Someone you know gets an unexpected promotion at work, a friend you haven’t seen in a while has lost a lot of weight, or your neighbor who you usually see lounging around the yard is now running every day. In reality, these events do not happen by luck alone. In fact, someone put time and effort behind these accomplishments. Thankfully, you can accomplish your own goals or change your habits with small wins through the power of micro-progress.
What is Micro-Progress?
Think of micro-progress as baby steps toward a larger goal. In other words, take any goal and break it down into several smaller and easier-to-achieve tasks. These tasks should be quick and easy to complete and usually take less than five minutes. Sometimes, that is all you need to get started. On the other hand, if you’re short on time or energy, do one task and celebrate a small win. Regardless of how much you do, micro-progress keeps you moving toward your goals, even if it’s just a tiny amount.
Celebrate the Small Wins
Celebrating doesn’t have to be a party (unless you want it to be), but a mindful moment that you accomplished something. Micro-progress helps keep you motivated, especially for changes that take time and energy. So celebrate every 1,000 steps taken, each pound lost, and every time you do something that takes you one step closer to your goal. Change can be hard, but micro-progress is a great way to keep you moving forward.
Why is Change Hard?
According to the book EXERCISED: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding, we are inherently lazy because that’s how our brains are wired. Think about the time when we were hunters and gatherers. People had to hunt for food and do a lot of manual labor to survive. Therefore, physical activity was a normal part of their daily routine because their survival depended on it. Food wasn’t as abundant as it is today, and it could be days between meals. As a result, our bodies evolved to conserve energy whenever it can. This includes all those brain signals that tell us to avoid change and physical activity.
Fortunately, we can change with some discipline and effort. It can be easier when we do a little bit at a time using the power of micro-progress.
Plan with Micro-Progress in Mind
It doesn’t matter whether your goals are big or small. You can break them down into smaller chunks and start making micro-progress. Do you need to clean the house? Then, clean one surface today. Do you want to write more? Start with writing just one paragraph. If you’re still motivated after, then keep going!
On the other hand, maybe you want to do something more ambitious, like running in a 5k race. After discussing it with your doctor, you could start running for only 1 minute. Then, after three days, increase it by 1 minute. Those small wins will add up! After one month, you’ll be running 10 minutes straight, and your overall health will have improved. If you keep going, you’ll be ready to run that 5k after a few months.
| Day | Minutes | Day | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 16 | 6 |
| 2 | 1 | 17 | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | 18 | 6 |
| 4 | 2 | 19 | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | 20 | 7 |
| 6 | 2 | 21 | 7 |
| 7 | 3 | 22 | 8 |
| 8 | 3 | 23 | 8 |
| 9 | 3 | 24 | 8 |
| 10 | 4 | 25 | 9 |
| 11 | 4 | 26 | 9 |
| 12 | 4 | 27 | 9 |
| 13 | 5 | 28 | 10 |
| 14 | 5 | 29 | 10 |
| 15 | 5 | 30 | 10 |
Improving Your Odds Even More
It’s important to do what works best for you. As long as you do a little bit each day, you’ll be moving closer to your goal. Once you start making progress, you’ll see your efforts working.
You can increase your chances of success by making yourself accountable, such as announcing your intentions to others or tracking your progress. Tracking yourself lets you monitor your efforts and visualize your accomplishments. Furthermore, you’ll gain insight into what’s working or what efforts may need adjustments. As a result, you could reach your goals more quickly.
The Takeaway
Accomplishing your goals can be overwhelming. Goals can take time and may have a lot of steps before you reap the rewards. However, when you break it into smaller chunks, no goal is too large. Each chunk represents a step toward your goal. Micro-progress lets you inch toward your overall goal, like fitting one puzzle piece into the puzzle. In time, you’ll have the entire puzzle together.
So, what’s stopping you? Start breaking down your goals now and take advantage of micro-progress. Good luck!
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Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
