I always have an extensive list of such things. Learn about finance, learn to play guitar properly, learn to speak and write Chinese, learn to ski, learn to fly a plane, and many, many more. The problem is, there is never enough time to do them all at the same time. And that is a lame excuse for not trying.

Some people say “well begun is half done”. But is it? Too often it gives a sense of a false accomplishment. It is not enough to start doing something. The most important thing is to keep up. It can be a daily endeavour, a weekly one, or even a monthly session — but you have to do it every time. Let yourself slack, and it becomes much harder to get back on track.

How do you make yourself continue the track? There is an opinion that making it public helps. There is even an app for that, called Lift. It seems that once you have publicly announced the plan or a deed, you acquire a peer pressure (or community support — whichever makes you happy) to move forward.

Is moving forward enough? Hardly, if you sprint in the beginning and crawl later on. What can be enough is moving steadily, one step at a time. There will be always a time to jump a couple of steps more, but steady is worth struggling for.

How do you decide, what to begin and keep doing next? It doesn’t have to be just one thing. Sure, you can try to play a guitar boogie for an hour every day, and visit intensive four-hour language courses every other day — it is the sprint that will kill you later. The better way is to share. Have four hours a week for the language, and two hours a week for the music. After a year you will have had over two hundred hours in the former, and over a hundred in the latter. Consistency will keep you on track, and it will bring results you’ve been longing for.

How do you decide, when to start? Have you ever had the “new life” moment, promising yourself to do something “next Monday”? Too late for that. Every day you delay leaves you one day short of time to get to the goal. Can’t spare an hour? Begin with a half of one, and add more later on.

Don’t do it next week. Don’t do it tomorrow. Do it today. And go ahead, one step at a time.