The mind over matter. Most of us have big projects/goals in life to accomplish. It may be a goal like losing weight or building a shed or renovating a kitchen. It could be career goals, financial goals, or relationship goals. These goals cannot be accomplished overnight. Some of these may take a year or more. When thinking about these goals, one can easily feel overwhelmed at the size of the project. This overwhelmed feeling creates a mental block that for some, leads us to procrastinate or even forego the project all together. There are a lot of ways to tackle these goals, but I found the most consistent way for me to achieve these goals is by using a 3 part system.
Our motivation in the moment is dependent on 3 factors: the past experiences (memory), the present circumstance, and the future outcome or payout. All 3 of these lead us to a feeling about whatever task or goal at hand and can either benefit us or hinder us. If we have a negative association from the past, it will hinder us. If we are tired from a long day, that will hinder us. If we’re unsure about the outcome or confidence in a plan, that will hinder us. Knowing this and using personal reflection on my own experiences, I found little tricks to help elevate these mechanics into my favor. Here are the 3 steps to make “hard/long” goals more easily obtainable.
Step 1: Focus on the small, easily achievable next step
Step 1: Focus on the small, easily achievable next step. When we think about our long-term goals, it’s easy to see the mountain of work it will take to get there. And even though we know a 10,000 mile journey starts with the first step, it can be hard to not look at the long road ahead. Our minds will remember what it took to achieve other goals and it may have been an arduous process that we would like to forget. However, if we set really small and simple steps and count them as successes, you will take the mountain and turn it into a molehill. The trick is to know that each little step is a great victory.
Step 2: Utilize a hack to start building momentum. Once we start to see the simple and easy next step, it can be helpful to have some hack or trick to move ourselves into actions. A big challenge to starting something is overcoming the emotions we may be experiencing in the moment. It could be tiredness, lethargy, discouragement. Focusing on step 1 can overcome a lot of this but there still may be some emotions still lingering and holding us back. Having a mental hack/trick can help us get out of our emotional brain and into a more cognitive place where actions can more easily occur.
Step 2: Utilize a hack to start building momentum
One trick that has worked for me is the countdown trick by Mel Robbins. It’s a simple countdown method from 5 to 1 that enables me to build mental emotional energy to spring forward into action. Before this method, I would turn on some music that would help me focus. There are lots of ways to build momentum, you can find a way that works best for you.
Step 3: Stop Early!
Step 3: Stop early! Yes, stop early. This is especially important for people who procrastinate. When people procrastinate, they end up with a pile of work that needs to be completed in a short time frame. What this requires is a lot of work and requires someone to climb a mountain in a day.
That path to completion can be arduous, tiring, and difficult. Of course, the feeling at the end can feel good, however through this process we may make a lot of negative associations like projects are tough or they take a long time and are stressful. These negative associations can hinder us in the future when other projects arise and prevent us from taking the first step. Over time, this process will rewrite the brain to see long projects as very doable and even enjoyable.
So there you have it. A technique for making hard easier. Step 1: Focus on the small, easily achievable next step. Step 2: Use tricks or hacks to build momentum. Step 3: Stop early. Like all great changes, it takes time and consistency and I know you will get there. Be diligent and have patience. Happy Holidays!