#MondayMotivation: Go for a Streak to Keep Working Toward a Goal

When you want to make progress on those big, scary, hairy audacious goals, it’s sometimes not enough to break them down into small manageable pieces. Sometimes, you have to really get into the habit of working on them.

For example, I’ve been working on a 31 runs in 31 days challenge as part of getting ready to run my first half marathon in October. At first, it was rough to make sure I got my run in, but after a week, it became habit, and after 2 weeks, making sure I keep up my run streak became just part of planning my day.

Lots of productivity gurus suggest not breaking the chain

When it comes to your goals, set a goal to work on your big goal once a day for a month. There’s a huge psychological benefit to creating a chain where you’re doing something every day. Not only does that activity become a habit, but it also makes you less likely to break the chain.

For example, if you want to launch a new business, commit to working on that at least an hour a day every day for a month. A month isn’t so bad, right? An hour is a manageable chunk of time but if that seems like too much, then 30 minutes, or even just 15 minutes, will propel  you forward. In any case, set a minimum time.

In my running example, I started out with 1 mile as my minimum distance. I usually run more than that now. But knowing that I can just do a mile as a way to meet my obligation helps on the days that I’m not feeling it. Figure out what that time is for you on your goal, and set it.

Be accountable to others

Announce what you’re trying to accomplish and check in on your streak. Every day, I post a photo of either something I saw on my run or myself with the streak day number to Instagram and Facebook. I also track my miles in my running app. By having a way to keep accountable, it helps motivate me to keep going. What can you do to keep yourself accountable?

What goal will you accomplish by starting a #streak of action toward it? Let me know in the comments!