Whenever I’m overwhelmed by a big task or project, my career coach often calms me down by stating: “It’s a marathon—not a sprint.” Although I’m not a runner—and I have a personal yogic philosophy opposed to pushing oneself to the limits—this metaphor works wonders for me. I have a good friend who trained for a marathon last year and I observed the daily dedication and discipline it took for her to work towards that goal. She would rotate a shorter run one day with a longer run the next, switching off running with strength training at the gym. And, once in a while, she would give herself some much-needed days off from physical training to rest and recuperate.

Working towards a long-term personal or career goal is no different. Similar to the great advice shared in the LYJ blog post, “One Thing a Day,” it’s helpful to think of our goals as something that require daily action broken into small, do-able steps.  Rotating 15 minutes of work one day with 30 minutes the next and switching between different activities can truly add up to big results. These small accomplishments set the stage for achieving the larger goal. It’s also important to not underestimate the reward of taking a day off for fun and reflection.  After all, it’s not worth sacrificing personal well-being in the process of achieving our dreams.