When you start with a new project or this big feature you need to start working on, you think by yourself:

Where do I start?

There are techniques for this, which the title is already giving away, but what if I told applying the same thing to this big thing called life will help you grow and move things to the next level? Let’s dive into it.

To handle a big project or task, you need to think about the next action.

What is the next smallest possible action I can complete?

Let’s say you have to build the user creation part of an application:

Don’t do this:

• I will implement a submission form
• I will create a function that submits the data to the API Do this:
• I will create a feature branch
• I will create a page
• I will create an input field component *I will create a button component *I will check if there is an HTTP service to handle API calls
• etc.

Do you see where I’m going with this? By doing this, you are forcing yourself to think everything through and that you don’t skip anything.

How is this helping you in life?

Do this for all the important pillars in your life and grow slowly and consistently. As mentioned earlier, think of the next smallest possible action that you can complete to contribute to that.

It forces you to follow and appreciate the process. There is no skipping steps or cheating the process.

How to apply next action thinking?

The system I’m using is a hybrid of Andy Frissella’s power list and the GTD method. But this applies to any to-do or action list.

• Read more about the power list in this article: My six takeaways from Andy Frisella’s power list.
• Read more about one of the GTD concepts in this article: Why does being busy give you a bad feeling?.

I advise you have a daily action list; this way, you facilitate creating small actions. You have a few big pillars you focus on based on your goals and vision, and you make sure every pillar has at least one action per day that contributes to that. So every day, you think of the next action that contributes to that pillar.

Call dad today at 17:00

That is a lot more actionable than:

Family is important to me

Don’t be fooled by the word: Small in small action thinking. Thinking of the next possible action can be extremely hard. Make sure you have an up-to-date vision noted down somewhere, and make sure your mind is clear.

Read more about the importance of having a vision: The importance of having a vision.

Sit down and only think about the next possible action. Listen to your gut feeling and keep an eye out for the opportunities manifesting themselves around you. You will notice that those small actions you defined can be combined and stacked.

Conclusion

How to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. When you face a big task or there are big goals in your life you want to achieve; Break it down into the smallest next action possible. Competed a small action? Time to think about the next one. Here is to growth using consistency and taking action!

This is the podcast I recorded about this subject