Just for Today · Day 14 of 31 · 2 min read
Day 14: Take Action on Your Goals
Day 14 of the Just for Today Challenge: pick one goal, define the very next physical action and do it today. How to beat planning paralysis and build momentum.
In short
Choose one goal, write down the very next physical action that would move it forward, and do it today. Momentum comes from action, not from more planning.
Two weeks into the challenge, you've done a lot of thinking: a life list, important dates, proud moments. Today is about doing. Choose one goal and take one real step towards it before you go to bed.
The gap between wanting and doing
Most goals don't fail because people don't care. They fail because the goal stays abstract. "Get a new job", "write a book" and "get fit" are outcomes, not actions. You can't do "write a book" on a Tuesday afternoon. You can write the opening paragraph, or spend twenty minutes outlining chapter one.
Productivity writer David Allen popularised a simple question for this in Getting Things Done: what's the next action? The next action is the very next physical, visible thing you would do to move a project forward.
How to find your next action
Take one goal from your life list or from your plans for the year. Ask: if I had fifteen minutes right now, what would I do first? Keep breaking it down until the answer is something you could start immediately. For example:
| Goal | Too vague | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Find a new job | Look for jobs | Write a list of five companies I'd like to work for |
| Run a 10 km race | Start running | Put on trainers and walk-run for 15 minutes |
| Learn Italian | Study more | Download a language app and do the first lesson |
| Clear my debt | Sort out finances | List every debt with its balance and interest rate |
| Write a novel | Work on my book | Write 200 words of the scene I keep imagining |
Do it today
Now schedule your next action. Choose a time and a place, and do it. If you finish quickly and want to keep going, great. If not, the step still counts.
Why small steps matter
Harvard researchers Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer analysed nearly 12,000 diary entries from knowledge workers and found that, of all the events that could boost people's motivation and mood at work, the most important was making progress in meaningful work, even small progress. They called it "the progress principle".
The same is true outside work. A small step forward feels good, and feeling good makes the next step easier.
Track your wins
At the end of today, write down what you did. Over time, a record of small actions becomes powerful evidence that you're the kind of person who follows through. It's also a great antidote to the feeling that nothing ever changes.
When you're stuck
If you can't think of a next action, the obstacle is usually one of these:
- You need information. Then the next action is to research or ask someone.
- You need a decision. Then the next action is to choose, or to set a deadline for choosing. The 10-10-10 decision helper can help.
- You're afraid. Then the next action is something small enough to feel safe.
End with the next step
Before you finish, write down the next action after this one. Tomorrow, you won't have to work out where to start.
Today's challenge
Choose one goal, identify the very next physical action and do it today. Write down what you did and the next action after it.
Related: the first step and how to stop thinking and start doing. Tomorrow: ask for what you want.
Sources and further reading
Questions people ask
What if my next action takes longer than a day?
Break it down again until one piece fits into today. Writing a business plan becomes drafting the first section; finding a new home becomes setting up a search alert. A next action should be something you could start within minutes.
Keep reading
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- Day 10Day 10: Eat a Healthy BreakfastDay 10 of the Just for Today Challenge: eat a balanced breakfast with protein, fibre and some fruit or vegetables. Easy ideas, honest evidence and quick prep tips.
- Day 11Day 11: Get Outside TodayDay 11 of the Just for Today Challenge: spend real time outdoors, ideally somewhere green. What research says about nature and wellbeing, plus easy ways to fit it in.
- RelationshipsHow to Improve Your Listening SkillsPractical ways to become a better listener: give full attention, ask open questions, reflect back what you hear, resist fixing and notice what's left unsaid.