The Micro-Action Movement.

It's only January 2nd and I'm already on a roll with no intent of slowing down. My first 40 days of my "New Year's Results" is in full force (not eating out more than once-a-week), and I've also gotten back on track with my novel which I was initially intending to have finished by May, but with a new micro-action goal of 4,000 words-a-day, I am on track to finish this baby by January 15th (right before my classes start). I started three new graduate school applications yesterday that I am also aiming to have finished by the first week of school, so I am PUMPED, to say the least.


I read a blog post yesterday that really helped me to understand how I'm going to attack these results without giving up the way so many people do early in the year. The blog talked about the concept of micro-action. When we make a big resolution, such as to lose weight, write a book, change our diet or better manage our money, it sounds more than doable in the heat of the moment, but when it comes time to actually face the reality of accomplishing these things, we become daunted by the reality of them and what it's actually going to require of us to make it happen; that's how people give up so quickly. I mean, let's be real. Will you really go to the gym every morning at 6 a.m. to jog on the treadmill for an hour? Maybe for a month while you're still motivated. Personally, I know the gym at school is only crowded for the first three weeks, if that.


The blog I read stressed micro-action: doing something small and realistic to contribute to the greater, long-term picture. Planning to run a marathon by October? When you think about it, it's daunting to actually get up every morning and run to train when you've never run before. Start by committing yourself to power walking three times-a-week, then later graduating to jogging, that way you're less likely to quit because you're committing to actions that are actually manageable. The next thing you know you'll be in New York finishing that marathon and wondering how you actually did it. 


For me, finishing and publishing my novel has been a task that's been on my list every year, but when it comes down to sitting down to actually write 60,000 - 80,000 words, I get intimidated and distracted by my own thoughts. Questions like "Who are you to write a novel?"  "What makes you think anybody would read this?" cross my mind and distract me from the task at hand too easily. That's why I'm committing to micro-action. Spending two hours to write 4,000 words-a-day instead of trying to sit down and write a novel all at once is much easier on my state of mind. Restricting my weekly fast food intake and money output by designating only one day a week when I can indulge at a restaurant is another way I'm micro-acting. Another way is by jump roping for five minutes each day before really getting out on the streets to jog again.


Be real with yourself in 2012 and your resolutions are sure to become results. Check out the blog and let me know what you think! If we focus on the little things, I'm sure that the big results we want will materialize. What are some of your resolutions that you can micro-act on?