Why cutting goals in half boosts your odds of success

When we set goals—like dropping 20 pounds or publishing 60 blog posts—we often overshoot what’s humanly doable in the given timeframe. Psychologists call this the planning fallacy: we chronically underestimate the time needed. Think of it like trying to sprint a marathon—you’re bound to burn out.

Cutting your goal in half recalibrates your expectations immediately. Instead of chasing the whole 20 pounds, aim for 10. The math is simple: meeting your smaller goal almost guarantees you’ll do more than if you’d pushed for the larger one and then quit. Data from real-world challenges shows participants who halved their targets finished at a 63 percent higher rate.

This counterintuitive shortcut quiets perfectionism’s taunting—“You’ll never make it”—and replaces it with early wins that fuel motivation. In practice, half-sized goals light the path to finishing because your confidence grows with each completed milestone.

Pick your biggest goal and chop it in half, or give yourself twice as long. Write it down and tell someone who’ll ask you about it. Then track every small victory and watch how those early wins build momentum, making your finish almost inevitable. Give yourself permission to start small.