As writers, we have lots of project-based items to think about. These are big items that can take weeks or months to complete. This can include things like building a website, writing a book, creating a course, building an author platform, or starting a podcast. That is why it’s easy to get paralyzed by all the things you think you should be doing.

The small steps are important, too. In fact, the big steps are made up of the small steps. The big steps don’t consist of anything but the small steps. Small steps are the only things that get you to your goals.

Thomas Carlyle, a British historian, said, “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”

What do you need to do today? Not next week or next month, but today? What lies clearly at hand? Focus on that thing until it’s done. Don’t spend so much time thinking about the big projects that the small steps don’t get done.

Focusing on today’s work and making sure it gets done is the only way to take the big steps.

Today’s Challenge: What is a single small step you can take today toward a bigger goal?