Are you an all-or-nothing kind of person? If you can’t find two hours to devote to your favorite hobby, for example, do you say, “Forget it! It’s not worth doing it at all.”
Admit it. If you can’t go for a 50-mile bike ride, you don’t cycle at all. If you can’t, become a day trader, you don’t invest in the market at all.
An all-or-nothing approach isn’t a good way to accomplish anything. This type of mindset stops you from taking action and achieving results.
So replace your all-or-nothing approach with a little-is-better-than-nothing strategy.
Use Small Time Blocks
I realize that, like most people, you probable would like to do many things. But you don’t do them because you lack time or can’t fit the activities into your busy life.
In fact, you can fit them in. You can do them—if you do them in small blocks of time.
Let’s say you want to write a book but you think, “I don’t have an hour a day or three hours a week to write (or whatever amount of time you think you need to accomplish this goal).” So you don’t write the book.
Shift your mindset just a little. Almost anyone can write for 10 to 15 minutes per day. If you did so, your book would get written. Yes, progress you’d make slow progress, but it would get written.
I have clients who have written for 15 minutes a day. And they now write constantly—even if it’s for a short blocks of time daily.
After a few days, you’ll probably find that that small amount of time gives you momentum…and desire…to write for longer periods of time. Fifteen minutes would become 30 and then 45. Before you know it, you’d be writing an hour per day.
15 Minutes Builds Momentum
You can apply the same principle to exercise. Do you not exercise on days when you can’t get to the gym for an hour or more?
The other day I went to the gym. I wanted to work for an hour or more, but by the time I arrived I only had 30 minutes. I had wanted to get there and have an hour or an hour-and-a-half to work out, but I didn’t.
It would have been easy to say, “Forget it. I won’t bother. I’ll run into TJMaxx instead,” but I didn’t.
I know, however, that every time I don’t work out, I lose momentum. I feel less like exercising the next day. If I work out consistently, I build momentum. And I feel more like sticking to my exercise regime.
So, I told myself, “I’ll just do what I can. I’ll get on the StairMaster, and I’ll work really, really hard for 15 to 20 minutes. Then I’ll do 10 minutes of core work.” I did just that, which was much better than not doing any exercise at all. I feel great afterward, and I keep to my daily workout goal.
How to Start Doing What You are NOT Doing
It’s time for a reality check. Make a list of the things you don’t think you have time to do or haven’t started due to your oh-so-busy life.
Then brainstorm ways to begin doing them. Maybe you want to learn something new. How will you take action to achieve your goal? For 15 minutes during lunch, you could watch an educational video, read, take an online course, for instance.
Do you not find time to read? How about reading for 10 minutes each night before you turn out the light or while riding the bus or train to work? You also could listen to an audio book while driving.
Now, put the action on your schedule. Maybe you decide that on Tuesday and Thursday, you’ll run for 15 minutes in the morning. There’s a shower at work, so if you arrive at work 30 minutes early, you can run and shower and be at your desk on time.
Block time on your calendar for these activities. Make them priorities.
A Little Turns Into a Lot
Yes, your life is busy. But if you know what you want to do and plan for it, you’ll find it’s possible to take action. And if you start with small blocks of time, you’ll feel great that you started. Plus, before long, you’ll find yourself building in more time—and moving quickly toward your goals.
You’ll also feel so much better when you stop doing nothing and start doing something—especially the something you keep saying you wish you could do. You’ll become a do-a-little-rather-than-nothing type of person and achieve a lot of amazing results.
What can you start doing a little of today?
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