With Ease

What if accomplishing the Big Thing happened with ease? What might that look like? Feel like? Do you think it’s even reasonable to consider?

Martha Beck wrote her PhD thesis in 10 minutes a day. Sure, it took her a year. Actually, it probably took her closer to two years — months of procrastinating and one year writing 10 minutes a day.

She suggests the turtle task. That is, “the largest possible task that you essential self can do easily.” She says, “That last word — easily — is very, very important. We’re not talking about how much you can do when you’re pushing a deadline, ignoring all other responsibilities, fueling yourself with gallons of caffeine, and receiving a fortuitous visit from the muse. Even on a bad day, when you contemplate your turtle steps, your immediate, genuine gut reaction should be, ‘Oh, yeah, sure. I can do that.’”

So the question is, what the smallest task you could do with ease that would get you one infinitesimally small step closer to accomplishing a Big Thing? What if you did that today? And tomorrow too?