🔋Setting Small Goals vs. Big Goals: What's better? (ATP#18)

Let’s start today’s edition with a quick thought experiment. 🧪 

Imagine you're saving money for something meaningful (maybe a vacation, a new laptop, your retirement, or whatever comes to mind).

Now, I’m giving you two options:

• Option 1: Save $5 per day.

• Option 2: Save $150 per month.

Which of these options would you sign up for?

According to a study, option 1 generated more sign-ups, even though, if you do the math, the monthly amount is the same as in option 2. And the difference was pretty huge:

• 29.9% of participants enrolled when presented with the $5 per day option.

• Only 7.1% signed up when shown the $150 per month option.

• An intermediate weekly option ($35 per week) attracted 10.3%.

So, breaking down the goal of saving $150 a month into small daily goals made people more likely to commit to it.

What about retention?

Initially, during the first month, a higher percentage of people dropped out of the “$5 daily” group than from the other two groups. But by months 2 and 3, this gap disappeared. And thanks to the higher sign-up rate at the beginning, the “$5 daily” group still had the most people overall.

This study shows that breaking down a bigger goal into small, actionable steps makes it easier to commit to it. The findings align with goal-setting theory and research, which show that small, specific goals make you more likely to succeed.

So, whichever goal you have, analyze how you can break it down into tiny steps that will take you there. Clear, specific, and short-term goals are more motivating than vague, distant ones.

Should you forget about your big, overarching goals?

No, you shouldn’t. Even though it helps to break your goals down into small steps, the “big” goal marks some kind of end point that aligns with your identity and values in life.

The goal-setting literature distinguishes between three levels of goals:

• Superordinate goals are at the highest level, representing abstract ideals (e.g., "be healthy"). They connect to your identity and values.

• Intermediate goals provide a general course of action in specific contexts (e.g., "be in shape").

• Subordinate goals are concrete, specific actions with clear endpoints (e.g., "do 40 push-ups daily").

Here’s a graphical representation of these three levels (from this article):

Successful goal-setters define small, specific actions (subordinate goals) that align with meaningful long-term aims (superordinate goals):

• The small goals provide clarity and quick wins.

• The big-picture goals fuel long-term motivation and identity.

Practical takeaways for everyday life

• Break down big goals into small, specific, and time-bound actions (subordinate goals).

• Connect specific actions to meaningful personal values (e.g., link daily exercise to being healthy).

• When facing setbacks, recall your superordinate goals to stay motivated and find alternative paths forward.

• For long-term challenges, maintain your focus on both why (superordinate) and how (subordinate) you're pursuing your goals.

It’s not about small goals versus big goals. It’s about how they work together.

If this edition helped you look at goal-setting from a new angle, you can buy me a coffee here. ☕ That’s how I keep this newsletter free.

Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com.