Often, we are led to believe that taking small steps towards our goals means that we will never reach them. When we fear taking incremental steps, sometimes we take big steps that we simply aren’t ready for. The goals we have—whether they are expanding our business, completing a big project, growing a relationship—typically can’t be completed in one fell swoop. Taking the time to break down your goal into smaller steps isn’t a bad thing, in fact, most times it is actually very beneficial to helping you reach your goals. Sometimes you have to think of the bigger picture, even if it means spending more time working than you thought.
Trying To Finish a Big Task All At Once Is Daunting
The first reason why you shouldn’t try to finish a big task (like that 20 page paper in college that you put off) all at once is that it is daunting. It is easy to get overwhelmed by how large the task is, and when you are overwhelmed, you rarely put forth your best work. You don’t want to put yourself in a tough position before the work even begins. Not being able to complete a huge task all at once isn’t a bad thing. Taking the time to prepare and segment your work almost always leads to superior results.
Dividing Your Task Into Smaller Pieces Makes Things Easier
When you divide your project into smaller pieces, generally things start to get a lot easier. Instead of focusing on a large, daunting task, you can focus on each of the smaller, individual portions. This way of simplifying things makes a big project a lot easier. That 20 page college paper we were talking about earlier? Instead of trying to write all 20 pages at once, someone who divided the task into smaller portions might focus on four 5 page sessions. The same applies to a project that you might be working on at your job. Or building up your business. Nobody tries to go from a small startup to a multinational corporation in a single week. In the same vein, you should understand that you have to segment the path to success into smaller fragments that you can focus on one at a time.
You Can Give Yourself a Psychological Boost Each Time You Successfully Complete A Step
Have you ever worked on a long project and felt like you 
were losing motivation midway through? That isn’t uncommon, especially when it feels like it will take forever to actually finish what you are working on. That is why splitting your task into smaller pieces can help. Each time you complete a smaller portion, you get the psychological boost of knowing that you successfully finished a step. Instead of pushing those feelings off, you should celebrate your small successes each step along the way, until you have finished your project in full. It is important to acknowledge your successes!
