One step at a time.

This video helped inspire me to take one step at a time:

In this video, Stephen Duneier talks about breaking down ambitious goals into single steps to do one at a time. In fact, I'm trying to do this as I write this article.

One example Stephen gives is if you want to read many books don't think about how many books there are, zoom in. Zoom in not just to a single book, or a single page, or a single sentence, but to the word.

This idea of breaking things down is one I've heard a lot in problem-solving discussions actually.

The main reason this is helpful is because it gives clarity and makes things manageable. This then gives one a calmer mind and the ability to execute.

Otherwise, it can seem like there is a single "big" decision that needs to be made when it comes to tackling issues; however, I think that if you achieve one step at a time, then that "big"/scary decision that is supposed to occur never really does, or at least becomes much less scary now. It's more like... let me handle what's happening now, and when I get to that, I'll figure it out. When you do come to any somewhat scary decisions you are calm now and have already made a lot of progress, which provides momentum.

On another tangent, this idea of breaking things down is similar but not the same as the idea of being consistent every day or sticking to a habit. In summary, this second idea is about doing something every day related to your goal even if it's just for a few minutes. This idea has spread like wildfire in the self-development/improvement community – the book Atomic Habits comes to mind immediately.

I think consistency works if you have determined the right goal, but also there still can be fear involved in getting started with that everyday "consistency" task/habit. Getting started is often the hardest part, and just focusing on the next proverbial "word" or "step" in the process can get things rolling.

Steps I Would Take Next Time I'm Overwhelmed

1. Take a breath.
2. What's the first thing I can do to get started on the task?
   1. Note: again, we tend to think of a particular step in the process that would be very scary, get fixated on it, and then freeze and procrastinate. While we may not take this step now and maybe it's not necessary, any step forward is positive - not in a fake positive way, but in a real sense. Any progress forward is forward and you will feel good (at least I do).
3. Get started on that.
4. Reflect.
5. Keep going.
6. Take stock.
7. Write down your progress.
8. Take a break.
9. Come back and repeat.
10. Take a longer break.
11. Repeat if time permits (see below).
12. Sleep if it's the end of the day (lol).

Reflection

Breaking down things can be seen as a technique. A technique that is very relevant, as there are many distractions nowadays and it can be hard to focus.

I don't view it as technology has inherently changed us, but that we are in an environment where there is a lot to look at. It is a good thing, but also an overwhelming thing. More and more people will need to figure out how to handle this. I will need to share these skills I learn now with others and maybe even my kids one day.

At the same time, though, breaking things down is a mindset. We should approach many things in our life that are overwhelming or "ambitious" (I think this is a good positive twist on overwhelming) as things that are fundamentally possible but require step by step action to make progress. Getting started, step by step, will reveal the next step. We won't know the next step for something we haven't done before!

Thanks for reading!