Flashlight wisdom: Get it done one step at a time

When is it easy to run uphill? When you can’t see the hill.

I learned this lesson as a runner — but I’ve used it the most in my work life, whenever I take on big projects. Perhaps you can put it to work too.

Several years ago, I started running with a few other early risers. We’d hit the wooded trail before sunup, using flashlights and headlamps to show the way.

We did our running in the aptly named Highbanks Metropark, where the glacier-shaped terrain goes up and down.

I had run these trails many times before, but in daylight. They always wore me out.

Darkness changed all that. The hills seemed flatter. I felt stronger. And I’d finish my runs with more energy and a greater sense of accomplishment.

What was happening? With the flashlight beam reaching just 10 feet ahead, I couldn’t see those upcoming inclines. So I wasn’t experiencing the hill-induced anxiety that can wear on mind and body. Everything seemed easier.

It can happen at work as well – wherever there are big projects or looming deadlines or anything that involves a steep climb.

If you stare too far ahead, fixating on the full challenge in all its enormity, it can seem overwhelming. Intimidating. Exhausting.

So try some self-imposed darkness. Focus solely on the next few steps. Get those done. Look to what’s next. Take more steps. Repeat.

You’ll need a project plan of some sort. Think of the on-paper plan as your trail map, and the steps themselves as your trail.

Then get going and keep going, one step after another.

The actual flashlight is optional.

By Tom Terez • Contact