When it comes to achieving big goals, it can be difficult to make progress or even, in some cases, start. Overthinking, limiting beliefs, and overcomplicating plans make it hard to move forward. However, taking simple steps will enable you to make better, faster progress with ease.
We’ll show you how in this post. Let’s get to it!
[Theresa] As a coach and digital course creator who values freedom and flexibility, time is my most treasured asset. However, in the past, I wasted much of it worrying about how I would achieve the big goals I’d set for my business.
In fact, I worried so much that I’d procrastinate, overcomplicate, or worse, not start at all.
[Meghan] This is such a common struggle for many small business owners, myself included.
Of course, your intention is to achieve your goal. But staying focused on the big picture can lead to pivoting, experimenting, and other behaviors that only make the problem worse. These distractions keep you stuck or creeping along at a snail’s pace. They wreck your marketing productivity and stand in your way of success.
The Mindset of Work
[Theresa] Exactly! You might think the issue here is that you lack particular knowledge or skill. And while that may contribute to some extent, I believe the root of the problem is mindset. In other words, there are some beliefs that you hold which keep you from getting the results you want.
You may believe that in order to make progress you have to take massive action. And if you’re not doing big, scary things it’s not worth your time. That is to say, you think that only great risk brings great reward.
[Meghan] You may believe that work needs to be hard. If it feels too easy, you think you’re doing something wrong or that you didn’t set a big enough goal.
[Theresa] Right. Or you may think that taking small, simple steps won’t get you to the finish line. So, you dismiss little things you can do in small pockets of time because you don’t believe you’ll achieve anything significant.
These mindsets have consequences You either won’t achieve the big goals you set. Or you’ll set insignificant goals that you can easily achieve, but don’t help your business grow.
If you don’t change this way of thinking, you risk staying stuck in place. And no one wants to stand still in their business.
The answer is to change your mind about what simplicity means.
Adopting a Simplicity Mindset
[Meghan] Simplicity is defined as, “the quality or condition of being easy to understand or do.”
Simple action doesn’t mean insignificant action. It’s taking complex things and breaking them down into the smaller, easier-to-do components.
[Theresa] Adopting a simplicity mindset will:
- Help you achieve bigger goals
- Foster personal and professional growth
- Increase revenue
- Significantly reduced your stress and overwhelm
- Help identify essential tasks and let go of the unnecessary ones
- Improve your work-life harmony
All of these things make business easier and more joyful, but that’s not all. When you enjoy your business more, it benefits other areas of life. Meaning you’ll feel happier and more fulfilled overall.
[Meghan] Well, doesn’t THAT sound good, right?! But to get there, you have to change your mindset about how you approach your work.
Why Mindset Matters in Goal Achievement
[Theresa] Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
I love this quote. It perfectly embodies the truth about mindset. Your mindset is the foundation upon which your success — or failure — is built. It’s the lens through which you view everything — challenges, successes, setbacks, growth, and opportunities.
The right mindset can turn obstacles into stepping stones and convert overwhelming tasks into manageable ones.
[Meghan] I love that quote too! As I’ve shared before, I believe the right mindset is a very big reason why successful people are successful.
On the other hand, a limiting mindset will view the same obstacles as impassable barriers. This point of view complicates even the simplest of tasks. It makes everything stressful and overwhelming. A limiting mindset can and will prevent you from achieving more.
Overwhelm: The Barrier to Progress
[Theresa] And look, feeling overwhelmed from time to time is a normal part of owning a business.
You juggle multiple roles, such as CEO, marketer, copywriter, content creator, project manager, guide, administrator, and more. And then, there’s life stuff! It’s a lot.
Add an ambitious goal into the mix and “all the things” altogether can feel paralyzing.
[Meghan] I’ve been there and know it well! Overwhelm can stand in the way of goal achievement. It leads to negative self-talk and imposter syndrome. You’ll end up thinking things like:
- “There’s no way I’ll achieve this goal.”
- “This is just too big.”
- “I’m not smart enough.”
- “What happens if I can’t do this?
- “Do I really have the time for this?”
- “Why should I bother? I’ll just fail anyway.”
These thoughts lead to self-doubt, which prevents you from making progress or even starting.
[Theresa] Tackling a big goal is a lot like staring at a mountain you’re unsure how to climb. When you keep your focus on the entire mountain or only on reaching the top, the climb can seem daunting.
This can cause you to delay, procrastinate, overplan, or even quit and go home.
Simple Steps: The Solution to Overwhelm
However, if you focus on tackling the first 50 feet of that mountain, then the next 50 feet, and so on, you’ll discover that you’ve made better, faster progress than you thought possible.
[Meghan] That’s the beauty of small, simple steps. It shifts the focus from the entire mountain to what’s most important to do right now.
[Theresa] Yes! This same concept can be applied to big goals and projects.
By breaking complex tasks into small, simple steps your goals will appear less overwhelming and more achievable. You’ll easily keep your focus on what matters in the short term, which contributes to long term results.
Because progress is still progress, no matter how big or small the action.
Complexity: The Enemy of Progress
[Meghan] Simple steps are the way forward. But beware of a common pitfall—complexity.
Complexity can sneak into your plans, inflate your ambitions, and make everything more difficult than it needs to be. This can leave you overwhelmed and unsure of what to do first.
[Theresa] It’s so easy to overcomplicate things. I’ve done it many times myself. To be honest, I think I have a knack for making things more difficult than they need to be.
The first time I attempted to run Facebook Ads comes to mind. This was way back in the day, when it was much simpler to do so.
You would think that this endeavor would be straight forward enough. But I immediately overwhelmed my brain with thoughts about graphics, copy, and how I was going to figure out the tech. I distinctly remember sitting down with big chart paper and writing out the process.
And somewhere along the line, I decided that the lead magnet I was going to run ads to wasn’t good enough. Which led me down THAT rabbit hole.
I struggled to make the simplest of decisions. You can probably guess how that ended.
[Meghan] Theresa never ran the ads!
[Theresa] Yep. And I have countless stories just like this.
Complexity and Analysis Paralysis
[Meghan] I think many of us have similar stories or can relate, especially when it comes to marketing tactics.
So, what actually happened here is Theresa found herself in analysis paralysis. This is the mental or emotional roadblock that occurs when you overthink your options.
Instead of making decisions, you analyze and over-analyze every possibility. You try to account for every potential outcome. You may think you’re being thorough. However, you’re actually sabotaging your progress.
[Theresa] Right. Complexity feeds into this analysis paralysis. The more elaborate the plan or project, the harder it becomes to make straightforward decisions.
What was supposed to be an exercise in reaching your goals becomes an exercise in endless contemplation and delay.
Simple Steps For the Win
[Meghan] To solve this problem, embrace the practice of simple steps. They make the seemingly impossible not just possible but easily achievable.
Instead of trying to figure out the entire roadmap to achieving your goal, you just need to identify the next actionable item. In other words, what’s the ONE next step, not ALL the steps.
[Theresa] The next small step could be as simple as brainstorming topics for an upcoming blog post or drafting one email for a 5-part nurture sequence.
For example, I recently redesigned and relaunched my membership, Achieve. There were lots of big deliverables for this project, one being a brand new, long-form sales page.
The thought of building this new page and all the possibilities of what it could be was overwhelming. I could literally feel myself starting to panic about how I was going to get this done.
So, I took a breath and asked myself what I needed to accomplish first. Once I identified that first step and took action, the rest of the steps became clear.
An Example of Simple Steps
Those simple steps ended up looking like this:
- Get clear on the results I was promising
- Break the sales page into sections
- Craft headlines for each section
- Write copy for one or two sections a day
- Edit the copy
- Then edit again
- Upload the copy to the website
- Format the page
- Make it pretty
- Edit again
[Meghan] Now, you’re probably thinking “that list sounds like a lot. It doesn’t seem simple at all!” It’s one task: write a sales page, right? So, why didn’t Theresa think of it or approach it as a single task to complete?
[Theresa] Fair question. Let me explain. A sales page is an important component of any marketing strategy. It’s not like drafting an email. And, I’m not a copywriter, so it takes me longer.
Had I attempted to write it all at once, I would have:
- Procrastinated
- Struggled with decisions that needed to be made
- Wasted time second-guessing myself
- Ended up with an ineffective sales page
- Or worse—it could have prevented me from relaunching altogether
Plus, this isn’t the only work I had to get done. I couldn’t take three solid days just writing a sales page. I’d risk getting backlogged on other deadlines or holding up my teammate.
[Meghan] Breaking up the bigger task into smaller pieces is a great approach.
“Taking simple steps” does not mean taking unimportant or insignificant steps. It’s really about taking smaller, strategic steps. This is similar to how I approach content marketing as I shared in episode 54.
This approach sets you up to succeed and can be a smarter way to work.
The Benefits of Simple Steps
[Theresa] It really is. I feel that I’ve really gotten good at taking simple steps over the last year. It’s been so effective for my productivity. And, it’s benefitted me from a psychological standpoint.
Breaking tasks down into smaller, more manageable pieces is liberating. It minimizes your mental load, making it easier to both start and continue your work. This is particularly important for tasks that are either too complex or too vague to tackle in one go.
[Meghan] Simple steps make complex tasks less intimidating. This makes it easier to concentrate on quality rather than being overwhelmed by quantity.
[Theresa] That’s right. Taking small steps isn’t just psychologically effective, though. It also offers a host of awesome benefits like:
- Increased focus: small, simple steps are easier to achieve than big daunting ones
- Better adaptability: smaller steps make it easier to adjust your plan when the unforeseen arises
- More frequent wins: each simple step completed is a win which helps maintain your momentum
- Proof of progress: you can see the tangible results of your efforts
- Reduced procrastination: only having to complete a simple step increases the likelihood of initiating that task
- Resource efficiency: you’re likely to use your time, energy, and other resources in ways that can lead to cost savings and faster completion times
While these are great, there’s one more big benefit to keeping things simple.
Why Simple Steps Feel Good
And that’s how good taking simple steps make you feel. Each small accomplishment serves as a positive reinforcement, boosting your confidence and motivation.
This is the best I’ve ever felt in my business. I’ve accomplished more than I’d anticipated over the past year because I took simple steps and focused on work that mattered. This way of working has be much more sustainable, too.
[Meghan] I can really see the difference in Theresa! She’s accomplishing so much while maintaining work life balance and feeling good. I’m really in awe of her!
Back to simple steps…what Theresa said is so accurate. It always feels good to check something off your to-do list. It’s an irresistible, immediate endorphin hit.
However, in the long term, these emotional rewards create a positive feedback loop that makes it easier to tackle bigger challenges.
Your belief in your own capabilities increases. It acts as fuel, propelling you forward in ways you’ve not anticipated.
[Theresa] Like feeling happier and more fulfilled. So I’d go so far as to say that the simple steps approach is a great form of self-care.
[Meghan] The connection between task management and self-care sounds odd, but when you dive into it like we have here, it makes sense. How you approach tasks, projects, time, and even your beliefs does impact how you feel overall.
Embracing Simple Steps for Success
[Theresa] As we come to a close today, I want to remind you that your journey to achieving your goals and finding joy in your work isn’t a sprint. It’s more of a leisurely stroll, inviting you to look around, pay attention, and adjust your direction as you move forward.
[Meghan] Look, there’s a reason why I named my blog and made my business theme “The Minimal Marketer.” You can’t do it all, at least not at once!
When it comes to marketing and everything else, embrace simplicity. Let go of the belief that progress has to be complex or feel hard. Instead, remember that the smallest of actions are often the most impactful.
Each step you take, no matter how minor it may seem, is a critical part of the puzzle that is your success.
[Theresa] I agree, Meghan. So I’ll stop there and leave you with this one last thought courtesy of Simon Sinek, “Dream big. Start small, but most of all start.”
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