I talk to a lot of people who want to:
- learn a new skill
- start a new hobby
- improve a professional skill
- begin a creative project
- absorb and retain some new information
Nearly all of these people contact me because they’re having trouble getting started. They’re asking for performance coaching, and what they’re often actually asking for is a quick fix.
Here’s the quick fix:
Do one small thing on this new project, skill, or information today.
This idea has two incredibly simple and incredibly profound parts to it:
First, do just one thing. Really, only one. That one thing might not make you feel like you’re making any progress that matters. That’s okay. Don’t worry about how you feel. Accomplishing one small thing is always better than accomplishing absolutely nothing!
Second, do this thing today. Yes, today. Not tomorrow. Not on Monday at the beginning of a new week. Today.
Getting something done today is imperative. Too many people have this unreasonable expectation that there will be a future day, week, or month when they’ll have plenty of time to start working on something new. I’ve got news for you. That day is just a dream in your fertile imagination. You’re busy now. And, you’ll continue to be busy. Your future is likely to look like your today looks.
So, buckle down and do something toward your goal today. Getting that one small thing done will be a major accomplishment that will allow you to feel proud of yourself and start you on a positive spiral toward accomplishing that goal!
