Mindful Monday | Measuring progress

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." - Edmund Burke

Two weeks ago, I wrote about Shirley Chisholm and progress. Progress is one of the ways we evaluate or measure success.

Tracking progress is essential to keeping the momentum up and also one of the ways we undermine our confidence when we don't see it or measure it accurately.

And if you have a lot of historic accumulation or clutter, it can seem overwhelming so you may feel or tell yourself that something big has to happen for it feels significant or worth the effort.

That's a story.

Every step forward is progress.

You may convince yourself that since you can't do it ALL in one sitting that it's not worth even starting. That you can't make enough progress to make it worth your while.

You would be wrong.

More story.

I have struggled with this in my own business and practice.

I will tell myself the story that I just don't have the time to make an impact with only 15 minutes so I'll do it "later," when I really make some serious progress.

I really mean it when I say it to myself.

I think if I can't make a big impact, I should just wait.

Truth is, a lot can be accomplished in 15 minutes.

There are projects that you probably SHOULD do from start to finish like baking a cake.

When it comes to clutter though, progress can be counted when one thing is picked up and put in its home.

Progress can be found when something as simple as assigning your keys a new home is complete.

It may feel small, but progress means one more thing ends up in the recycle bin and not on the kitchen counter.

You are guaranteed that nothing will change if you delay taking action.

You risk letting overwhelm win and staying paralyzed.

Don't make the mistake of doing nothing because you could only do a little.

Set a timer for 5, 10, or 15 minutes and do a little.

Any progress is better than no progress at all.