Kick Overwhelm To The Curb By Breaking It Down Into Baby Steps
Dec 06, 2020
As I've already discussed, it's important that your goals and resolutions be somewhat challenging, but not too overwhelming. Something that's easy to accomplish may not seem worth doing and probably won't make much of an impact on your life. On the other hand, if it seems impossible, you might not even want to try to accomplish that task.
Setting an objective to a challenging level that's somewhere in the middle is usually best, but even these realistic desires can seem way too much at times. So what do you do? Giving up isn't an option. You want to be successful at keeping your resolution this time. The answer actually isn't that difficult. You can easily kick overwhelm to the curb by breaking things down into baby steps. Keep reading, and I'll show you how it's done.
Define It
First, you'll want to be sure you have a well-defined goal. It should have all the SMART components we've mentioned before. When you follow these guidelines, you'll have a target that's actionable and can be broken down into manageable pieces. You'll have a task ahead of you that can be measured and that has an end point. Now you just need to move forward to figure out the best way to take control of this big dream.
Break It Down
You gain control by breaking it down. If you want to write a book, you probably don't want to just start typing and hope for the best. Instead, figure out the steps that will get it done. Go as small or micro as you need to in order to feel comfortable. If it all seems like just too much, try to come up with the smallest baby steps possible to take so that you'll at least be doing something. Perhaps a trip to the library or museum for historical research can be your jumping off point. If you're a history buff, this will be a fun activity without that intimidation factor, but it will also be undertaking a necessary step toward writing your masterpiece.
Get Out the Map
Next, you'll want to set milestones for when you'll complete each step. This will not only keep you moving forward and on track to reaching your goal, but it's also a great way to trick your brain. You'll be able to check each one off as it's completed and see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. That's very powerful when it comes to managing overwhelm. Consider going even further by coming up with one baby step you can take each day toward fulfilling your desire. This way you'll always be moving ahead.
Follow these guidelines to breaking your goals into baby steps. Mini actions are far less intimidating than grand plans. Yet you can achieve the same results with both.
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