Microdosing My Way To Achievement

One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is completing a full marathon in my thirties. It was Nashville’s Country Music Marathon, complete with the grueling hills of Tennessee.

I was well prepared after months of training, even with injury setbacks. I knew the route, where the water stops were, and where I could expect to see friends or family cheering me on.

Things were going as well as I could have hoped, but at mile 20, I hit the infamous “wall.” My legs felt like jelly. My brain was begging to quit. But I still had six miles to go.

Then a friend — an experienced runner — showed up out of nowhere. He had finished the race already and found me on the verge of faltering. Seeing him was a huge boost, but I was still questioning how I was going to finish.

He didn’t give me a motivational speech, but he said one thing that paved my way for the rest of the race:

“Come on, take the next step. Then do it again.”

And so I did, all the way to the finish. And what made it possible wasn’t some grand heroic burst of energy that lasted for 26.2 miles. On race day, what mattered most was the next step.

Just that one. Then another. And another.

This mindset doesn’t only apply to marathons. It applies to anything that feels big or overwhelming — writing a book, launching a business, creating a new habit.

What is the key? Microdose your accomplishments.

Otherwise you’ll overdose on the big picture. The streets of accomplishment are littered with dreamers who OD’d on ideas, but couldn’t make them actionable because of this simple truth:

When you’re staring down a massive project, a gorgeously large dream, or an unclear future, it’s easy to succumb to that sense of overwhelm.

Here’s what to do:

1. Define the next step.

   What’s the smallest, clearest action you can take right now?

2. Ignore everything else for the moment.

   Don’t think five moves ahead. Just focus on this one, and say you’ll do it for 30 minutes. You might discover some unexpected momentum.

3. Take joy in the small wins.

   Take a break and let yourself feel [almost] smug for a moment. Then find another next step and keep microdosing your way to the finish line.

Thoughts and quotes from what I’ve been reading this week

I’m almost finished reading Ali Abdaal’s book, Feel-Good Productivity. If you’ve ever struggled with feeling overwhelmed by your projects or unable to cross the finish line with a big goal, Abdaal has something important for you here and I highly recommend picking up this book. He provides some very practical tools but is also leading you to transform your relationship to work itself, demonstrating that feeling good about the work we do is foundational for sustainable success.

“The main way uncertainty drives procrastination is by creating ambiguity over our ultimate purpose. If we don’t know why we’re embarking on any given project, it’s near impossible to get on with actually doing it.” ~ Ali Abdaal