When faced with a project, there is excitement, anticipation, and … dread. We like to do new things, and we get excited about the outcomes: the book, the painting, the new app, the new landscaping, an organized house, a degree. But then it hits us. The work, the long days and nights, giving up free time. Suddenly we are world-class procrastinators looking everywhere but the task at hand.
So what can we do?
The secret is breaking the task down into the smallest possible steps. Something that won’t trigger the dread, or the fight or flight feeling. Something that just barely registers as work. You do that, and then you take the first step. And then, you take the next step.
The Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” reminds us that every great journey must begin with the first step.
Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash