In the oft quoted Tao Te Ching of Lao Tsu, we are reminded that “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Yet somehow, we tend to forget this when faced with a difficult task. The simple truth is, you can’t do it all at once. Often, you can’t even see how it can possibly get done. That’s fine. Just like the journey of a thousand miles, we do not usually see the destination from where we stand.

It is a form of fear that puts us in that state of high stress when faced with a task that seems too much to handle. Stage fright or performance anxiety, in fact, often results from the performers internal dialogue prior to stepping on stage, during which they suddenly realize that they don’t know their third line in act two. However, that is normal. You can’t have a whole performance exist in your mind at one time. All you need to know is your first line of act one, and the rest will follow. I didn’t know what I’d be writing in this third paragraph, yet here I am!

We all know from 12 step programs like alcoholics anonymous that the way to overcome addiction is one day at a time. Sometimes that ends up being closer to one minute at a time, but the point is, it works. Fear and stress have a lot in common with addiction. In fact, in today’s world, I would argue that they are addictions in their own right. All we need is a simple system to handle such things when they arise. So here are a few simple steps to take before you let that big project get you down.

Step 1.

OK, indulge yourself for a minute. Despite what I just said, go ahead and imagine the whole project, but most importantly, imagine it finished, even if you can’t see the end result in perfect clarity. Let your mind wander through the real or imagined aspects of this project. Feel the satisfaction of having it done. Fake it if you have to. Don’t edit your thoughts. Just let it flow, but don’t get too wrapped up in this step. After a few minutes, proceed to step two.

Step 2.

If it is a project that will take a substantial amount of time, break it up into at least three phases. If you are unclear about specifics, general phases like beginning, middle and end will work just fine. If there are a lot of components, just jot them down as you think of them. Once you have a reasonable list, try to order them in the phase that they seem to belong in. Remember, flexibility gives added strength to any plan, so you might find that something you thought was important at the beginning is really better left for the end. For example, writing an introduction, synopsis or a musical overture is usually better left for the end, even though it appears at the beginning.

Step 3.

Spend five minutes or more in silent meditation. I put this step here rather than at the beginning for a reason. Once you’ve done some brainstorming and gotten some concepts listed, the analytical side of your brain will be appeased and more at ease. Meditation allows the intuitive side of you to flow, and after a few minutes, you will probably find the ideas and phases you outlined earlier will have more clarity and direction. Of course, this step can be used as step one instead, if that suits you. Remember, the strength of any plan is in its flexibility.

Step 4.

Simply begin. Just start writing, doing, thinking, calculating. Whatever. It really does not matter. I don’t believe in writers block. In over thirty years of writing, I’ve never had it, because I just begin writing. Sure, sometimes it comes out as inane, useless drivel, but not too often. (I hope!) More often I’m getting to the heart of the matter within a few paragraphs. Whatever you do, don’t do too much editing as you go. In fact, none at all is probably best. Any plan, any work of art, musical composition, product design, almost anything that we have in our lives today came about through the magic formula of idea, beginning, revision, completion.

So just get started and detach yourself from the results, at least for the moment.

That’s it! Simple, isn’t it!