How to build something great -- 10 minutes at a time
When we set a goal, we usually set a very lofty one -- we're going to lose 10 lbs, we're going to build a hugely successful company, we're going to run a marathon, we're going to be promoted to CEO one day of this company... all amazing goals to aspire to.
Where we fall down, however, is in the time of it. Setting the goal is an important first step. (And making sure you're clear on "Why" this goal is important -- what is it that you're really after? Why does this goal speak to you?)
Once you've done that though, what next? If you're like me, you are likely impatient and want the results immediately. Let's say I want to lose 10 lbs, because maybe after a year of working from home I've gained some weight (hypothetically speaking, of course), and my "why" is because I want to feel healthier, and more fit again -- then great. That goal matters to me. I'm clear on my why.
...But I still haven't lost my 10lbs, and it's been like an entire 15 seconds since I decided it was important to me. Why haven't I lost it yet? Ok I guess I need to give it more time. Maybe I'll go for a run today. So I go for a run...and I weigh myself the next morning, and it looks like I've *gained* weight instead. Ugh, this whole losing 10 lbs thing is too much, so I'll just forget about it.
That's how so much of my life goes, when it comes to goal setting. I have this grand idea. It sounds fabulous. I do all the work of imagining it, building that vision, wanting it so badly. And then....I don't see the results fast enough, I get discouraged, and I stop.
Here's the big aha moment that I had recently -- I didn't *gain* those 10 lbs over night, either. It happened through months of time -- eating a little bit more every day ,moving a little bit less. I didn't suddenly go from feeling fit and healthy to carrying this extra weight. It was a subtle and slow gain.
That's the key right there. Gaining the weight didn't happen overnight. Losing it won't either.
It's the little steps -- the little amount of time you put in every day, with every choice, that add up to the goal that you want.
That's how I think about my time when I use TimeTag. What's 10 minutes of meditating every day? It's just 10 minutes. 10 minutes is nothing -- that's less than half an episode of a regular sitcom show. That's about the time it takes me to walk to a coffee shop and back in my neighborhood. That's a fast phone call with a friend.
But 10 minutes every day for a week, well that's over an hour. 10 minutes everyday for a month? That's 5 hours worth of sitting still. Every day for a year? 60 hours. *60 hours*. Of sitting still, feeling my breath, training my mind to relax and not jump at emotions and be endlessly chattering away.
If I told you to start meditating tomorrow, you would need to sit still for literally 2.5 days, without eating, moving, or even drinking water-- would you do it? Hell no. Even if you could accomplish that, it certainly wouldn't be the way to build a mindfulness practice. You'd burn out, you'd feel so tired at the end of it, and you'd probably never touch meditating again.
The magic happens because you set aside that small bit of time every day. You can do this with anything. Want to lose the 10 lbs that you gained over the last year? Walk for an extra 10 minutes a day, or take the stairs instead of the elevator, or walk your dog an extra 10 or 15 minutes if you're already out. Maybe portion out one less spoonful with each meal. Have 1 less bite of that delicious dessert you treat yourself with every day. Take 1 less M&M when you are feeling like having a snack.
Those choices add up so fast. Before you know it, the 10lbs will be gone (in a sustainable fashion), and you'll be back at feeling your best self.
Want to launch a business? What's one thing you can do today to take a step toward that? What's another small thing you can do tomorrow? Set a goal using TimeTag Goal's feature to spend literally just 1 hour a week -- less than 10 minutes a day -- to make progress on your company. By year's end, you'll have at least 52+ hours worth of progress on it -- likely way more, because the magic of this is that as you build progress, the progress speeds up like a snowball rolling down a mountain.
What goal matters most to you right now? What little thing can you do to step towards it? Download TimeTag (for free), start timing yourself, and see what can happen after a week, or month, or year of making that progress. You've got this!