Did you ever get your course syllabus in university and want to drop out then and there? I did. I’d look at all the projects and exams I’d have to do in the next 4 months and feel like it all had to be done by tomorrow.
Then I’d go in my dorm room, take a few deep breaths, get out my agenda and mark down all my due dates. Better. That helped me see everything spread out. But still not enough.
Next I had to break up each assignment into smaller bits and write down goals for each of those things to be done. That’s how I made it through post-secondary.
Somewhere down the line that’s fallen apart for me. But I always respond better when I take a big project and break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. Baby steps.
Baby steps break down an impossible task Click to Tweet
The nice thing about baby steps is they’re small, easy to accomplish, measurable, and if you miss one, it’s not the end of the world.
Is my house a huge disaster-bomb? I do one room at a time, or one job at a time, or set a timer for 15 minutes and take breaks.
Do I have a book to write? I set a time goal or a word count goal per day, per week, etc. Little by little, the book comes together.
What about you? Do you have a monumental task ahead that seems too big? Think about that job. When does it have to be done? Today? Next week? Next month?
Chip away at a monumental task. You can do it! Click to Tweet
Chip away at that great big mountain. Set yourself small goals and reward yourself at intervals. If you miss a goal, forgive yourself and move on. At first it may seem like you’re not making any progress, but as you look back, you’ll see just how much you can accomplish using baby steps.
Erin E. M. Hatton 
I feel the same way but the amazing thing is I develop “anxiety” if I don’t multitask. I guess I have to learn how to break it down so I can see that I don’t have to tackle so many things at once.
Yes – some of us can become anxiety “junkies”. I definitely relate to that. 🙂
I think parenting is like that – and home school too. 🙂
Yes, Kendra! I’m a mom of 4, and I’ve had moments where I feel like I’ll never be “done” teaching my kids. But then I look back and see how far we’ve come. 🙂
I find that for me, the only way to get things done is to make baby steps; to break the big things down into smaller, more manageable parts. When you break them down, they don’t seem as bad and makes the goals appear to be attainable, which they are, but a lot of times, our brains go into overload when it comes to a big goal or project. Smaller goals that lead up to the bigger goal is definitely the right thing to do!
~ Jodene
Definitely, Jodene! 🙂
Baby steps are important. Also to get my engines running I try to do the easiest or most quickest task first to get some motivation! Write it on my To-do list and scratch it off.
Great tips! I love to-do lists, too. 😉