A common question I get asked about my journey from Alaska to Argentina is “How did you maintain motivation over long periods of time?”.
Although the answer is now fairly simple, at the time it I didn't know it was what I was doing. After my trip, I read up about this technique and I found that I was doing something called "Chunking".
“Chunking” essentially takes overwhelming tasks or challenges, and breaks them down into smaller parts. This makes the ultimate goal seem far less daunting, as instead of focusing on the overall problem, you focus on what is immediately in front of you. So how does it work?
Take my trip for for example. At the start of my journey in Alaska, the thought of cycling over 30,000km, all the way down to the tip of South America, intimidated me immensely. So instead I focused all of my energy, on cycling the first 800km, from Deadhorse to Fairbanks. The challenge was broken down into a manageable chunk and I felt less stressed and overwhelmed by the whole journey. Once I arrived in to Fairbanks, I was then able to celebrate the completion of the first chunk. Rewarding myself, for what I'd achieved so far!
As the journey continued, I carried on chunking. I started to see the kilometres tick up. What happened was I started to build momentum. My confidence increased. Which in turn built resilience. I saw what I was capable of doing. Which spurred me on to do even more.
This technique allows you to cope with the stress of any daunting goal or challenge. It boosts your confidence, as you see what you can do and you start to build momentum. Just as important as this though, it prevents you from burning out, and stalling all progress. By splitting the bigger goal into chunks you allow yourself necessary mental breaks!
Make sure you make use of this powerful tool for your next project or challenge! Just don't forget to celebrate each chunk along the way!
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