Proven Behaviors, Tools and Tips to reach your goals
Creating a set of goals is relatively easy, actually achieving them is the hard part. The key to reaching goals is setting up a structure to support your efforts. Last year I researched tools, tactics and behaviors to support my goals Here’s what worked.
My Wife and I live by our Self Journals.
I start each day, by completely allocating my day, by 30 minute task increments. These tasks filter up to three wildly important goals I am working towards. I check my calendar for any meetings I have, and check my task list that I left for myself the night before. I then take a moment to write out three positive things that are happening in my life. I am not verbose in any of this, its mostly a few words and bullets.
2. Deep Work
Last year I read Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport and it profoundly changed how I approach my work. Newport defines two styles of work:
Deep Work: Professional activities, in a distraction-free environment that pushes your cognitive abilities
Shallow Work: Non-cognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted
When scheduling my day, I focus my “deep” work in the morning between 7:30 and noon. I use this time to focus on my clients’ goals/problems/planning and developing solutions for them.
During my “deep work” I have several rituals to keep me focused:
I put my phone on “Do Not Disturb“ mode.
I pop in my ear buds and spin up a quiet acoustic guitar play list.
I turn off all notifications on my laptop. I don’t check email, ESPN, the WSJ, Facebook or anything else.
I wear a watch so that I can see the time at a glance and how I am progressing on my schedule.
I keep my journal opened and beside my laptop so that I can be reminded of what I need to be doing, and for adding any to do’s as they pop into my head.
I normally have lunch at the end of my deep work session. And then shift over to my “shallow” work, where I focus on administrative tasks.
3. Rest
Another book that has been a big influence on my work is Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Pang.
Between 3pm and 8pm, I focus on what Pang would refer to as “rest”. My goal during this time, is to lose myself in the minutiae of daily life, clear my head. This is time for my subconscious to churn through my earlier work. I may take a walk around the neighborhood, workout at Decatur Crossfit, cook for the family and/or help the boys with homework.
I then close out the day, by listing out actions items and thoughts for picking back up the next day, in my Self Journal.
At the end of each week, I check my leading metrics (things that I can control, and will influence lag metrics, which are my goals). E.g., I want to get 30 new clients this year is a lag metric. Meeting perspective clients is a leading metric. And I take the opportunity to list out any wins/losses and lessons learned. I also take the time to update my score board, so that I have a reminder, both of my goals and how I fare as I am working towards them.
This may seem like a lot, but once you start seeing progress, its incredibly satisfying. And the tactics and planning have all been tried out and tested. It’s a great recipe for success.
Are you intentional in your daily routine, that has a proven track record of driving to success?