The hardest part of figuring out how to achieve your goals can be finding a place for them on an ordinary Tuesday.
You get through the workday, take care of what needs doing at home, and finally sit down. Somewhere in the middle of all that is something you’ve wanted to do for years. You still think about it. You might even know how you’d start. And yet another Tuesday goes by.
One day like that doesn’t seem like much. But when the dream is always the thing you’ll get to once everything else is handled, a year can pass without much changing. I know how easy it is to get there. I put off writing my book for a while, too.
What Do You Want, and Why Does It Matter?
Before I’d try to squeeze anything into my calendar, I’d get clear about what I actually want. “I’d like to write a book someday” can sit comfortably in the back of your mind for a long time. “I want to finish a book about something I learned the hard way because it might help somebody else” gives you a reason to open the document tonight.
Try writing the answer in one sentence, in words you’d actually use. If you’re struggling to finish the sentence, give yourself a little time to think. You might still want the dream and need to get clearer about it. Or you might find there’s something else you want more. My piece on turning big dreams into achievable goals goes into how to make that first idea more concrete.
The reason matters because a real Tuesday will ask you to make a choice. When both things are optional and you’re tired, it helps to know which one you’d be glad you gave some time to.
The Hour I Already Had
When I finally decided I was going to write my book, I took a look at how I was spending my days. One thing stood out. At the end of the night, I was spending about an hour watching something. I hadn’t thought of that as a decision I was making each day. It was just what I did at the end of the night.
Once I saw it, I had a choice. I could keep waiting for time to write, or I could use some of the time I already had. I started writing in the evenings. Once I got going and kept coming back to it, the book came together much faster than I’d expected.
There’s nothing wrong with watching a show at the end of the day. What made the difference for me was seeing that I could choose what happened during that hour. The book became a priority when it started getting some of my time.
Give the Dream 15 to 30 Minutes
If I were starting now, I’d look at a few ordinary days and ask, “Where could I make a small trade I’d be happy to keep making?” Some days are full of things you really can’t move. Look first at the time you have some say over. You might find 15 minutes even if a full hour is out of the question.
Pick one goal and decide what you’ll do in that time before you get there. For a book, I’d rather sit down to write the opening of one scene than sit down to “work on the book.” I’d also choose a time that has a chance of working again tomorrow. Harvard Extension School’s guide to making an action plan has a helpful explanation of how to turn an intention into a specific action and set aside time for it.
Let Consistency Build Momentum
Here’s what’s easy to miss about those little sessions. The first night, you might spend half your time figuring out where to begin. The next night, there’s something on the page. You can read the last line and pick up the thought. Pretty soon you’re spending more of the session doing the work, and some nights you’ll want to keep going a little longer.
That’s what momentum looked like for me. The work moved faster once I was doing it regularly. Fifteen minutes can get a project moving. Coming back is what keeps it moving. If it eventually turns into an hour, great. Fifteen minutes still counts on the days that’s what you have.
I’d give myself a backup, too. If I miss my usual writing time, I’ll spend five minutes on the next paragraph when I can, or pick it up at my next regular session. Decide that before the week gets complicated. Scott H. Young has a useful explanation of making an if-then plan for busy days.
Tonight, think of the one thing you’d be sorry to find yourself still talking about a year from now. Write down why it matters. Look at tomorrow and pick 15 minutes you can give it, then decide exactly what you’ll do when that time comes.
Tomorrow can look like an ordinary day to everyone else. You’ll know it was the day you finally gave that dream some time.
Love,
