What builds momentum when something feels too big to start?

In this solo episode of Technically Joyful, Gabrielle Kohlmeier explores how a manageable, meaningful first step can get us moving, and why the value of that step isn't only where it gets us. It changes what we can see from the new place.

Gabrielle draws on the unlikely way a Philadelphia Eagles rookie got her interested in American football, a first-week meeting as market general counsel that turned out to be her meeting, a finance friend who finally made accounting stick, and her experience deploying AI across a legal organization at Verizon. Across each story, the pattern is the same: the first step doesn't have to solve the whole problem. It can give us information, relationships, capacity, credibility, and energy that make the next decision possible and better.

Sometimes overwhelm comes from not knowing what to do. Sometimes it comes from seeing so many interconnected things that need doing that the whole picture feels enormous. Either way, Gabrielle makes the case that you don't need a perfect map of steps one through twenty before you begin. Step one may give you information that changes what step two should be.

Your Transformation Rep

Find your step zero.

Open whatever AI tool you already use, give it the thing that feels too big, and ask:

“What's my step zero? Give me one physical action I can take, no additional planning required.”

Once you've got it, ask:

“What might I know, have, or be able to do after I take this step that I can't do right now?”

If breaking something into manageable pieces is particularly hard, Gabrielle also recommends Magic ToDo from Goblin Tools, which breaks overwhelming tasks into smaller steps.

Send your fun, surprising, or tragically awful AI attempts to connect@gkstrategic.com. Some may be featured on the show.

Episode Highlights:

• Why the step that works is manageable and meaningful, even when it's tiny
• Two kinds of overwhelm: not knowing what to do and seeing too much that needs doing
• Why asking a question can be the first step toward building momentum
• Becoming capable before becoming self-sufficient
• Choosing first AI steps that give you data and make the next step smarter
• Why you don't need a perfect map of steps one through twenty
• Caroline Kealey's idea to “be a compass, not a roadmap”
• Brad Stulberg's “motion precedes motivation”
• Whitney Johnson's S Curve of Learning and why the beginning can feel disproportionately hard
• Finding your own “rookie” with AI

Sources & Resources:

• Caroline Kealey, founder of Results Map, on leading change as "a compass, not a roadmap," from the Change Signal podcast. https://www.resultsmap.com/about/about-caroline/ | https://thechangesignal.com/podcast
• Brad Stulberg, writer on performance and wellbeing, on motivation following action. https://www.bradstulberg.org
• Whitney Johnson, *Disrupt Yourself*, and the S Curve of Learning. https://thedisruptionadvisors.com/books/
• Goblin Tools, Magic ToDo, a task breakdown tool designed mostly to help neurodivergent people with tasks they find overwhelming. https://goblin.tools/ToDo

Ways to Connect with Gabrielle

Subscribe to Technically Joyful on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube: technicallyjoyful.com

Newsletter: technicallyjoyful.com
GK Strategic Advisory: gkstrategic.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-kohlmeier