If you get overwhelmed thinking, “I’ve got to declutter this house.” Or “I need to get my life organized.” Or “I need to change a life-long habit.” It’s not a surprise. Taking giant leaps forward is daring and ambitious, but it can also make a project or change seem daunting. And it makes it hard to get started.

Here are two suggestions to help make change happen at a slower pace.

#1 – Break big projects into smaller parts – even tiny parts
One of my nieces has a son who is a really picky eater. Her son decided last week that he was finally going to try rice for dinner. “Yay!” my niece thought, then agonized as her son ate his rice one piece at a time. But there’s a beauty there that maybe kids know better than adults do. He wanted to try rice but he didn’t attempt to eat a whole bowl. He tried one piece. And then another. And then another.

Instead of trying to declutter your house, how about being satisfied decluttering one closet. Or one drawer. See how that feels, and if you love it, try a little more. No one says your house has to look a certain way. How do you feel most comfortable in your house? Maybe if your house is just a little less cluttered it will suit you just fine.

The same is true for getting organized or changing life-long habits. Little steps, baby steps, can take you a remarkably long way.

When you don’t shoot for the moon:

• There’s a better chance you’ll start because small projects aren’t nearly as scary as big projects.
• Small steps give you many chances to be successful. And you can take little breaks! This is your schedule. What works best for you?
• When you make changes in small steps, you help build new habits that are harder to break.

#2 – Don’t try to make things perfect – just make them better
If you’re ready to make a change, what’s one thing you can do to make things a little better than they are now? How can you make your house a little less cluttered? What’s one thing you could get nicely organized? What’s one small habit you’d like to change?

As you better your life and make it more “you,” your energy picks up and you get more done. And as you better your life, maybe you’ll leave the world a little better than you found it. Bonus 🙂

We snapped a sunset in small steps tonight at Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Gorgeous!

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