Small Gains for Big Results
Anyone involved with savings and investments understands that consistently adding a little over time has large gains in the end. And, you may have heard that a small drop of water that consistently drips on a large rock will eventually break the rock. That same principle applies to everything in life. Taking small steps will eventually lead to long strides.
With that in mind, let’s think about some of the projects that you may have in mind to complete for the year. There are three major projects that I have planned to complete throughout the year. I am planning on having a book finished by the July; the middle of the year and an animated comic with an accompanying book by November; the end of the year.
I have a couple of friends that are pushing me to complete these tasks. It seems to be my nature to work on several projects at once, which generally means that some projects that should be priority are generally pushed to the back in favor of projects that give the appearance of immediacy.
What my friends are helping me to do is to focus on those three projects by requiring that I work on them a little each day. This requires a little discipline and focus. Actually, I should say, a lot of discipline and focus. I’m disciplined to get other people’s work out and completed, but to discipline myself to work on my own material has always been a challenge.
When it comes to completing work, I’ve tended to work in large chunks, either under the pressure of deadlines or in large chunks to get it finished to move on to other work. What I’m seeing though, is that the principle of a little, consistently over time is really working. It is allowing me to work on more projects and devote full focused attention on tasks at hand. Instead of trying to live in the future, I can now live in the present, with an eye on the future.
As you think about the projects that you have planned for the year, find a couple of friends that would be committed to keeping you accountable for consistently completing a little amount of work on a project over time for a certain amount of time. You may find that you too will be more focused and under less stress to complete your projects.
In short, you may find yourself enjoying the journey to complete the project.