Breakdown Goals

Benefit: Increase progress
Prerequisites:

Description

Most of the time we get stuck while doing something, it is because we are focused on a high level of perfection or the finish line. Often, the finish line is far away and our minds work against us, telling us not to even start. Breaking down a goal into the smallest, most easily achievable pieces will guarantee we achieve the small goal and increase our chances of achieving the bigger goal.

I had a friend who ran a 100k. After 30k, he was exhausted; his legs were tired, and he slammed to the ground. After 30 minutes of sitting, he asked himself, "Can I get up and walk 100m?" The answer, of course, was yes. He got up and walked 100m. When he was about to reach 100m, he asked himself, "Can I walk 1k?" The answer again was, "Of course". Before he reached 1k, he asked, "Can I run 1k?" Then he asked, "Can I make it to the next station?" By then, he was back on track. Then he hit another bottleneck and asked himself, "Can I rest for 15 minutes, then walk for 1k?" Eventually, he completed the 100k.

By breaking down the problem into guaranteed, achievable goals, he achieved the larger goal.

I use this a lot in other areas of my life.

• For example: "Can I just look at this task for 5 minutes?" I set my alarm for 5 minutes. By the time my alarm goes off, I'm already in the zone and want to work on it a bit more. Without this method, I might open up a game on colonist.io and play for 30 minutes. Thus, asking such questions helps me get back into the flow whenever I lose it.
• When I attempt a plank for 5 minutes, after 3 minutes, I often feel like there is no way I can reach 5 and want to give up. But when I ask myself, "Can I get to 3:10?", the answer is, "Of course I can". Then 3:20, then 3:25, and even if I don't get to 5 minutes, I make much more progress than I would have if I had focused only on the 5m goal.

This is a skill that needs practice to improve.

The main parts of this skill are as follows:

1. Figuring out the guaranteed, achievable small goal. If I asked myself, "Can I get to 3:01?", I would have said yes, achieved it instantly, and stopped. Therefore, figuring out the right number is a skill, and you'll get better at it over time.
2. Keep asking the question. If a person continues asking this question, they'll either witness true failure (muscle, mind, etc.) or they'll achieve their larger goal. Initially you'll be able to do 1-3 rounds of this. But as you get better you'll be doing this 10-20 or even more times.
3. Asking the question at the right time. Lets say my goal is to get to 3:10. If I ask, "Can I get to 3:20" when I reach 3:10, it's already too late, and my body will have caved in. Therefore, I need to ask the question at the right time—ideally a bit before the previous goal is achieved—so my mind has enough time to aim at the next goal.

Practice

1. Define a larger goal.
2. Start the action.
3. Ask yourself, "Can I get to X?"
4. Repeat step 3 as much as possible.

Example-1

1. I want to create a blog post.
2. Sit down in front of the computer.
3. Can I work on it for 5 minutes?

Example-2

1. I want to finish reading a 2-hour article.
2. Open up the article.
3. Can I read it for 5 minutes?