It’s common to feel that if you’re going to do something, you should do it ‘properly’. That’s all well and good, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of taking ‘properly’ to mean that you’ve got to include everything possible — that it’s not ok to leave things out. The phrase “Go big, or go home” would be the ‘extreme’ version of this. But most of us find ourselves thinking this way to some extent.
There’s a much better and more effective way to do things…
Don’t look to go big. Aim to start small.
There are three separate reasons for this: starting, sustaining, and the end result.
For you to have any success at all, you’ve got to start.
Incredibly obvious. But we often overlook it.
When you’re thinking of everything you can possibly include in a project or task then it becomes overwhelming. It feels impossible to get the plan right. Or, if you do have a plan, the task feels too big and intractable.
So you often end up not starting at all.
That’s instant and guaranteed failure.
Instead, the key is to allow yourself to do just one small thing. Or to do whatever you’re working on at a ‘rough’ level of quality rather than aiming for excellence.
You can always add more later, or improve a first rough draft — but you’ll be amazed how often that isn’t necessary.
You also need to sustain effort if you’re to succeed.
A start — even a great start — that immediately fizzles out won’t get you anywhere useful.
But this is far too frequently overlooked in the planning phase. We get overexcited by the motivation we feel right now — forgetting that this will naturally ebb and fade later. And we focus on how much we can handle in a sprint without considering the long haul.
When you start small, you’ll have days or sessions where you’re aware you’re doing much less than your potential maximum output. But you’re setting yourself up for long-term success — and that’s much more valuable.
In the end, it’s consistent progress that delivers the goods. Not top speed.
Finally, be aware that you may not be able to see the ideal end result.
When you try and jump straight from nothing to ‘the answer’ you’ll frequently get it horribly wrong.
Gall’s Law states that all complex systems that work evolved from simpler systems that worked.
If you eventually want to end up with something large and complex with a whole load of bells and whistles then you can jump straight there… But chances are that it won’t work.
Instead, start very small and simple. Observe the results. Then gradually add extra parts over time. One by one. And only when necessary.