To grow, measure progress in small iterations.
Small iterations are small bites. They make change feel achievable without you taking big jumps.
For example, moving your bedtime from 1 am to 9 pm is a big jump.
Your body will resist the 3-hour downgrade, and you’d have a harder time adjusting.
Compare to sleeping by 11:30 pm.
A 1.5 hour difference, earlier than 1 am.
A small bite.
Your body would resist, but sleeping 90 minutes earlier is easier to achieve.
The same principle applies to improving a skill. Talk to one person out of your comfort zone first. Then two, then three. Until you’re comfortable in a conversation with ten strangers.
Are you building a writing habit? Log the habit daily.
I wrote 123 words today.
I didn’t write today.
You’ll spot inconsistencies and understand why they happen.
I’ve been trying to stick to a sleep schedule. It’s been tough, so I keep a log of my sleep habits. I am more conscious of poor sleep patterns when I track the habit weekly, instead of guessing what went wrong at a Q1 review.
The smaller the steps, the easier the progress.
Same with building a new skill. Or starting a new project. Your question becomes what do I improve tomorrow instead of what do I improve this year.
The former is realistic and actionable. The latter feels like swallowing a whale.
The twist? Small iterations compound fast to produce big results.
–
Cover image from Kaboompics.com
