‘Step by Step’ May Sound Cliche but There’s Power in That Process

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.

Doing things in bits with a goal in sight was definitely not a habit I gained in medical school. I was too busy discovering myself. I learned that habit during my postgraduate.

Most of my course assessments were research essay based. You do your research, write your drafts, quote your sources, write up your reference lists, and submit your final drafts.

Many of these essays were pretty long, so you could never write them in one sitting. Back then, I would wake up and do my morning routine, then do some work for 1–2 hours, then break time. Sometimes, I would come back to the essay later in the day. Other times, my morning session was enough for the day. The next day, I would repeat the cycle.

My masters lasted 9 months. It was this daily habit of bits and pieces that saw me to the end. I finished with a cumulative grade of B.

After my degree, I stuck to that habit. Any time I had a personal or work project, I knew I could deliver. All I did was show up and do a little each day. I never belabored myself. One day, I’d wake up to see I’d finished the whole project.

One of the most recent projects I worked on was my husband’s migration to North America. The paperwork was horrendous. There was just so much to put together and submit. I recall that when I first saw the checklist; I did not smile.

Then I remembered my Modus operandi; bit by bit. I had a 9 to 5, so I couldn’t do any of that paperwork during the week. This would be a weekend project.

Every weekend, I’ll take a trip to the library and work for 2 hours. As for the non-technical bit [copies, prints, scans, postages], I’ll squeeze in during the week. I kept at this for a few months until I completed the paperwork and submitted it. Result: He currently lives with me in North America.

Let’s talk finance. For the past 2 years, I have had huge expenses; international flight tickets, accommodation, etc. These contributed to tanking my credit score.

Then I made some decisions. Except on a few occasions, I transferred my expenses to cash only and debit cards. When I make monthly payments, I pay 2–4x the expected minimum payment. The last action has resulted in my credit score moving from the 600s to 700.

I have been talking about my board exams like forever. I am still using the same approach. An hour or two of study each workday before I head out. I tend not to study on weekends cos my brain switches off.

My curriculum is incredibly voluminous, so I am not as confident as with smaller projects. Besides, these exams have a bad rep. That, together with ill health, has derailed me and has made this goal seem insurmountable.

This hasn’t stopped me from keeping to my daily habit. We have seen that consistency has its rewards. My exams are in late August. If I keep at this, it’s unlikely I’ll not be super ready.

Thanks to Jason Edmunds.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out”–Robert Collier.