If you want to make things happen in your life, set the bar low. That\u2019s my advice. While you should definitely define your goals based on the kind of motivational posters that have text-against-sunset images exhorting you to dream big and reach for the stars, when you\u2019re hatching the real-world, day-to-day plan for how actually to do it, I say think small and reach for what you can feasibly reach. In other words, set the bar low.<\/p>\n
The wisdom of this idea became clear to me while I was giving some advice to a friend who finds himself in the frustrating position of being an enthusiastic runner who can no longer run. With knee and ankle injuries, Michael had been encouraged to take up yoga but was finding it difficult to practice consistently, so I shared with him my own deceptively simple strategy for getting on the mat pretty much every single day. You\u2019ve got to set the bar low.<\/p>\n
Done in 600 seconds For me, that bar is set at 10 minutes. I am committed to doing 10 minutes of yoga per day, no matter what. It\u2019s faintly ridiculous: when I do just 10 minutes I feel as if I\u2019ve barely got the mat out and I\u2019m already namaste-ing and rolling it up. But I\u2019ve honoured my contract with myself, I\u2019ve stretched a few muscles, and I\u2019ve released a bit of tension. On good days, in fact most days, I do more; I choose a video with a theme that speaks to me and contort myself for a good 30 to 40 minutes. It\u2019s on the \u201cdifficult days\u201d that this strategy really reveals its brilliance. The days when I have been out of the house and working from 8am to 8pm, or when I\u2019ve run a million errands and taken the kids to various parties\/piano lessons\/medical appointments, or simply days when I\u2019ve had too little sleep and want to collapse on the sofa. On those days, I roll out the mat, muttering something like, \u201cTen minutes is doable, it\u2019s nothing; there are TV commercial breaks that last longer, rides at Disney even. Just hang in there for 600 seconds then you can sink into bed with a book\u2026\u201d Then I do my asanas, and \u2013 in addition to the physical benefits and mental calm I enjoy \u2013 I feel pleased with myself. I might have only done my minimum, but minimum is better than nothing.<\/p>\n Setting the bar low then either exceeding your own requirement or fulfilling your minimum in the absence of any motivation is immensely gratifying. Whatever happens, you can feel proud. You have kept your promise to yourself and taken a step forward.<\/p>\n What could you do with your 10 minutes? So, how about applying this strategy to habits you want to develop and projects you\u2019d like to begin? Say you\u2019d like to write a book: what if you set yourself the eminently feasible target of writing for 10 minutes each evening? Or maybe you want to learn a foreign language: even the busiest executive can find 10 minutes between meetings to open a learning app. Or perhaps you simply wish your home were generally a bit cleaner and more orderly: a little bit of dusting or tidying every day can really make a difference across the week.<\/p>\n At work, the effect is equally impressive. A daily coffee break with an influential or interesting person from your company. A walk round the block to clear your head after lunch. Time spent at the end of the day writing the next day\u2019s to-do and priorities list. Even a major undertaking like preparing a presentation for the strategy board explaining a new product idea you\u2019ve been mentally chewing on for weeks can be chipped away at in this manner.<\/p>\n The hardest part is showing up<\/strong> However, while the impact of the accumulation of 10 minutes per day is unquestionable, the real value of the personal promise to do just 10 minutes of something every day lies in the psychological trick that will almost always result in your doing way more than 10 minutes. I have heard many yoga teachers utter variations of, \u201cThe hardest part is showing up\u201d, and I completely agree \u2013 both on and off the mat. Just as the hardest part of yoga is getting changed and rolling out the mat, so the hardest part of any other project is the very first step. Once that\u2019s done, what follows just flows \u2013 whether it\u2019s writing, preparing for a seminar, or doing business admin. Once the laptop is open and I\u2019m sitting comfortably, beginning becomes inevitable, and the idea of stopping sometimes doesn\u2019t even occur to me. Often I look up to see if my 10 minutes are over and find I\u2019ve been at it for an hour; when that happens I either pat myself on the back and contentedly close the computer or shrug and decide that, well, I\u2019m here now, I may as well do a bit more. Either way, I\u2019ve accidentally achieved more and taken more steps towards my goal than if I had required an hour of myself in the beginning.<\/p>\n
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