# The value of smaller goals Lowering the bar means working on small chunks, one at a time. Even if you have a [[Big and hairy goals|big and hairy goal]], there are always opportunities to decompose the work to be done in small chunks in order to make progress. Ideally, you can get to [[Atomic tasks]], which remain meaningful, but are achievable in a reasonable amount of time. [[Progress doesn't need to be spectacular. All that matters is that it moves the needle forward, even a tiny bit]] The immediate benefit of splitting work into small chunks is that it lowers the [[Barrier to entry]]. It makes big goals more approachable and less intimidating. A small task is not as scary as a big and hairy goal. But there's more! As you complete small chunks, assuming those are still meaningful, you get the satisfaction of making actual progress. That progress helps you move towards your goals in a *meaningful* and *tangible* way. Those [[Small wins]] will boost your confidence. This will keep you motivated, and will help you keep going. Each step will reinforce the belief that you can actually achieve your end goal, which will help you show up every day and keep pushing forward. We all despise and fear failure. From the youngest age, we're all taught that failure is *bad*, that it is nothing to be proud of. In reality, that is completely *wrong*, and education systems should actually help us *celebrate* failure. Unfortunately, we're not there yet. Because of those, we all end up with a deeply rooted *fear of failure*. The more ambitious our goals are, the more frightened we tend to be. This is also linked to self-confidence and to our belief systems. Ultimately, this leads to procrastination and pushes us to give up on our dreams. Lowering the bar and our expectations helps us to focus more on the path and less on the distance of the final goal post. When you decide to climb a mountain, each step counts, and each step looks manageable. When you focus on small wins, you get to discover sub-problems you can either simplify or ignore. For each low-level task, there are often many ways to move forward. [[The best task is the one you can skip entirely, without affecting the grander scheme of things]]. See [[Eisenhower Matrix]] [[When the bar is set lower and when you focus on making meaningful progress, step by step, you get to focus more of your attention on how to move forward more effectively. This encourages experimentation and fosters creativity]] As your attention is focused on a narrow context, you get to explore each separate sub-problem without being burdened by the "noise" of the whole problem space. ## Related - [[Why focusing on less leads to more]] - [[To make progress, set the bar lower]]