How to Accomplish More with Micro-actions

So, you’ve read our post on time management and you are steadily growing in your productivity, peace, and goal accomplishment. Congratulations! (If you haven’t read up on time management mistakes yet, you can find them here.)

Now what do you do when your motivation is lacking despite your success at tackling time management mishaps? Micro-actions are key.

I was introduced to micro-actions several years ago and have found them to be incredibly helpful on days where motivation is lacking, or my to-do list is overwhelming. A micro-action is simply a small scale action; one that is so small it can be described as easy or simple. Who doesn’t like easy or simple, right?

Let me give you an example. It’s been a crazy day. Multiple new cases. Several field contacts. Reports to complete. Court cases to attend, etc. It’s the kind of day that is so busy you didn’t even get a lunch break. Now that you are home, you know you should complete your run, but all you want to do is sit on the couch and relax. How can micro-actions help? You take the first easy step. Change into your workout gear. Simple right? But trust me, it works. Why?

You’re getting out of your own head. How many times have you found that something you built up in your head to be grueling, time consuming, or overwhelming really wasn’t as bad as you thought? We can sometimes sabotage our own success with a negative mindset. I talk about mindset in nearly every class because its critical to success in so many areas. Taking one simple action gets your mind and body moving in a positive direction, allowing you a small victory, and stopping the cycle of negative thinking created by an unhealthy mindset. It can take some time to recognize a negative mindset, but with a little practice and conscious thought, you can train yourself to overcome it. One way to overcome a negative mindset is with micro-actions.

Giving yourself permission. Basically, when you tell yourself that all you need to do is get dressed, you are setting yourself up for a quick and easy accomplishment. The success of achieving a goal feels good. It releases “feel good” endorphins in the body and you want more of it. If all you do that day is get dressed, that’s a win. But maybe now that you’re dressed, you’ll find you can do a little more. You’re ready for the next micro-action, so you decide to take a walk around the block. That’s great. I bet you will find, as I have, that once you get moving that run no longer seems so daunting. Giving yourself permission to achieve smaller goals can sometimes be all that you need to achieve bigger ones.

Reducing stress. This one combines the principles of the previous two points together, but it’s worth noting. Stress has an incredibly negative impact on our energy level. When you are giving an upcoming task enough space in your thoughts to develop a level of dread towards that task, you are giving away precious mental energy that you could be using to actually accomplish the task itself! By utilizing micro-actions and giving yourself permission to accomplish one small step instead of the entire task, you can immediately remove the stress weighing you down and stealing your energy. Micro-actions free you up to move forward without dread. They clear your mind of the negative, stress-inducing thoughts you had created and put you closer to your next success.

Newton’s first law. “An object at rest remains at rest, or if in motion, remains in motion at a constant velocity unless acted on by a net external force.” How does this affect micro-actions? Essentially, Newton’s law comes into play when you realize that the micro-action of getting dressed gives you the motivation to get started on your workout. The micro-action of walking gives you the motivation to run. And on and on. When you need to accomplish a goal that feels too big, too hard, or too overwhelming, you can often overcome the lack of motivation with a small act of movement. Make the call. Type the first sentence. Sign up for the training class. Put on your shoes. Once you get moving towards that goal, even with a micro-movement so small it seems silly, you will find its easier to keep moving.

There are many great articles and books on micro-actions available you can check out, but I would encourage you to begin building a habit of micro-actions today. The effort required is virtually zero. A “win” is almost guaranteed. What do you have to lose? If all you accomplish towards that bigger goal is the micro-action itself, that’s still worth celebrating! Keep after it Lion Shield Nation!