Are you chasing a dream, but already feeling overwhelmed by the work? Here’s one question that helps clients turn dreams into reality.
Hi, I’m Coach Tony. This is a Project Manage Your Life (PMYL) Pro Tip. It’s one of the tools I use to help people set better goals, stay consistent, and actually finish what they start.
Ready for a dad joke?
Before we get serious, please consider this lighthearted amuse-bouche for your brain. Sure, it might be groan-worthy... but at least you’re getting your money’s worth, right? 😆
I think I'm going to have to buy fifty baby chickens from a local farm.
They're going cheep!
Overwhelmed At The Starting Line? Ask This One Question.
Are you chasing a dream but already feeling overwhelmed by the work ahead?
We’ve all been there. That realization that there is a hell of a lot of work to do to achieve the mission or goal we have committed to accomplishing.
There is a harsh reality in the world of projects (which is precisely what your goals are): there is always more work to be done than people and time to do it. I have never started a project without already feeling like I’m behind schedule.
This is why project managers embrace the concept of MVP, or minimum viable product.
Your MVP is the smallest amount of work that still delivers something useful to your customer. This allows the team to create something, give it to customers, and start hearing feedback so they can begin improving it.
MVP helps project managers deliver value as quickly as possible by eliminating non-essential activities.
The Magic Question
I bet you’re already thinking about how this MVP idea applies to your personal projects, right?
By asking one powerful, magic question, you can combat that overwhelmed feeling you face at the beginning of any goal journey.
So, what’s the magic question?
What’s the least I can do?
I know it sounds like justifying laziness… and maybe it is, but for the right reasons.
Example: New Year, New You
Picture this.
It is January first, and you’ve set a “New Year, New You” resolution to lose weight this year. With a slight January 1st hangover, you start planning how to make this happen.
You quickly sketch out a to-do list for yourself:
- Join a gym
- Sign up for that fancy weight loss app
- Get rid of all the junk food in the house
- Buy health food
- Buy a new scale
- Get the fancy fitness tracking watch
With a list like this, do you think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that you are going to stick with your resolution?
Not a chance!
You have set yourself up for failure.
You may not even make it to “quitter’s day,” which is the second Friday in January, when 80% of resolutions have failed.
But what if you used the magic question?
“I’m going to lose weight this year. What’s the least I can do to get started?”
Maybe you would decide to add a thirty-minute walk to your morning routine, start paying attention to what you eat, and drink more water.
That’s it.
You are on a path to success without overwhelm.
Just a few small steps that are entirely within your power.
Don’t believe that will work? Well, those were the exact first steps I took when I lost over a hundred pounds in under a year.
Success is all about starting small, getting moving, and building from there.
Starting small begins with asking, “What’s the least I can do?”
I call it winning with laziness!
Want An Easy First Step?
Do you want one easy step that’s the least you can do to start building the life of your dreams? I got you covered.
That’s why I created the Project Manage Your Life Starter Kit. It’s a DIY bundle of the same tools I use with clients, plus a mini course to help guide you through one non-overwhelming step at a time.
💥 Feeling overwhelmed at the starting line is often the biggest barrier to reaching the finish line. Instead of abandoning your dream, do a little bit… achieve small wins… learn a lot… then repeat!
It is the least you can do.
✨ I believe in you. Let me help YOU believe in you!
Meet Coach Tony
Tony Weaver is a master life coach, technologist, consultant, writer, and founder of Operation Melt.
He helps project managers and other left-brained high-achievers pursue their biggest goals.
Through free resources, personalized coaching, and his proven Project Manage Your Life system, Tony empowers clients to move their dreams from “someday” to success… one step at a time.
Learn more about Project Manage Your Life, the system my clients and I use to crush our goals, at OperationMelt.com/PMYL/
Meet Coach Tony