We all love big goals.
They look good on paper, they make us feel like we’re aiming high, and they give us a sense of purpose. Write the screenplay. Launch the brand. Land the dream job. But the truth is, big goals often trick us into stalling.
As creatives, we have a gift. We can take the smallest seed of an idea and instantly imagine the finished product. That ability to see the vision is what makes us who we are. The problem comes when we focus too much on the final picture. The gap between where we are and where we want to be starts to feel impossible to cross in a single step.
What actually gets us there are the small, almost forgettable acts.
This letter is about micro goals and why shifting your attention from the end result to the daily process is what will carry you to your big goals and beyond them.
Big goals create pressure, and micro goals create momentum. When the finish line feels too far away, the easiest thing to do is nothing at all. That’s why so many creatives get stuck in the gap between ambition and action.
Trust me, I’ve been there. For the last ten years, I’ve been “working” on a screenplay that, in my heart, feels like my magnum opus coming-of-age film. I’ve started and stopped it more times than I’d like to admit. The problem is that every time I sit down to write, I put the pressure on myself to create an Oscar-winning script that’s nuanced and tragic and funny and all the emotions I want to convey in the story. Some days it feels easier to imagine writing my acceptance speech than to write the opening scene. So I stop.
This is what happens when you let a lofty goal cast a shadow over your process. You end up doing nothing at all.
So instead of trying to write an Academy Award–winning film, maybe you just write a film. Or maybe you write a single scene. Maybe it’s a sketch. Maybe it’s a tweet.
The point is to build the habit of exercising your creative muscle so you can create momentum. This is the essence of Create.Repeat. Do something (anything) every day that keeps you connected to your creativity. Focus on a process you look forward to and stop worrying about the outcome. These little acts might not look impressive on their own, but strung together, they build movement.
And movement is everything. Once you’re moving, it’s easier to keep going.
Micro goals don’t just help you get moving, they help you build a rhythm. When you show up every day for your creative self, even in the smallest way, you’re not only making progress, you’re shaping an identity.
You’re no longer just an ideas person or a dreamer. You’re a doer. You work on your craft daily, putting in the time it takes to be great. You’re no longer satisfied with resting on your laurels or staying a novice. You’re practicing mastery, and in return, getting closer to your bigger goals every day.
Every sketch says, I’m an artist. Every page says, I’m a writer. Every post says, I’m a creator. You don’t have to wait until the big project is finished to claim that title. You claim it in the act of showing up.
That’s exactly what happened with us at Create.Repeat. We didn’t start this page with the goal of landing a book deal with Penguin Random House. We focused on making content that felt positive and inspiring for people going through the same creative struggles as us. By staying in that headspace every day, writing short blurbs, turning them into graphics, and spinning them into newsletters, by the time Penguin came to us, we were ready to write the book because we had been writing it all along.
(Shameless plug: you can pre-order our book Create.Repeat: 365 Days of Creativity.)
By doing something every day, it becomes a habit. And habits are proof that transformation is happening. You’re no longer just thinking about creating, you’re doing it. It becomes part of your routine, part of your lifestyle. Day by day, you’re becoming the person you want to be. Habits keep you grounded, consistent, and moving forward long after the initial excitement of a big goal fades.
The power of micro goals is that they don’t just move you forward in the moment, they quietly stack over time. Day to day, progress feels invisible. One sketch looks like nothing. One page looks like nothing. One small act looks like nothing.
But give it time. Look back after six months, a year, five years, and you’ll see what those tiny efforts have built. The sketches become a portfolio. The pages become a manuscript. The posts become a community. None of it happens overnight, and yet when you zoom out, it feels like it did.
That’s the secret of compounding. You don’t notice it while it’s happening. But one day, you realize you’ve crossed the gap between the dream in your head and the work in your hands.
Micro goals are the bridge. They turn your vision into reality.
Big goals will always inspire us. They’re the reason we dream in the first place. But if you only focus on the finish line, you’ll never take the first step.
Micro goals keep you moving when the pressure feels heavy. They build the habits that shape your identity as a creative. And, over time, they compound into the very outcomes you once thought were out of reach.
So don’t wait for the perfect day to start. Don’t wait until you feel ready. Just do the small thing that’s right in front of you. Write the line. Sketch the idea. Record the thought. Then do it again tomorrow. That’s how the big dream shows up.
Keep creating and repeating,
Zack
P.S. If this resonated with you, pass it along to someone who could use the reminder. Creativity grows when it’s shared.
🏢 Free Association: Jeremy Hindle on Building Severance: Production designer Jeremy Hindle discusses set design, reference curation, and building mood in film & TV.
🌆 Nostalgic 90s: A grid of curated visuals and inspirations from the ’90s, revisiting the textures & colors.
🪨 Moyo (short film): a raw and poetic portrait of the children that call the Jipe Moyo and Musoma home. Showing how environment, culture, and climbing come together.
🗂️ Curate to Create: On why content curation might be as meaningful (or more) than creation in the coming era.
Create.Repeat is a community for creatives.
The Create.Repeat Substack is a project designed to be a weekly diary on creativity. Sharing inspiration for artists to keep creating and repeating.
Written and curated by Zack Evans & James Warren Taylor
Each week we will be sharing recent thoughts on creativity, some links helping us stay creative, and a talent show featuring an artist from the community. Thank you for engaging with us.
History repeats. Create the future.
