Rerun: The achievable goal
Today I am bringing you a rerun. I originally sent out this issue on Oct 13, 2019, and I think the philosophy of the achievable goal might be helpful for a lot of us right now. We are in the midst of a world historical crisis, one that we will remember for the rest of our lives. But many of us also have more potentially empty time on our hands than ever. What should we do with it? The bare minimum, I say. This is a marathon. Aim as low as you need to in order to keep going. This is not the time to let your own high expectations stand in your way. Pick one thing. Do the minimum. Repeat tomorrow, ad infinitum. You can do this. We can do this.
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Over one winter break during my Fulbright years, I wrote my first and (to date) only knitting pattern—though “pattern” is a pretty generous word for what I’m about to describe. I used enormously fat needles and three strands of yarn held together, cast on somewhere around 20 stitches, and then knit until it was long enough to somewhat snuggly encircle a neck (about 12 inches, as I recall). Then I sewed the ends together, and done. A neck warmer. I made a bunch of them to give as gifts, and each one took about an hour from start to finish. I called the pattern “the achievable goal.”
I apply this philosophy to all sorts of things now. The achievable goal is about setting yourself up for success by aiming for the bare minimum. Do you have a 3,000-word piece to write? Write 100 of them. Are you worried about finding sources to interview for a story? Do some research and make a list of possibilities; you can actually email them tomorrow. Do you have an ever growing list of errands you never seem to get to? Do a single one, and then go home and take a nap.
You are probably recoiling in horror right now. The achievable goal goes against everything the twin cults of ambition and productivity stand for. Write for eight hours straight! Cook a full meal from scratch every day! Turn all your hobbies into side hustles! Don’t you know that if you just work hard enough you can have it all!!!!
That way lies failure, my friends. We all know that, and yet we give in to those siren songs anyway. The achievable goal, on the other hand, helps you loosen the death grip you have on your dreams. It lowers the stakes so dramatically that you barely notice them at all. It repositions your expectations for yourself firmly within reach. And suddenly, you’re done. In the spirit of my pattern-that-was-barely-a-pattern, here are the steps.
1. The achievable goal must be less than you think you can realistically do in a day. Not a little less. A lot less. So much less it makes you laugh at how easy it will be. So much less that when you finish it, you want to do a little more.
2. Do not do any more. You want to protect that sense of ease, because that’s what will give you momentum.
3. Only one achievable goal should be attempted per day. You heard me. ONE PER DAY. If deadlines mean you absolutely must set two, they should be for different projects and there should be an ample chunk of off-time between them.
If you’re working to a deadline, this method obviously takes some planning ahead to make sure you finish on time. (Make the planning one day’s achievable goal!) But I like this strategy best for projects where no one is looking over your shoulder or waiting for the end result, or where the deadline is so far off it feels that way. Over the past month I’d tied myself in knots over various projects and rendered myself incapable of moving forward on any of them. Returning to the achievable goal is helping me untwist.