How To Break Down Goals Into Manageable Sizes

Practise you desire to know how to Break down goals into steps?

If then, get set. Considering I'm going to share a simple arrangement for how to suspension goals DOWN into smaller pieces. To make ANY goal manageable!

Topics discussed:

WHY you should break goals into steps
HOW to intermission down goals into steps (a unproblematic system)
3 pro tips to keep in heed when breaking downwards your goals
2 FAQs for how to break downwards goals into steps

Why Y'all Should Pause Down Goals Into Steps (5 Benefits)

Hither are 5 reasons why breaking goals into tasks can help yous achieve your goals.

1. Breaking Down Goals Into Steps Makes Yous Less Probable to Procrastinate

If you break a goal into smaller pieces, the chances yous procrastinate information technology drops dramatically.

That's because yous procrastinate when things seem Hard—> But breaking goals into tasks makes things seem EASIER.

Imagine your goal is to write a novel. There are ii ways you can remember of it:

(A) You can view writing the entire book as ane gigantic to-do list particular.
Or (B) You can interruption that novel into super small steps.

You are MUCH less likely to procrastinate pick B (breaking the novel into small tasks). Simply because that seems far less intimidating.

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two. Information technology Helps Builds Momentum

Some other reason why breaking goals into steps is so important, is that it helps create momentum.

Each step yous consummate makes it easier to tackle the steps that follow.

That'southward because after each step, you:

Build skills
Acquire knowledge
Acquire lessons
And gain confidence

That terminal point (gaining confidence) is 1 of the nigh critical.

Knocking that kickoff footstep off your list (fifty-fifty a tiny one) often convinces you lot that you lot Can achieve your goal.

And once you get a few steps under your belt, it's all downhill from there!

3. Piecing Out Your Goals Improves Time Management

That'southward for several reasons:

Get-go, it helps with prioritization: (A) It allows you lot to prioritize each chore within the goal you are working on. And (B) Information technology let's you lot prioritize each specific component within your overall schedule.
Second, information technology boosts productivity: That'south because you accept the flexibility to fine tune WHEN you work on which tasks. In some cases, that means splitting tasks up. For example, saving a hard task for when you are most energized. In other cases, you may want to batch tasks. Which involves knocking off similar tasks in the aforementioned fourth dimension frame (more on this afterward).
And third, it makes it easier to organize: When you pause projects downwardly into smaller parts, it is easier to record and visualize what you have to do. The specific organizational method is upwards to you (to-practice list, note taking app, kanban lath, etc.). Just whatever your system is, you are going to need to divide up goals into smaller components.

Kanban board example — Kanban Board (case of how to visualize breaking goals into tasks)

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4. Breaking Goals Down Into Steps Reduces Stress & Feet

Sometimes, pursuing a goal can exist really stressful. Especially if you are looking at information technology from a large picture perspective.

Things can seem overwhelming, because there is and then much you demand to learn and practice.

Merely if you break goals down into smaller pieces, your mission becomes: "Only practise the adjacent task on my list."

Which is going to give yous FAR less anxiety than trying to tackle everything at one time.

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v. It Forces You to Think Through the Details

Breaking goals into tasks forces you to detail out articulate action items for how to get to your goal.

And the more SPECIFIC your plans are, the easier they are to carry out. That's because being specific:

Ensures you've advisedly thought through your plan: At least enough to get started.
Helps you transition from "dreaming" to "doing": Dreaming about completing a goal can be fun, simply is not particularly constructive. Thinking through the details helps you shift to more of a procedure-focused mindset.
Identifies knowledge gaps: As you write out the steps, you will discover any areas where you need more knowledge, research, or skill building.

Some people say "the devil is in the details," but I retrieve the truth is "the angel is in the details."

I can't tell yous how often I used to spend dreaming about things I wanted to achieve, but never actually followed through with those dreams.

It wasn't until I started breaking those dreams down into small, actionable steps, that I began to make consistent progress towards those goals.

Why You Should Suspension Downward Goals Into Steps Pt ii (Video With Farther Discussion)

If interested, here's a discussion I had with programmer/blogger Nick Scialli on WHY breaking downwards goals into tasks is important.

Otherwise, continue reading to acquire my system for exactly HOW to break down goals into steps.

How to Break Down Goals Into Steps (A Simple Organisation)

Here is a simple system for how to break down goals into steps. Keep in mind, these are general guidelines. Yous are welcome to adjust things equally needed based on your specific goals and preferences.

Define Your Goal

First, clearly define the goal you want to focus on. The more than specific your goal is the amend.
Decide What You Need to Do to Accomplish the Goal

At a high level, effigy out what is necessary to reach your objective.

Depending on your specific goal, this could hateful:
– Reading "how-to" articles.
– Asking someone for communication.
– Or something more formal, like taking a training form.

Go along in mind, you don't need to effigy out everything at this phase, merely plenty to become started.
Dissever Your Goal Into High-Level Subgoals

Now, take your goal, and write down what you need to do to accomplish it.

Let's say your goal is to find a job in programming. You might come up up with the following high-level subgoals:
– Prepare resume
– Search for relevant programming jobs
– Apply to jobs
– Gear up for interviews
– (And if offered) Decide if you want to take
Break the First Subgoal Into Smaller, Actionable Steps

Make each step every bit tiny and specific as possible.

Continuing with the example of finding a programming job, here's how someone might divide up the start subgoal of "prepare resume."
– Find sometime resume.
– Add together schoolhouse, major, and dates for latest degree earned.
– Notation summer internship employer and dates.
– Write responsibilities under internship section.
– And update skills in "skills section."
Plan When to Practice the First Footstep

Next, decide when yous are going to execute the first step on your list. Yous have 2 options:

(A) Execute it right abroad.
Or (B) Note when you programme to do it.

When possible, it tin be helpful to knock it off immediately, to create some momentum. But understandably that's not always doable.
Execute, Echo, and Adjust every bit Needed

Finally, it's fourth dimension to execute your game program. And then repeat everything discussed for the remaining steps on your list.

If needed, don't be afraid to make adjustments along the way.

3 Pro Tips to Keep in Heed When Breaking Downwardly Your Goals

Here are three tips for how to break down goals into steps, which are very important to factor in.

Pro Tip Number 1: Brand Sure the Steps Are Small Enough

Making steps small REDUCES the risk of:

Getting overwhelmed
Or burning out

Pocket-size steps Increment the chance you:

Form habits
Build momentum
And ultimately stick with your goal

Breaking downwards goals into small pieces also makes it easier to prioritize those tasks within your overall schedule.

Exactly how small is going to depend on your specific goal and preferences. (More on that later).

Pro Tip Number 2: You lot Don't Have to Plan Out EVERYTHING Ahead of Time

In the past, I used to spend a lot of time procrastinating things. And 1 of the biggest causes, was that I felt like I needed to have EVERYTHING figured out to get started.

Of form, in that location are times you truly Do demand to take a perfect understanding of things to get going. Similar if rubber is involved.

And some degree of planning tin definitely help make the procedure more efficient.

But in ninety% of situations I've found I can usually get started on something, EVEN if I don't take things 100% planned out.

Getting started, and learning as you go, has a few advantages:

First, information technology prevents procrastination.
Second, y'all often learn more than past DOING than you ever could by planning alone.
And tertiary, it creates momentum. Which can give you the confidence to keep pursuing your goal.

Once you lot reach a signal where you lot can't progress any further, THEN you can practise additional research and programme out the remaining steps.

Recommended article: Why You lot Procrastinate Important Things (And How to Stop)

Pro Tip Number 3: Batch Tasks When Able

Some productivity studies suggest it may be more than efficient to practice similar tasks in the aforementioned time frame.

For example, in the "prepare resume" case discussed before, perhaps yous practise the following steps back-to-back:

"Write responsibilities under internship section."
And "update skills in skills section."

This could be more than efficient, because thinking about your internship responsibilities might spark some ideas for skills to add together.

That said, you lot don't want to OVER-batch. If yous put too much on your plate, information technology increases the chances you lot will procrastinate things or get overwhelmed.

2 FAQs For How to Break Down Goals Into Steps

Finally, here are my answers to 2 questions I get asked a lot when information technology comes to breaking down goals into smaller tasks.

FAQ #i: For Goals That Don't Have an Terminate Signal, Like Exercising, Exercise I Take to Write Down Every Step Forever?

The answer is, not necessarily! Once you've repeated the steps many times, they volition become wired into your brain as habits.

At that point, you accept a few options:

Keep to write every stride downwardly: Just to brand sure you don't miss anything.
Don't write ANYTHING downwards: If you are 100% sure yous have a habit firmly established.
Or Merely write down the higher-level subgoals: A counterbalanced arroyo, where you finish writing downward every detail.

The latter is a strategy I apply oft.

At commencement, I write down every small-scale pace. But every several weeks, I re-assess how things are going.

If I find myself naturally completing steps without even having to await at what I've written, I showtime to roll those fiddling steps up.

And just write down the college-level subgoals.

FAQ #two: How Long Should Each Step Take?

There is no exact amount of time each step needs to be. It's going to vary.

But here's the rule of the pollex: When you are starting time starting out, the smaller the ameliorate.

Likewise, if you struggle with procrastination, it's fifty-fifty more of import to err on the smaller side.

That's because the smaller the steps are, the less intimidating they are to get started with.

Personally, for a new goal, I like each stride to be roughly:

A maximum of an hour.
But usually 30 minutes or less.
And sometimes as small-scale equally 1 to 5 minutes.

Just these aren't hard rules past whatsoever ways!

Also, equally I mentioned earlier, as things get habits, yous may decide to simply plan out the college-level subgoals. Which volition take up larger blocks of time.