How do you put a 2,000 piece puzzle together? One piece at a time.

Building a puzzle requires the continuous repetitive task of sorting & testing pieces until you find the right fit. When you find a piece that fits you get a little hit of dopamine and you're excited to move on to finding the next piece.

That little dopamine hit is your brain's trick to keep you motivated and engaged.

Small wins -> dopamine -> more small wins

When we achieve (and celebrate) small wins we are releasing dopamine which keeps us motivated which in turn keeps us going to achieve more small wins. Dopamine is your brain's reward system and the key to building momentum.

By stacking small wins on top of each other throughout the day we are creating a flywheel effect that keeps us motivated and engaged.

Here's a few steps you can take to start stacking small wins:

Break projects down into small tasks

Your project is a jigsaw puzzle and you're responsible for breaking it down into 2,000 pieces before trying to complete it.

This is the daunting part because all you can see is the big picture of the project at its end result. No worries, just take one component of the project and begin to break it down into the smallest pieces possible.

Repeat this process through each section of the project until you have broken it down until its smallest possible tasks.

Track your small task progress

There are a number of ways to track your progress; just find the one that works for you and dive in. If pen & paper is what makes you feel the best, try out Analog from Ugmonk. If you prefer digital then maybe Asana is for you.

Regardless of the tool you use to list and track your progress, the most important thing is that you're crossing them complete on paper or ticking the box on the screen.

The act of marking a small task complete is a win and triggers the dopamine dispenser in your brain.

Reward yourself

Before you launch your project set a few milestones and determine a reward that you get once each milestone is achieved.

It doesn't have to be anything big. Eat ice cream, have a cocktail or go out for lunch. Whatever the reward, it should create the opportunity for you to reflect on what you've achieved so far and to recognize the momentum that you've created.

As you create, accomplish and celebrate small wins you're utilizing your brain's reward system to build momentum.