This post is part of the Drift 101 series — a beginner-friendly introduction to the core building blocks of The Drift Method. If you’ve ever felt stuck managing task lists instead of making progress, this one’s for you.

In the previous post, I explored how Notes work in Drift: light, contextual captures that hold what matters without weighing you down. But capturing ideas is only one part of the system.

Eventually, something needs to happen. That’s where Steps come in.

Steps are Drift’s core unit of movement. They aren’t just renamed tasks. They help you shift from managing work to moving through it, and that shift makes all the difference.

1. When tasks become the problem

If you’ve ever used a to-do list app, bullet journal, or project board, you probably know this feeling: the list keeps growing faster than you can check things off.

The backlog balloons. Prioritizing becomes a headache. And eventually, just looking at your task list starts to feel like a task.

I’ve been there… a lot. It’s not fun.

This is the task spiral. I first experienced it when I worked as a project manager. We’d have backlogs that were so dense, so layered with dependencies and blockers, that any attempt to prioritize felt like untangling a pile of wires.

The emotional cost? Overwhelm. It felt like climbing a mountain that kept growing taller with every step. I didn’t like how much I related to Sisyphus day in and day out.

And when I took those habits into personal work, it got worse. Traditional task lists gave me the illusion of progress, but not the feeling of it.

I was busy all the time, but rarely satisfied.

2. What a Step is (and isn’t)

In Drift, a Step is an intentional action you could take to move a Flow forward.

Sometimes a Step looks exactly like a task. Sometimes it’s more like a milestone, a signpost, or even a question: Do I feel confident enough in this project to release it? That was a real Step I used while preparing to publish Drift.

The point is: Steps are not obligations. They’re not chores. They’re possibilities, filtered through the lens of direction. You don’t need to do all of them. But having them visible in context helps you see what progress might look like.

They also don’t need to be small or immediately achievable. Steps might point to outcomes that will take time, or that depend on other things happening first. Drift lets you hold both short-term and long-form motion in the same space.

If Notes are the sparks, Steps are the sparks you might act on.

3. Why language matters

Words shape energy.

Stick with me, I know I just went metaphysical. Here’s why…

When I called things “tasks” or “to-dos,” I started to feel like an automaton. Every checkbox was another signal to produce. Productivity became my personality, and it wore me out. I started physically wincing when I’d hear words like “hustle” and “grind”.

Switching to the word “Step” didn’t magically change my workload. But it changed my posture. Steps reminded me that I’m on a journey (a journey I’d like to enjoy). That I get to choose my direction. That some movement is better than no movement—even if it’s small.

To me, the question is simple:

Is this thing helping me move in the direction of my waypoints and beacons? Or am I just staying busy?

Calling something a Step keeps that question close. It helps me orient before I act.

4. How to use steps

At a glance, Steps in Drift might look like tasks. You write them. You check them off. But here’s how I approach them differently:

  • Only write what matters next. I don’t try to capture every possible action. I write the next thing that would move the Flow forward.

  • Use simple, directional language. Instead of “Follow up with client,” I’ll write, “Reach out to Jordan about next phase.”

  • Let Steps live inside Flows. This gives them context. A Step that lives in a Flow isn’t just a loose task. It’s tied to a goal.

  • Prioritize using Waypoints. When I’m not sure which Step to take, I look at the next Waypoint I’m aiming for. That tells me which Step will get me closer.

Over time, I’ve also learned to let Steps include softer progress. Sometimes a Step is, “Feel confident enough to ship this.” That’s subjective, but no less valid and real.

5. When Steps become tasks again

It still happens. As a recovering productivity addict, I’m drawn to the dopamine hit of checking things off. I’ll start filling my list with low-value Steps just to feel like I’m moving.

But Drift helps me catch it. When my Step list starts feeling like busywork, I pause and ask:

  • Is this work still meaningful?
  • Is this Step aligned with my current Waypoint or Beacon?
  • Would I do this if I only had 20 minutes of energy today?

If the answer is no, I let it go. Or I move it out of sight.

Drift isn’t about squeezing every drop of energy into output. It’s about orienting your energy toward outcomes that matter.

When I do that well, I often find myself done with everything meaningful for the day. And the best part? I don’t feel guilty about it. That means the system is working.

Movement over management

Steps keep me honest. They remind me that work is about momentum, not maintenance.

They let me move without micromanaging myself. They keep me facing the right direction, even if I’m moving slowly. And when I forget, they help me get back on track.

So here’s your invitation:

Write one Step today that actually moves something you care about forward. Just one.

Then take it.

Next up in this Drift 101 series: Kits — bundles of steps and resources that evolve with me over time.

Want to give this a try? Download the free Drift Method Starter Guide and see how it all connects.