new ideas to try out. Thanks!"
You are such an encourager, Marcus. I'm facing two huge tasks that need these bite-sized chunks, because, frankly, they are so far beyond me. First, turning in my next Bible study series manuscript by Dec. 1st. I'm still knee deep in research and the hurricane of thoughts hurling through my mind on structuring the stories makes it hard for anything to settle down on the page. Then, preparing to teach/record the series in January before a live studio audience for DVDs. I'm so thankful that my text is Scripture or I'd be bonkers by now.
So today, I'm thanking Him for reminders (like your blog today) that one step at a time, trusting Him, is what He's called us to TODAY. I'm so thankful that He calls us into bigger stories than the ones we would have written for ourselves.
Thanks Donna--watch out for those hurricanes. :)
This seems to be a common theme around the web this week.
This is a great article on having the mindset to get things done. If we doubt what we can do, we are not going to be able to do anything.
As parents of children on the Autism spectrum, we are accustomed to breaking everything down into small achievable steps, it is the only way to get them to succeed at anything they do, and to cope with anything we do, without inducing extreme anxiety.
Good thoughts, both. Thanks for commenting.
Great advice. I break down big goals into little steps. Take running for instance. I broke it down into smaller goals and moved on from there. Completed my first 25K earlier this year.
Mark..thanks! I guess it's just because I often think a lot about the things you write about. You often provide the readers with some nice tips and insights, that often seem to be a nice solution to various situations. I like that!
>>
By the way Yuri ... I love this comment of yours--not quite sure why the effect is produced, but your comment made my day.
"Funny..after reading your blogs I often feel very "relaxed" and have some new ideas to try out. Thanks!"
In June, 1985, the bishop of my Mormon ward in Detroit told us that he couldn't read the scriptures every day for a year or even every day for a month -- but he could read them every day today. I've missed reading them fewer than 15 days in the 27 years since he said that.
I finally had the chance to cover this great blog entry from yoz marcus.
very well written!
Both way are effective. cause you reach your goal, even it is in smaller chunks. Sure there is the question if doing it one by one is efficient, but who cars. Sometimes you can't do both.
At work I reach my golas with detailed organizing and keeping track of them. Unfortunately the time milestones are mostly to short and you run out of time. But I guess that is a common problem in many businesses. I do what I can do. And make notice as early as possible that you can't make the milestone. So that you can find a problem solver for that as early as possible. And don't try to solve the problem all buy your own.
So now to the next blog entry.
T
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