When you want to make progress on those big, scary, hairy audacious goals, it’s sometimes not enough to break them down into small manageable pieces. Sometimes, you have to really get into the habit of working on them.
For example, I’ve been working on a 31 runs in 31 days challenge as part of getting ready to run my first half marathon in October. At first, it was rough to make sure I got my run in, but after a week, it became habit, and after 2 weeks, making sure I keep up my run streak became just part of planning my day.
Lots of productivity gurus suggest not breaking the chain
When it comes to your goals, set a goal to work on your big goal once a day for a month. There’s a huge psychological benefit to creating a chain where you’re doing something every day. Not only does that activity become a habit, but it also makes you less likely to break the chain.
For example, if you want to launch a new business, commit to working on that at least an hour a day every day for a month. A month isn’t so bad, right? An hour is a manageable chunk of time but if that seems like too much, then 30 minutes, or even just 15 minutes, will propel you forward. In any case, set a minimum time.
In my running example, I started out with 1 mile as my minimum distance. I usually run more than that now. But knowing that I can just do a mile as a way to meet my obligation helps on the days that I’m not feeling it. Figure out what that time is for you on your goal, and set it.
Be accountable to others
Announce what you’re trying to accomplish and check in on your streak. Every day, I post a photo of either something I saw on my run or myself with the streak day number to Instagram and Facebook. I also track my miles in my running app. By having a way to keep accountable, it helps motivate me to keep going. What can you do to keep yourself accountable?
What goal will you accomplish by starting a #streak of action toward it? Let me know in the comments!
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Published by Ronda Bowen
Hello there, and welcome to my page! I have been working as a full-time freelance writer and editor since 2008 when I decided that while I rather enjoyed philosophy, the Ph.D. program I was in was not a good fit for my life goals. Since then, I have published many papers and articles, started two blogs, worked as a senior editor for a magazine, served on the board of a start-up non-profit organization, and walked across fire.
I strongly believe that it is important to work to make the world a better place – one project at a time. I’ve worked with Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program to construct living quarters for those in need, written content for Stonewall Alliance, and edited the newsletter for my local natural foods cooperative. One of the blogs I founded, Activism My Way is dedicated to helping people get involved with causes they feel passionate about.
Although my academic background is in philosophy and social and political theory, my heart has always been in writing fiction and poetry. I have a novel in progress, and I am working on putting together a collection of short stories to share with readers. I also worked as part of a creative team on a project with a hip hop artist that involved world-building and creating an amazing back story to a concept album. I have worked with several authors to edit their novels (as well as dissertations, children’s books, journal articles, and non-fiction projects).
Non-fiction topics I have written about include pop culture and philosophy, project management, business startups and management, insurance, technology, and much more. I also have created web content for a wide variety of clients (ranging from gas station owners to hotels to lawyers), and I’ve had an opportunity to interview some amazing people (Michele May, Kevin Sorbo, Barbara Taylor Bradford, and Mark Victor Hansen to name only a few). Needless to say, I love what I do.
I enjoy photography, and my subjects these days are usually my children as well as food, beverages, craft projects, and other such things for my blog, Wining Wife™. My favorite subjects are landscapes, nature (particularly clouds, flowers, and trees), and architecture.
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Ronda Bowen 