Starting small with creative goals
With spotify + reading recs to support you this week
I’ve always been mesmerized by how small achievements can stack up. Like running for five minutes, for instance, and how if you do this every day for a month, you’ll eventually be able to run for ten minutes, and then twenty, and then an hour. Brittany Runs A Marathon is a perfect example of this idea. Small, singular actions compound.
One account I’ve been following on Instagram this year is Jack Jantzi, a kid who is doing an ice bath every day until Christmas. He started out with one of those plastic tubs you can buy at Walmart. Eventually, he gained a large following and brands started sending him at-home plunge tubs for his yard. It seems like just yesterday was his “day 1”, but he’s already 90 days in. I often wonder if he could picture himself here when he posted that first video.
Setting goals is not so much about reaching the goal as it is about consistency. It’s showing up every day and doing the very small and realistic habit that will get you closer to the end goal. For me, this is a book manuscript. For other creatives, it may be a business plan, launching a substack newsletter, or creating that first piece of art. No matter what it is, it requires starting small. And it requires starting.
My goal for this spring is to work on my book for two hours every day. My current work schedule allows for this, as I’m mostly freelancing and between jobs. In the past, I’ve set word count goals, which I think are great benchmarks too. But with the extra flexibility in my life right now, I want to push myself for at least four weeks and see what comes of it. The challenge is getting out of my own way and focusing on those daily goals instead of the big-picture win of having a new manuscript. Every two-hour increment is a win and a step in the right direction, and so that is my focus for this time.
For those of you who also want to take practical steps toward your creative goals, here are a few questions to think through as you set your own goals and for us to chat through in the comments below:
1. What is the end goal / big-picture win for this project?
e.g., What is your marathon or 365-day ice bath challenge? Where do you want to be by the end of the year when it comes to this project? Or better yet, by the first day of summer (June 20)?
2. What are the small, practical, and simple steps you can take every day to get there?
I find it helpful to use actual figures for this (hours, pages, word count, etc.). When we’re vague, it leaves room for ambiguity and anxiety. When I don’t know how much I need to write, I tend to wing it and base my output on how I feel (spoiler: I usually don’t feel like writing a lot). If I know ahead of time that I need to reach 500 words or write for an hour, then that’s what I will do.
3. When will you work on your project?
When our creative time becomes non-negotiable and set on the calendar, it’s much easier to make it happen. For me, I’ll be writing from 3 pm to 5 pm every day and treating that time slot like a work meeting. The time is booked, so I know not to schedule anything else.
Maybe you only have an hour on Wednesday or ten minutes each morning. Regardless of how much or little time you have, decide when you’d like to work on your project and put it on your calendar this week. Remember: showing up consistently, even to run “one block”, is the win we’re after.
Sending you all so much love and support this week from my little apartment in Pasadena. I believe in us. I believe in our art. I believe in showing up and creating and putting our ideas out into the world. Your creations matter. And I can’t wait to see/read/champion your work.
We’ve got this! See you Friday xx
Thank you, Kayti. This is such an excellent idea.
I'm in the thick of revising the second draft of my memoir. I'm taking about an hour, maybe two if I have it, first thing in the morning after my kids go to school.
That's when I sift through each paragraph and clean up the words. I'm also basing this on some edits a friend of mine sent me. (She is a professional editor.)
Good things take time. And good things take time away from other good things. I'm going to let my second draft simmer a while after I've combed through it - maybe two weeks - and then I'll revisit it again, hopefully with fresh eyes.
In the meantime, I'll work on my Substack essays.
Thank you for your words, inquiries, and inspo. I'm going to use the 3-5 pm window also to make progress on a book outline and time for generative creation. I'll be writing in virtual spirit with you in SF!