It’s quite common for attorneys with their own firms to dream big, and even to become overwhelmed by the sheer scope of their goals and all the steps necessary for achieving them. It’s understandable to be intimidated by all the work that lies ahead of you to make your dreams a reality, but the good news is there are steps you can take to make those prospects less daunting.

Setting small micro goals is a great way to make seemingly large or impossible tasks much more manageable. Consider breaking down your large overall goal into smaller, much more easily achievable goals to give yourself a sense of progress and build positive momentum as you move forward.

Here are some tips for embracing the micro goal setting process.

• Clearly articulate your big goal: Before you can set micro goals, you must have a clear vision of your main goal. Write your goals down. What specifically do you want to accomplish? Perhaps it’s a number of clients or cases, perhaps it’s revenue goals, or maybe it’s something more abstract, such as becoming a respected leader in your field and your region. Whatever the goal is, recognize it and articulate it so you can create tangible steps to work toward it.
• List the steps to achieving that goal: What’s going to be necessary for you to achieve the goal you have in mind? Marathon runners don’t start by running marathons—they train at much smaller distances and work their way up. In a similar way, you need to start by taking smaller steps that will help you build toward your ultimate goal.
• Create micro goals: Consider the steps you listed that will help you achieve your goal, and set individual goals aligning with those steps. Create a timeline for each one of those micro goals to hold yourself accountable. Perhaps you want to have a certain number of clients by a certain period of time. Having a timeline in place allows you to avoid procrastination and gives you something more tangible to shoot for. Achieving those goals on your timeline then becomes much more rewarding.
• Find time to rest: After you achieve individual micro goals, it’s important to find some time to relax and breathe. Enjoy the little victories and accomplishments—it will make the journey toward your larger goal so much more fulfilling, and it will also prevent you from burning out. You should always maintain a long-term approach to your large goals and avoid trying to pack too much in within an unreasonable time frame.

Start setting micro goals, and your overall goals will start to seem much more achievable!