Category: Goals

Are You Accepting Your Future… Or Creating It?

No one can predict the future. The future is created by the actions we take. If we change our actions, we can change our future.

The end of 2016 is quickly approaching. The plans and goals we set for this year will either be accomplished or missed. I hope your year has been as successful and great as the vision you had last January.

I like to use this time of the year to reflect on the process I use to drive my results. Before I begin to define my goals for next year, I can improve my habits that drive my results. For 2017 to be better than 2016, we can’t just do the same things. Results only improve when you take actions to improve them. Here are some questions to think about as you prepare for next year.

1. Do you have a process to set goals that will make a difference in your life?

2. Do you have a process to review your progress?

3. Do you have a process to reflect on failure and success?

4. Do you have a process to adjust your plans if needed?

5. Do you have a process to celebrate small wins during the year?

6. Do you have a process to quantitatively measure your results?

7. Do you have a process for assessing your resources and fully utilizing them?

8. Do you have a process for prioritizing your actions to align with your goals?

That list of question may seem intimidating. The word “process” in every question reflects the requirement that achievement happens through the daily and weekly effort that you expend. It doesn’t happen by a stroke of luck.

I hope these questions have given you some ideas that will help you prepare for 2017, and where your normal process can improve. If you need help getting started, send me a message.

Just Getting Things Done

Recently when looking over my to-do list, I discovered a few items that have been on there for an extended period of time. I would imagine that if you did the same, you might find a couple old actions on your list also.

How does that happen? I diligently track my actions and projects. However, it just seems that some plans never become urgent enough to drive me to action. But they still needed to be done. Sound familiar?

The items that lingered on my list were not things that were difficult, or even overwhelming. They had one attribute in common. They were more difficult to integrate into the normal routine of my day. To complete them would mean going out of my way. I would be required to spend time that I did not want to relinquish.

Ironically, once I decide to do one of these lingering items, it usually takes very little effort at all.

Here is a solution that I have implemented that has helped me accomplish tasks that otherwise may just sit around for awhile. I schedule time in my calendar every other week specifically to tackle old action items. During this time I will review anything that is older than 2 weeks. If it no longer requires my attention, I delete it. If it requires action, I do it.

So far, it has helped in two ways. It has eliminated things that I no longer needed to do, and secondly it has kept some minor things from becoming urgent. If you have some tasks that are dragging you down by staying on your list too long, give this a try. It may help.

 

Competency Is Not Enough

Being competent is not enough. If you want to stretch yourself to reach your potential, go beyond proficiency.

People need to trust you before they care about you being capable. When you hire someone to do repairs at your house or on your car, you care that they are qualified. But you are most concerned that they are trustworthy. Character is more important than skill.

Here are three ways we can build our character.

Integrity – We can improve our integrity by being honest. There is no need to exaggerate or omit facts. People appreciate the truth even when they don’t like the truth. Building integrity is a life long pursuit.

Authenticity – Being authentic is simply being yourself in all situations. If you want to be authentic, work on being the person you desire to be. Learn to be comfortable with yourself no matter the circumstances. Authenticity will overcome office politics.

Discipline – Develop the discipline to live your values, and daily habits. Follow your plan every day.  Know that every day means every day.

Although these seem simple, I have found that most people enjoy growing their skill more than growing themselves. Success is not just about competency, it is about being a person that attracts success.

One Simple Method to Keep Your Mind Clear of Clutter

A few weeks ago I read the article, Are You Lacking Focus? This Easy Week-Long Ritual Can Help. It suggested a method for keeping clutter from my mind and improving my focus. I tried it.

Here is the suggested practice. Set an alarm to sound every four hours.  At the alarm, write down anything in your head that is not directly associated with the task at hand.  Become aware of that thought. Be ready to eliminate it from your mind the next time you recognize it.

So I set the alarm on my phone for 8 am, noon, 4 pm, and 8 pm. After one day, I decided to adjust to more conducive times, 8:45 am, 12:45 pm, 4:45 pm, and 8:45 pm. I used blank 3×5 cards to capture my thoughts every time the alarm sounded.

Did it work? My result was mixed. Some alarms went off when I had no cards or a pen. Some alarms occurred when I was in a meeting. I even had an alarm sound when I was in the checkout lane of the grocery store. After a week, I had recorded only 60% of the scheduled times.

I found it strange that this exercise didn’t give any guidance on what to do with your written thoughts. The article assumed that these thoughts didn’t need attention. That they should be banished. But what if they were important? I think a better practice would be to review the cards from the previous day, and add actions or projects as needed to your own planning system.

As a practitioner of David Allen’s Getting Things Done for over 15 years, I already have a habit of capturing my thoughts. This exercise had some redundancy with the Getting Things Done system.

Did it help? I liked the alarms every four hours as a reminder about capturing ideas and staying focused. Going forward I plan to keep the 8:45 am, 12:45 pm, and 4:45 pm alarms on weekdays. This simple addition to my day will enhance the systems I already have in place.

Overall, this exercise was enjoyable, and a learning experience. If you struggle with focus (squirrel!), maybe this exercise can give you insight into how you may improve.