Baby steps are the best way to accomplish complex goals. I formulate my recommendations for my clients in small increments. When it comes to making progress toward reaching a goal, my main concern is for my client to complete a specific action. Showing up to complete an action is very important too, but to really move forward toward completing a larger goal, I encourage my clients to work toward completing one baby step at a time. After completing many such baby steps, the day arrives when my client completes or exceeds completion of a current goal. That’s an exciting day.

I use the term baby steps, because it makes the concept of growth, learning and change clearer for me. For those of you who might have trouble with associating the word baby with being young, not good enough, immature or other similar words, try to let those images go. “Baby steps” is just a description of a step-by-step process that you will take to complete a goal. This phrase doesn’t judge or describe the importance of the actions you will be taking. There are no right or wrong ways to complete baby steps. The process begins and ends with completing the next step in your plan to complete your goal.

Sometimes completing a baby step means that you show up in front of your computer to work on a writing project. At other times, it may mean that you make a phone call to further your research or to make an appointment with a potential employer. That’s the first part of the baby step. The next part is to complete the conversation, or series of conversations that you need to have, before you can take the final completing action. The middle part of completing the conversation, may take more than one step. It will depend entirely on what action you’ve decided to take. For example, if you are preparing for an interview then you will need to: schedule the appointment, prepare for the appointment, go to the appointment and evaluate the appointment after you’ve completed it. At other times you may only have one or two actions to complete in order to finish this section of the baby step. Learning to be flexible about the time and amount of baby steps you may need to take in a given situation is a good skill to develop.

So how do I move to a place where I start taking baby steps? I need to choose a goal. It doesn’t need to be a complex goal. It just needs to be an intermediate goal that will move you forward toward completion of your creative project. For example, I want to complete two new pieces of jewelry inventory today. My first action would be to choose which set of beads I want to use to create a piece. My second action would be to set up the beading wire to string the piece, then I would continue until I’ve finished the piece. When I write a how-to article, I start with a rough draft with a working title. I set a timer and freewrite around the subject, until one idea surfaces. I then, continue writing until I begin to see sections surfacing from my writing. I continue this process until have developed a clear first draft. After I’ve reached this point, I will stop and edit my work. I will continue to follow this pattern until I’ve completed the article.

If you are hesitant to choose a subject, then try clustering your subject. This is a well-known exercise, useful in journaling as well as other types of writing. Choose a word that best describes your topic. Place it in the middle of a piece of paper with a circle around it. Then for about two minutes, write words or phrases that you associate with the word. Connect the words with lines to the main topic. Do not edit yourself. This is a brainstorming session. You need to put down as much information as you can. Continue to add information to your cluster until one word or phrase pops out at you. When you see this phrase, mark it with a square or another pen color so that you will be able to remember it. Take this phrase and put it in the middle of a new sheet of paper. If you believe that you need to write another cluster around it, then follow the same directions above, until you have found a clear topic statement.

When you find your topic, then start a new page with it. Start freewriting for a few minutes and continue following the steps I mentioned in the last paragraph, until your outline and sections become clear. Now that you have completed the middle of your action. It’s time to think about finishing your project. You may start the finishing of your project very early in your creative process, such as if you are making a small painting or sculpture. Or you may complete many middle actions before you come close to the starting the finishing up of your project. Your pace and your daily actions depend completely on the type of project and schedule that you have chosen. Some people begin to experience fear or irritability as they approach the end of a project. I call this phase “spring fever”. I tend to feel this way in the last six weeks or so of a project, or the last phase. I usually start to feel anxious and start dreaming about what will happen when I’ve finished my goal. If I’m not careful I have trouble concentrating on finishing my work. I want to jump ahead to a new project or stop and experiment with that new idea, I wrote down yesterday or I want to talk to someone about what I’m doing, rather than finish doing it. Sometimes I will give myself a bit of room to make a phone call, journal or take a quick walk around the room, when I’m feeling anxious. But I do keep a watch on my work time. I don’t want to let that walk or conversation become too long a distraction from my work. I find that the calmer and more secure I feel about my creative work, the less time I need to schedule breaks. I also don’t need to worry so much about how long a break I take.

As you move toward completing your goal, be careful not to become distracted. The same habits that may have bothered you in the beginning of your work, may pop up to interrupt you at the end. Plan ways to pursue your new work habits. If a habit pops up when you least expect it, don’t let it become too much of a distraction. Take a few moments to acknowledge it and return to your work. Don’t let it interrupt your momentum. When you are finished with your project, make sure to check it for errors, following whatever steps you usually take to verify that you have finished your project. When you are done, put your project away and do something to celebrate the completion of your project and goals. If possible, share your progress with another creative person. It will double the accomplishment!

Have a creative week!

Tags: Articles - Creativity Coaching //