In all my years dedicated to Personal Development and Habit Building, I consider two words magical:” Less and Mini.” Both hide the key to growing and building intelligently, sustainably, and without despair. But, unfortunately, neither “less” nor “mini” are part of the mentality or dictionary of most people who propose a change or set a goal (in work, health, organization, etc.).

“objective” is usually associated with big goals, implying significant changes and efforts. However, objectives can also be small, manageable, and affordable while maintaining importance in achieving results. Focus on smaller (“mini”) parts-phases to reach the big ones better.

You can go very far by taking small steps. However, the majority do not see it that way and prefer to set goals that sound more attractive and ambitious.

The Challenges of Traditional Goals

Setting “traditional” goals (more ambitious, striking, and suggestive) usually poses more complications than what is apparent at first glance. For example:

• Unattainable: Objectives disproportionate to our capabilities or resources.
• Achievable but not Desired: Achieving the objective does not translate into satisfaction or expected results.
• Unreal Deadlines: We are impatient; we want shortcuts and deadline reductions, which leads to impossible expectations.
• Vagueness: Lack of concrete or ambiguous goals makes tracking and measuring progress easier.
• Lack of clarity: Poor definition of the objective, generating confusion and uncertainty.
• Disconnection with every day: Goals distant from everyday actions (“Exactly, what are you going to do tomorrow morning regarding that goal?”)

With Mini-Goals, You Take Off and Advance

Over time, I have discovered the usefulness of replacing the objectives, the more or less grand objectives, the more or less ambitious objectives, the more or less inspiring objectives, the more or less dazzling objectives, with something more small-affordable-manageable-concrete: they are the Minigoals.

Benefits of Mini Goals

• Greater Ease: They simplify the path to the final goal, facilitating progress and motivation.
• Natural Feeling of Advancement: As they are daily and tangible actions, constant progress is experienced.
• They encourage Action: They allow you to “move from theory to practice” immediately and sustainably.
• Neutralize Procrastination: They reduce excuses to postpone action because they are smaller and better defined.
• Build Discipline: Regularity, consistency, method… all of this can be incorporated into your life with Mini-Goals.

Examples of mini-goals

• Moving forward on a project that I never started, I aim to work only on the first phase of the project and dedicate 20 minutes each day to it.
• Strengthen my poor Concentration: I will start by creating a journal time of maximum concentration. At the beginning of the day, for 30 minutes, I close emails and apps I don’t use and put my phone in airplane mode.
• Expand the Domain of my Apps: I choose the two applications that I use the most. Three days a week, I schedule a little time to learn a new trick or technique each day.
• Improve Physical Fitness: I need to remember about races (for now) and focus on creating the habit of going out. I aim to walk for 30 minutes daily for at least a month.

The detail that many people do not see is that behind one Mini-objective comes another, and then another, and then another… until achieving the unthinkable.

One Key That Opens Many Doors

When you want to go from theory to practice, convert ideas or intentions into tangible actions and steps, or start at once without falling into the classic “let’s see if I can find some time,” the best strategy is to set a Mini Goal, to today, for now. And repeat it ad nauseam and then add other subsequent Mini-Goals.

Its great power lies in its simplicity: achieve big goals with small steps. They allow ambitious objectives to be converted into manageable and understandable parts and phases, generating a natural feeling of progress and facilitating long-term success… without disproportionate efforts or frustrations, gradually and sustainably. That is the basis of intelligent effort. What are we looking for?