The Power of Micro Goals

Yoofi Annan
3 min readSep 11, 2020

Let’s face it we are all told to dream big, as big as the ocean.
Set huge goals that challenge oneself to achieve the extraordinary .
S.MA.R.T. Goals.

S.M.A.R.T

Specific
Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Timely

Eg. 1. Have a business or start up making $10M ARR in 2 years.

2. Get Married before 26 years.

3. Lose 10kg by Christmas

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” — Andrew Carnegie

All these a big goals and it may be counter-intuitive to think of micro-goals…
Stay with me till the end to discover why they are important — you will be glad you did!

Lets take a look at the definition according to Merriam webster

Micro

mi·​cro | \ ˈmī-(ˌ)krō \

Definition of micro (Entry 1 of 2)

1: very small

especially : MICROSCOPIC

2: involving minute quantities or variations

Goal

goal noun

\ ˈDefinition of goal

1: the end toward which effort is directed : AIM

The goal is high-speed rail travel.

So putting them together :
A micro goal is a micro end towards which micro efforts are directed, well, literally.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” — Pablo Picasso

Set a big goal divide into daily weekly and monthly micro-goals

Some may call it a daily to do list.

In my experience with this hitting them gives you some highs as you hit them.
This builds momentum at makerlog, we makers call it streaks .

Once you set the big goals you need to break it up into micro goals actionable each day.

AS YOU CRUSH THEM your body releases dopamine — a reward chemical and helps build and keep momentum :newton’s First Law

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” — Zig Ziglar

I recently was on an hour + call with a felolow virtual networker Mike Armstrong(wales best networker 2018) whom I met in a networking group owned an operated by Marc Jarret.

I met lots of wonderful people whiles extolling the virtues of Virtual networking during these perilous COVID-19 times, some with whom I have developed a friendship with, including Dexter Koh Building Drift Funnels — a no-code funnel/website builder for marketers and entrepreneurs.

I don’t consider myself to be the most highly organised in the world, I try. The rise of project management and automation apps have allowed me to reduce the mental clutter and as such, this problem is now relegated to the trash can of mummified problems.

Mike discussed extensively the act of writing daily micro goals and having a completion ritual.

1. Reverse engineer a macro goal and Break it down into micro-goals, daily actionable goals…

Adopting this strategy gave me clarity during the day.

My ideas were a mess.

Using Dan Loks wealth triangle to define my to-do list hierarchy.

High income skills — Digital marketing for clients
and scalable side project building dlistio and other maker ideas as well as learning new stuff.

Getting closer to building my audience as I build my 2nd side project .

Benefits of Micro Goals

1. Micro goals help me stay focused

2. Helps me stay organised

3. They give me a sense of accomplishment releasing dopamine ; the reward chemical

Let's go back to our Macro goals.

  1. Have a business or start up making $1M ARR in 2 years. =

a)$ 83,400 / month which is $2777 daily
Posting content daily to create awareness, engagement and conversions

2. Get Married before 26 years.

a)This means basically talking to your friend daily
b)staying committed to facing and crushing the perils of relationship with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

3. Lose 10kg by Christmas

a)Eat 1150 Calories daily
b) Exercise for 30 minutes daily.

The Outstanding is to create a ritual after acing my micro-goals.
I can’t tear my sheets in Trello,Airtable or Apple notes and make 3 pointers from my desk.

What’s do you suggest?
What are your daily micro-goals like?

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Yoofi Annan

I write about Digital Marketing(I generate leads through social media, sales funnels & automations) |nocode projects| Entrepreneurship and Personal development.