4 Reasons Why Life Planning Works

One of the main challenges that I've face in my life is ensuring that once I've set myself on a course of action... That I'm able to follow through and reach the goals that I've set.  As I've gotten older (and perhaps wiser) I've realized that simply embarking on a course of action without thinking through the steps you plan to take as well as what success really looks like... Is a recipe for defeat.

I've spent a a great deal of time working to put together a system that allows me to reach my goals consistently and I've outlined 4 of those steps below:

1.  Have a written plan - This is the 'duh' moment for many of you, but I can't tell you how many people I talk to who tell me that they cannot reach their goals... Only to find out they haven't written anything down.  Imagine trying to drive from Miami to Denver without a map...got that in your head... Yea, well trying to reach your goals without a written plan is 100x worse than that.

2.  Revisit them often - I've taken to spending Monday morning each week assessing my goals (my ability to do this is enhanced by the fact that I'm often on a plane going somewhere on Mondays) and determining what went well the previous week, what didn't work, and what I can do in the coming week to move my efforts forward.  I use a variation built on the concept of the 12 Week Year (more on that HERE), which has forced me to be significantly more focused as my "year" for planning purposes only lasts for 12 weeks.  This "compression" has also forced me to take a long hard look at how I prioritize my efforts and that pressure has enhanced my ability to complete various efforts.  The only ways can do this consistently however is to have a clear "macro" plan for each week... Which I then use each Monday to set myself up for success

3.  Start with why - I'm a huge fan of the concept of "Start With Why" pioneered by Simon Sinek (more on Simon and this concept can be found HERE and HERE) and it cannot be overstated that if you start your planning process and goal setting with this concept, your ability to reach the goals you set forth will be dramatically enhanced.  To be clear, this is a truly "personal why".  Each goal you set needs to be focused in a way that incents you to take the necessary steps to reach it...and in many cases will take you out of your comfort zone.

4.  Be public - Finally, we are all driven in many ways by what others think of us, and one of the best ways to reach big, life changing goals...is to be public about them.  Sharing your goals with family and friends (or even those outside our immediate circle) forces us to be accountable in a way we could avoid without this step.  For years now, my wife and I have shared our "couple goals on our frig at home (more on why multiple levels of goals should be in your consideration set in a future edition) and they've had the impact of not only holding us accountable for what we are attempting to do each year.. But have had the long term impact of showing those around us that when we commit to a course of action... We are willing to follow through and be publicly accountable.

I hope you find some practical advice here today on why life planning works,  and would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.  Have a method for goal setting that works particularly well for you?  Have a system that you find useful to reach your goals?  Think that goal setting is overrated?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback either directly - donegalhold@yahoo. com or in the comments below.

Here's to you.. And another day in a Life Well Led.

Thanks for reading.... And make it a great day!

The "project card": Why life will never be the same again

One of the things that makes creating and maintaining a planning system like "A life well led" is the myriad of discoveries that I make over time.  One of those flowed from my reading James Altucher's excellent new book "Choose Yourself (my thoughts about this book and a a link to it on Amazon can be found HERE and HERE).

One of the primary success factors that I've found have led to consistently goal completion is to revisit your goals often (I wrote about this recently and you can find those thoughts HERE), and the "project card" concept is one that has made that effort significantly easier to attain.  As you can see from the pic below, the front of the card is about the "macro" of what I'm trying to accomplish this month... And doesn't change much over time.  

Built primarily around Altucher's concept of looking daily at what you are trying to accomplish, the goal is to do several things daily including:

Assess daily the 4 legs of your life:

- Physical needs

 - Emotional needs

 - Mental needs

 - Spiritual needs

In addition to looking at each of these "legs" daily, I also try to do the following each day:

 - Read for 2 hours

 - Document 10 ideas (I've been this far unsuccessful at nailing down 10 ideas per day, but having lofty goals is what helps us shoot higher right?)

On the back side of the card is a breakdown of the "big" projects that I've got underway and this piece changes as I reset my system each month (more on that in a future edition).  It also helps to "limit" me in that there is a finite amount of room on the card and keeps me from "biting off more than I can chew" - which is a challenge I've faced repeatedly in my career.  Each day I take the card out and have in front and center either on my laptop, or in one of my notebooks, which helps keep me focused on my daily efforts as well as the larger projects which won't get done in one day.. But need attention each week to complete them. 

This card had changed my life.  One of the main issues I've had in completing large volumes of work across multiple projects had been keeping track of what needed attention when...and by having this card available for a quick glance at various times each day... My ability to focus, execute against each effort AND ensure that I'm making progress daily is assured.

So do you have a "project card" in your efforts that helps you achieve success?  Have a online/offline tool that makes your life easier to manage?  I'd love to hear about it either directly - donegalhold@yahoo.com or in the comments section below.

Here's to you.. And another day in a Life Well Led.

Thanks for reading.... And make it a great day!