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If You’re Ready for a New Beginning, Start Small

Nora Riva Bergman

Summary

  • If you want to make meaningful changes in your life, start with small steps.
  • We often fail to start – because the task seems just too overwhelming. In fact, that sense of overwhelm is one of the biggest reasons we procrastinate.
  • Whatever your project or goal, break it down into small steps – infinitesimally small steps.
If You’re Ready for a New Beginning, Start Small
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How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
- Annie Dillard

The importance of small steps

How are you spending your days? If you’re like most lawyers, you’re too busy putting out fires to worry about how you’re spending your days. You’re too busy paying the bills. You’re too busy dealing with staff. You’re too busy arguing with opposing counsel – or sometimes, your clients. You know it doesn’t have to be this way. You know something must change, but what? The answer to this question is simple. But as I often tell my clients, simple doesn’t mean easy. The “simple” things are often things we already “know.” But the changing of our future depends on “doing,” not merely “knowing.”

For many of us, there can be an enormous gap between “knowing” and “doing.” You know you should eat right. You know you should exercise regularly. You know you should get enough rest. You know you should start working on the brief that’s due in two weeks. But what are you doing? Doing is what counts. And doing something requires – well – doing something.

So, what is this simple answer? Begin. Just begin. Small steps are the key to lasting change. Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” Justice Ginsburg was speaking about societal change, but what is true for society is true for us as individuals. The path to change starts with one step. In fact, the smaller the step, the better.

We often fail to start – because the task seems just too overwhelming. In fact, that sense of overwhelm is one of the biggest reasons we procrastinate. I once heard Angela Duckworth, the author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, speak about how to start a project. She said something that has stuck with me to this day. If we want to start a project, don’t just start with a small step. Start with an infinitesimally small step. Start with a step so small it seems almost insignificant.

There are several reasons for this. First, starting small sends a signal to your brain that you can do it. Heck, you’ve already started. Second, once you take that first infinitesimally small step, you may want to take another and another. Infinitesimally small steps add up. Finally, our brains don’t like change. Our brains like the status quo and will fight our efforts to change. New Year’s Resolutions are a perfect example of this fight. New Year's Resolutions usually involve big changes. Have you ever made a really big New Year’s Resolution? How did that work out? If you’re like me – probably not so well. I may have really wanted to get up at 5:00 a.m. every morning and head to the gym, but my brain wasn’t feeling it. Has that ever happened to you? “Go big or go home” might be a catchy meme, but if you really want to create a new beginning in any area of your life, “Start small and stick with it” is the way to go.

The future depends on what we do in the present.
- Gandhi

Small steps in action

Step 1

Get clear about what you want to do. Be specific.

  • Don’t say, “I want to stop procrastinating.”
  • Do say, “I want to start writing the brief that is due next month.”
  • Don’t say, “I want to start exercising.”
  • Do say, “I want to start walking for 30 minutes five times each week.”
  • Don’t say, “I want to travel more.”
  • Do say, “I want to take a two-week vacation in Spain in the next year.”

Step 2

Whatever your project or goal, break it down into small steps – infinitesimally small steps. For example, with respect to that brief, commit to spending 10 minutes working on the outline or just writing down some initial thoughts to get them out of your head. There is a concept called The Pomodoro Technique that provides an excellent process for breaking work down into manageable chunks. Commit to working on a project like your brief for 25 minutes – no interruptions. Then take a five-minute break. After five minutes, you can choose to continue working on the same project or move on to something else. Working like this in 25-minute increments is a great way to get started. You can learn more about The Pomodoro Technique here. I highly recommend it.

Now, how about that goal of walking for 30 minutes five times each week? Same approach. Start small. Commit to a five-minute walk each day. Time yourself. Walk for five minutes for a few days, then increase the time by one minute every few days. Yes, I said one minute. You are not only working on getting more exercise and getting healthier, but you are also rewiring the neuropathways in your brain. Just as a river carves pathways through stone, you can create new pathways in your brain. But just like the river, it takes time. Take it slow.

Finally, planning a vacation can be a daunting task. Remember, small steps. First step, and this one is very important. Block the two-week vacation in your calendar. If it is not in your calendar, it will not happen. Does two weeks feel like just too much vacation time? I know; I did say start with infinitesimally small steps. But when was the last time you took a vacation? If two weeks feels like too much, start small but start. Maybe a long weekend in the mountains or at the beach is a good place to start. Then start planning. Buy some travel books. Watch YouTube videos on your ideal destination. Engage a travel agent or someone to help you with your itinerary. Have fun with it.

Step 3

Now you’ve started—that’s the hardest part. Give yourself a pat on the back and acknowledge what you’ve already done. Keep going, one small step at a time.

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