One mindset shift can dramatically improve your results, and your life.
What if you had radical clarity on exactly what needed to get done, and a sense of urgency to do it now? Would you get closer to achieving your goals?
They say nothing motivates people like having a goal and a deadline.
Imagine the sense of satisfaction every day and week if the things you spent your time on were aligned with your values, and moving you closer to your long term aspirations.
I recently read (and implemented) The 12-Week Year.
The 12-Week Year asks us to discard annualized thinking. A 12-week chunk of time isnt a quarter in a given year. It is a 12-Week Year. It stands on its own. And each new 12-week period is a chance to plan for, and achieve success.
Twelve weeks is long enough to get meaningful work done, but short enough to feel a sense of urgency to act now.
When your goal is to increase sales by 50% or lose 20 pounds "sometime this year" it's too easy to slip into inaction. The sense that there is "plenty of time" to achieve our goals later leads us to waste days and weeks in the present.
In a 12-Week Year there is no where to hide. The deadline is looming and the metrics are clear. Execution is the name of the game.
The first step is to have a compelling vision of the future. Get clear on what this is and stay close to it. Read it every day. An emotional connection to what your life will look like when you achieve your goals gives you the strength to do needed tasks when motivation wanes.
Second, pick one to three 12-week goals that represent progress toward your vision. Choose to be excellent at a few things that matter instead of mediocre at a lot of things. Each goal you choose needs to be specific and measurable.
Now, make your plan. What tasks do you need to do in order to reach your goals?
Some things you might do every day like "study new language for 1 hour." Others will only occur once in a 12-week period, like "choose a publisher."
Every task should be assigned to a week (or multiple weeks) in the 12-week period.
Each week, you will make a Weekly Plan, based on your 12-week plan. Ask, "What things need to happen this week in order for me to hit my 12-week goal?" Then put them into your calendar for the week and act accordingly.
At the end of each week, you review your execution of strategic tasks and give yourself a score. Then, plan the following week. Strive for excellence (not perfection), and you'll be amazed at the results.
I have only just begun but already feel more clarity, more productive, and more satisfaction every single day.
There is more to The 12-Week Year than I can fit into a short post. But if this resonates with you, I highly encourage you to read (or listen to) the book for yourself.
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