It’s the season for setting resolutions. Does this motivate or overwhelm you? For most, it’s the second.
Why? We set lofty goals that are challenging to meet.
Instead of writing down these big audacious goals, Jon Acuff, an entrepreneur, speaker and best-selling author, has better advice: Set micro goals.
“A micro goal is a small action that generates big results; a micro goal punches above its weight,” Acuff says.
10 MINUTES FOR 30 DAYS
As you set your goals in life (prioritizing your family, running a profitable farm, etc.), brainstorm little steps you can take to impact those goals. Acuff suggests micro goals take 10 to 15 minutes and you do them each day for one month. Yep, we’re talking less than 10 hours for the entire month.
Here are a few Acuff recommends:
- Read 10 pages of a leadership or development book each day. Feel free to find something not related to farming (it can even be fiction).
- Encourage one person. It doesn’t have to be a handwritten letter with a wax seal. Just once a day say one encouraging thing to one person.
- Walk, bike or run one mile. Essentially every day you’re moving your body for a quarter of an hour. Acuff likes the mile approach because at the end of the time frame, you have traveled 30 miles in a month.
- Write down one thing for which you’re grateful — on paper with a pen or pencil. Recognize big and small blessings.
- Spend 10 minutes planning your day. This is one of my favorites. Look at your calendar, check your to-do list and make a plan to accomplish the big things.
You can pick one or 10 micro goals to do for one month. Regardless of the number, you’ll see the results. What if you miss the third day? No big deal.
“We’re not aiming for perfect,” Acuff says. “Even if you only do your habit for 50% of the month, that’s infinitely more than you were going to do if you didn’t set the goal. So don’t let perfectionism steal the joy of a micro goal.”
Want more inspiration to accomplish your goals? Watch Jon Acuff present at the 2021 Top Producer Summit.
