So…

Let’s imagine for a minute that you are doing a task that is new to you. You have finally gotten around to starting. To arrive at the point of starting is a big deal in and of itself. I think people who begin things are heroes. In my own life, it has been my hardest step.

You started, you lifted up one foot, and placed it on the ground. Then, miraculously, you took another step. Again, good for you. That required guts. You are proud of your progress and initiation. In fact, they took a lot of overcoming. The trouble is, your attention span with this new project is a bit limited. You got distracted. You wandered off to do some laundry. You made coffee. You came back and did some more work on it. Then you might have gotten distracted again.

Then… the next day, you do more work. You go longer without distraction. You remember to focus better. Since you already started, you feel a sense of movement. You can spend more energy on moving not starting.

This is what I think the process of scaling new projects feels like to me. One step after another until finally the flow begins and focus improves. Thank goodness it gets easier.

As Seth Godin writes, “Stretching compounds.”