Most of us begin every year coming up with a list of goals and resolutions, the majority of which are unrealistic and unattainable. When we fail to achieve these goals or keep these resolutions, we are overly self-critical which leads to a sense of disappointment and failure. And, by the end of January, we are back to our old ways.

Instead of setting big, lofty goals which most likely will never be achieved, what about taking a smaller, more manageable approach? Consider the mini-milestone. By breaking your goal into smaller, more manageable parts, you can create a roadmap that guides you step by step, keeps you motivated, and makes the journey more fun.

What are Mini Milestones?

Think of a mini milestone as one row of a large puzzle. How many of us have tried to do a 1,000-piece puzzle only to get frustrated and walk away? The mini milestone is like the bottom row of the puzzle that you build upon to create the larger image. Essentially, they are stepping stones towards your larger goal. Rather than thinking of them as items on your beloved to-list, view them as significant achievements that empower you to reach your overarching objective. Mini milestones are critical as they give people a sense of progress and accomplishment which fuels motivation and helps maintain momentum. You’ve heard people say it’s important to celebrate the little things-this is exactly it.

Why Mini Milestones? Mini milestones offer a multitude of benefits:

  1. Increased Focus: Mini milestones help us break complex tasks into bite size chunks, making them less overwhelming, more manageable, ultimately more likely to be achieved.
  2. Additional Motivation: Each mini milestone is a tiny victory offering a sense of accomplishment and increasing motivation.
  3. Boost of Productivity: They offer a roadmap with simple, achievable steps improving productivity as you have a clear direction and timeline.
  4. Less Procrastination: Simpler tasks are less intimidating, helping to mitigate the tendency to procrastinate.
  5. Maximum Flexibility: Smaller goals make it is to redirect where and when necessary, allowing your plan to be more adaptable to change.

Establishing Your Mini Milestones: Mini milestones are fun and easy to establish:

  1. Be Specific: Be as clear and concise as possible as ambiguity can lead to confusion and possible failure.
  2. Make Them Measurable: Write them in a way that you can track your progress and recognize when your milestone has been achieved. Be sure to celebrate the achievement!
  3. Be Realistic: Rome wasn’t built in a day, which is something that’s important to keep in mind. Make sure your milestones are truly mini so you can achieve them.
  4. Keep Them Relevant: It’s important to ensure that each mini milestone leads to accomplishment of the overarching goal.
  5. Set Deadlines: Assign deadlines and prioritize each milestone to make sure they get done in a timely fashion.

Now that we have talked about what a mini milestone is, why it matters and some ways to establish them, let’s look at examples of a big goal that can be broken down with the help of mini milestones-writing a book.

Writing a Book: From personal experience, I can tell you that writing a book can be VERY overwhelming. Not only is it a very insular experience, but the enormity of it can be daunting. But, if you use mini milestones to guide you along your journey, it can be manageable.

Here is a possible approach:

  • Mini Milestone 1: Research the subject matter
  • Mini Milestone 2: Develop the outline
  • Mini Milestone 3: Complete the first three chapters of the book
  • Mini Milestone 4: Complete the next three chapters of the book (You can develop additional mini milestones here depending on the number of chapters)
  • Mini Milestone 5: Revise and edit the first draft
  • Mini Milestone 6: Revise and edit the second draft
  • Mini Milestone 7: Revise and edit the third/final draft
  • Mini Milestone 8: Send manuscript to the publisher.

As you can see, mini milestones are a simple, straightforward way of turning an overwhelming dream into a plausible reality. By establishing mini milestones, you are creating a realistic and potentially rewarding journey for yourself as you make your dream come true.

Tag/s:Creativity, Education, Imagination, Personal Development,