The Power of Incrementalism
We tend to get overwhelmed by the big picture, and the more ambitious our goals seem, the easier it is to fall into this trap. But if we focus on contributing to our purpose a little bit each day, the final product will form in its own time.
We all wait for the day when we will finally be satisfied with our lives — when we get married, when we buy a house, when we get a promotion. But the only way to be satisfied with our lives is to take small, consistent steps in the direction of our goals and to also regularly engage in activities that we enjoy. As Annie Dillard said, “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” We all have something in our heads that tells us that one day our lives will be better. But the only way to make our lives better is to take action every day to achieve this. There is never going to be a day that you’re suddenly satisfied; this occurs through subtle, gradual steps made in direction of your goals.
Everyone has heard a variation of “it’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey.” We often dismiss cliches as banal and vague, but the reason for this is because they are so true that people have repeated them so much over time until they were eventually exhausted. This common expression is an example. When we take a step back and stop focusing on where we wish to be, and instead examine how our daily actions, weekly, and monthly actions are contributing to that goal, we find fulfillment. The destination becomes the natural result of these small, steady steps.
Every significant event that happens in our lives and in the world is the result of an accumulation of steps. If you were to build a house, you wouldn’t just one day wake up and decide to throw a bunch of bricks together to complete the goal; you would work consistently for a long time to complete each step of the process.
What are we working towards?
We all have two fundamental desires that all of our goals represent: success and pleasure. These two desires manifest in countless ways, depending on the person.
Every person has to decide how they will fulfill these two desires, and we can allocate time each day for activities that contribute to each of these desires.
Some people are busier than others, which means they will have to devote a greater portion of each of their days to work. But the structure of planning each day remains the same.
This doesn’t mean that you need to have a detailed plan of how you will spend each waking hour of your day; that would likely be exhausting. It just means that you should have a rough idea of how much time you want to devote to each activity that you have decided is worth your time.
It’s human nature to never be satisfied no matter how many things we acquire or how much we achieve. But if you organize your days in a way that incorporates the incremental steps that are necessary to guiding you to all of the little things you want out of life, you’re already there.
So take a step back, decide how much time per day you are willing to devote to each category that you want to work on or take pleasure in, and repeat. And if your goals or desires or interests change along the way, change your days accordingly.
Allocate time for breaks instead of procrastinating.
The idea of planning each day seems scary because that doesn’t leave room for our favorite activity: procrastinating. But if you allocate a certain number of hours per day to the activities that bring you pleasure, and space them out throughout the day, then you won’t need to procrastinate. You’ve already built your fun time into your day intentionally. This gives you a sense of control while you’re spending the same amount of time on the same activities.
Practicing incrementalism on a daily basis increases productivity and gives you the agency to spend your days in a way that is fulfilling and that contributes to your overall success.
