Start a big project, broken into 7 small steps
A big project, like a side business, a thesis or a renovation, can sit in the "someday" pile for years, not because it's impossible, but because there's no obvious first action.
Define what done looks like, break it into milestones, and then make the first action so small it feels almost silly.
Start here · under 2 minutes
Open a note and give the project a name.
Under two minutes. A named project is easier to come back to.
The rest of the steps
- Step 2:
Write what "done" looks like in one sentence.
"A website with 5 pages online" or "the bathroom tiled".
- Step 3:
List 3 to 5 big milestones.
In order. You don't need the details yet.
- Step 4:
Break only the first milestone into tasks.
The rest can wait until you get there.
- Step 5:
Make the first task tiny.
"Email the contractor", not "get quotes". Something you could do today.
- Step 6:
Put a recurring time on your calendar.
Even 30 minutes twice a week moves a project forward.
- Step 7:
Do the first task now.
Momentum starts with one completed action.
Why this one stalls
The project is a goal, not a task. You can't "do" a goal; you can only do the next action, and nobody has named it yet.
If you get stuck
Tell someone about your first milestone and when you'll finish it. A small outside check-in helps more than a perfect plan.
What “done” looks like
A named project with milestones, and its first task completed.
These steps follow the same rules as the method in our task breakdown guide: the first step is physical and takes under two minutes, and every step after it is something you can see yourself doing. Got a head full of other things too? Start with a brain dump.