Want success with creative projects & hobbies? Leverage the ripple effect 💧 🌊

Have you ever started a new hobby — drawing, writing, music, crafting — with a burst of excitement…only to stop after a few days?

You’re not alone. Your brain tricks you into thinking you need to do something huge to make progress. But the truth is: big leaps aren’t necessary.

Small steps, repeated daily, create big results.

This is called the ripple effect. Just like a tiny drop makes big circles in water, tiny creative actions — done consistently— grow into major progress over time.

Ready to create your first ripple?

Photo by Koen Emmers on Unsplash

When you start a creative habit, go tiny on purpose.

What not to do:

• Draw a full portrait

• Write a whole chapter

• Practice for an hour

Instead, try this:

• Sketch for three minutes

• Write one sentence

• Learn one chord

You don’t have to finish anything.

Your only job is to make that first tiny ripple — the small action that sets everything else in motion.

The magic of the ripple effect comes from consistency, not intensity.

Big bursts of effort may feel impressive, but they’re hard to sustain. Tiny daily actions? Those are sustainable and powerful.

Try pairing your tiny action with something you already do — creating what’s known as a habit loop, where one routine cues the next. Insert your tiny action:

• After your morning coffee

• During a lunch break

• Before bed

Even five minutes a day builds momentum. Each time you repeat your action, the ripple grows.

Once your tiny action becomes a habit, something cool happens: your “ripples” naturally grow — each small effort gives you the momentum to take the next step.

• When you finish a small sketch, commit to adding a second one.

• When you've written one sentence, try expanding it into a full paragraph.

• When you're comfortable with a few chords, learn a mini song.

Your small actions create a chain reaction. Each step makes the next one easier and more exciting.

Keeping track of your actions helps you notice how far you’ve come — and keeps your momentum going.

To track your progress, you can try:

• Marking the day on a calendar

• Taking a quick photo of your work

• Writing one line about what you did

Each record is a ripple.

Over days and weeks, you’ll see a pattern forming — and you’ll realize that consistency doesn’t have to mean every day. What matters is persistence: returning to your tiny action again and again.

You’re now ready to create steady momentum, one small step at a time.