Working backward to move forward
Quite often I catch myself deciding on a new goal and immediately my brain goes off on tangents about all the possible things I should do to get there, only to end up fully overwhelmed by it and suddenly scared to even start this huge mountain of tasks and questioning why I wanted it in the first place.
I now found a new way, that works SO much better and feels light and doable at the same time.
Let’s take for example my goal of writing a book.
My thought is “I want to write a book”.
First up obviously the ONE thing I got to do is to actually write it, but let’s think about it from a different perspective and start with the answer to the question of “who do I need to become to write a book”.
I want to be a writer and author.
Next up, I am asking myself, what do writers do in order to write a book?
Well, they have a consistent writing practice of writing every day.
From here, I keep on going with the next step to get to a writing practice and keep on working my way backward to identify all the little steps in between that give me not only direction but also tangible milestones I can reach along the way:
How do they manage to write every day? - They have a fixed time of the day when to write and certain routines in place to help them stick to it.
What does this routine look like? They make themselves a coffee, put on binary music, and start writing.
How do they know what to write about? - They have a selection of at least 3 topics prepared from the day before to write about, so they immediately know where to start….
You get the idea.
In order to make progress it can be incredibly helpful and less overwhelming if you start planning backward. If you are like me, it may definitely give you way more peace and motivation to get ongoing.
Here are some reasons why this method works:
You did not focus solely on the outcome: a book, but decided on who you want to become: a writer
changing who you identify as, kickstarts your intrinsic motivation to live up to this belief of your self
You find small steps and milestones to reach along the way, this makes it way more digestible and doesn’t feel as big as simply writing a book
It is the daily little and consistent changes we implement that will accumulate and change who we are and are becoming as a person. There is no need for big shifts and jumps only, there is enough time to get 1% better every day or to make 1% progress every day (even if this means you write only 1 sentence)
You focus on the process and the system in place to become who you want to become instead of just reaching an external thing/goal
this is all about enjoying the ride and getting to love it
What do you think about this method? Have you tried it? Feel free to reach out to learn more about how I implement this process also in other areas of life!
NamaStay BECOMING
JD
