A Week of Micro-Wins

As we move into the final push of the Fall semester, sticking to our to-do lists gets harder. We’re all ready for a well-deserved break. With that in mind, I’ve been trying to identify strategies that will help carry me through these last few weeks without burning out.

One thing I’m focusing on this week is celebrating and tracking micro-wins.

I have a few major deadlines coming up, and none of them are “one or two focus session” tasks. Instead of grinding toward a looming deliverable, I’m breaking everything into smaller components and counting each completed step as a win. For example: finishing one step of my data analyses is a win. Drafting a single conference abstract paragraph is a win. Writing a few sentences of a manuscript is a win.

Here’s the framework I’m using to prep for the week ahead:

1. Three Micro-Wins for Research: Not full tasks – just the smallest possible moves (run one model, clarify a method, read one article, write three sentences).

2. Three Micro-Wins for Non-Research Deadlines: Examples: grade assignments for three students, create three slides for a class presentation, draft a few sentences of a class paper.

3. Two Administrative Micro-Wins: Emails, practicum hours, forms, approvals, scheduling, etc. Quick but necessary.

4. One Personal Micro-Win: Something that reduces friction for the week: a fitness class, a grocery restock, one load of laundry, tidying one space in your home.

5. One Non-Negotiable: This is the task you commit to doing even on your worst day. Mine this week: making sure I’m eating healthy, balanced meals.

Checking off small wins throughout the week builds momentum. And once you have momentum, it’s much easier to stay consistent and make it to the end of the semester without burning out.

If you try this out, let me know how it goes – what’s one micro-win on your list for this week?

Here’s to balance – one Sunday Reset at a time.