Tiny Task Alchemist – Making micro-commitments from SMART goals
One thing my old project management career taught me, is that most people really do want to make good on their goals. When they don’t work out, the reason is rarely due to a motivation problem so much as a design problem. Most goals fall apart for two reasons: 1) they’re fuzzy on the details (e.g., “I want to make a zillion dollars”), and 2) they’re so big they trigger instant overwhelm (have you ever tried to learn a new language from scratch?).
For the first, SMART goals (Doran, 1981) are a well-established solution. This acronym (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) gives you the language you need to describe what “done” looks like. For the second, breaking your goals down into teeny-tiny micro-commitments (Fogg, 1999) helps to make the daily jobs so small and easy, they just slide right underneath your stress meter.
Tiny Task Alchemist helps you do both. Think of something you’d really like to do, and give it a whirl!
Tiny Task Alchemist
Turn fuzzy ambitions into tiny, lovable steps.
Before we begin, try to imagine the thing you want to accomplish in detail. Then, answer the following questions. This will help to create a SMART objective. When you’re done, click the button!
REFERENCES:
Doran, G. T. (1981). There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35-36.
Fogg, B. J. (2019). Tiny habits: The small changes that change everything. Eamon Dolan Books.
Vibe coded with love and buttercups by Geoff Crane and ChatGPT (2025).
Geoff Crane designs research-backed tools to make so-called “soft skills” concrete, measurable, and deeply human. After more than two decades in industry and another decade in personal intelligence research and program design, his work now supports coaches, educators, and organisations that want to understand people more clearly and help them grow with care.
Curious about your own patterns of emotion, connection, and motivation? You can complete the MIPI Short for free on my home page and receive a brief feedback report to start exploring your personal intelligence.
