007: Little by Little

"A little" can take you a long way.

Mar 16, 2025

“Poco a poco” was one of the first phrases I learned when I started studying Spanish.

I didn’t see it in any textbook.

There wasn’t a teacher who explained it to me.

I learned it from my interactions with Spaniards who, every time I opened my mouth to try to speak Spanish, would complement my language skills.

I assure you this was out of kindness as opposed to honesty.

Despite that, I appreciated their encouragement and had a standard response:“Thank you. I study every day.”

“Poco a poco,” they’d say. Little by little.

I first learned about this “little by little” approach from Leo Babauta, a master in the art of forming new habits. In his post, “How I Changed My Life — in Four Lines,” he outlined his process, which has been proven to work over and over again in my life and in the lives of the millions who read his blog:

Start very small.
Do only one change at a time.
Be present and enjoy the activity (don’t focus on results).
Be grateful for every step you take.

I first read those words in October of 2011 and followed his advice when, in February of 2012, I started training for my first walk on the Camino de Santiago.

I needed all the help I could get because walking 500 miles across Spain is no small feat—especially for a woman who detests gyms and pretty much any form of physical exercise.

I started small—increasing my daily step count by 1000 steps every week.

By the time I stepped foot on my first Camino, I was regularly walking 8 miles per day.

Completing a walk on the Camino de Santiago, like most things in life, is not a sprint. It’s not a marathon. It’s a multi-day or multi-week event where consistency is key.

So when asked how to prepare for something like the Camino, I tell my clients to start small. Then, increase by small amounts every week. It works for the Camino. It worked for my Spanish language learning. Where can you apply it in your life?