There is unquestionably something deeply satisfying about ticking an item off your to-do list, even if it is something as basic as “take out the trash” or “answer a single email”. This isn’t just performative productivity – it’s psychology. Because small wins can shift your mindset, set the scene for your day, and build momentum that serves you when it comes to the bigger, more challenging things. In a world that rarely slows down, learning to value the little victories in life can be a game-changer.
Big goals, small steps
We live in a culture that is obsessed with transformation, the more dramatic the better. The before and after; the big steps in your career. Milestones and 30-day overhauls that look great in comparison pictures. Real progress, however, isn’t about those totemic moments; it’s about showing up and getting it done, consistently.
Whether you’re training for a marathon, or trying to cut out social media doomscrolling, success comes one small win at a time. Lacing up your shoes for a quick 15-minute run or setting your phone down and being present with your loved ones really does count. And the more of those small wins you stack up, the more real change can flourish.
Momentum is everything
Maybe it’s a masculine thing, but the idea of taking big swings and getting credit for it often takes precedence over simply getting things done. The fable of the tortoise and the hare would be panned by critics if it were written today, but it contains more than a grain of truth. The thing about high-risk-high-reward thinking is that the “risk” is that you don’t get things done – and for all that you can cherish the simple endeavor of trying, it doesn’t get you any further forward. In truth, there is a place for those big efforts; but it’s better if you can make them from a platform of actual progress.
Getting on with things such as clearing your desk of distracting debris, cooking and eating breakfast, or even just getting out of bed the moment the alarm goes can create a mental shift. You’re off to a good start, and good starts make for better stages to build from. Once you look at things in this way, you’re more likely to move on and tackle the next task. You’ve proven that you can get things done, and the momentum becomes self-perpetuating.
Knowing when to take a break
The culture of small wins can sound perilously close to “grindset”, a largely toxic concept that says you always have to be hustling and that sleep is for losers. But taking a break at the right time is part of the idea. If you just focus on working and say you’ll finish early, the likelihood is that you won’t actually finish any earlier, because it all melds into one big effort again. Setting aside even five minutes to play games or get a coffee, in a decisive way, is every bit as much a part of the process as ticking off tasks. There has to be balance.
The science of winning
Psychologists refer to it as the “progress principle”; a 2011 Harvard study showed that of all the things that can boost emotions and motivation during a work day, the single most powerful is making marked and meaningful progress. Note that it doesn’t need to be big steps, it’s just about saying “Done” and enjoying the dopamine of having banked a positive step. Small victories count and have a genuine impact.
In many ways, it’s about turning your “to-do” list into a “done” list. It’s all too easy to think of all the things you have to do and let it become an endless struggle. In reality, you know what you have to do, so it’s better to get on with it than to list everything and have a sense of foreboding about it. Just do the thing, note it down and start to see the list as a progress bar rather than a whole document. A list of things to do is always going to feel like a reproach. A list of things you have done is proof that you’re getting on with it.
Life doesn’t change in one moment; there is not a point where you’ve completed change. Progress is cumulative and sometimes it’s in the smaller tasks. But whether it’s just “get out of bed” or “renovate the kitchen”, every time you choose to get a move on and do it, you’re moving forward. And forward is always a good thing.