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!

10 ideas a day... A concept whose time has come

Several months ago I read the superb book "Choose Yourself" by James Altucher (I've enclosed an Amazon link to that book below) and in it James challenges the reader to begin what he calls the "daily habit" and while I'll cover that in a future edition, one piece that struck me was his call to document 10 ideas you have each day.  When I started this cycle of the 12 week year plan I'm in the midst of in July, I added this piece to my "project card" (I'll explain what that is later this week) and embarked on an attempt to do just that... And come up with 10 ideas each day.

 

Wanna know what happened?!  I failed - miserably I would add - and have barely come up with 10 ideas since July 1st... But here's the exciting part... That's right... I came up with 10 IDEAS ... And now have them all documented in my trusty moleskin notebook that's my now constant companion. 

It also altered my mindset.  No longer am I content to simply see, hear or think about something and just let it slip by.  Instead I'm conscious of the fact that I'm constantly surrounded by seriously smart and thoughtful people... And you never know when a concept mentioned in passing... Becomes something that can alter your life or that of others for the better.

So I challenge you.  As you start your day.. Think about the amazing volume of thoughts, concepts and interesting people that pass through your life today... Isn't some of that worth capturing?

I'd say it is... You'll be richer for it.

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

Thanks for reading.

Choose Yourself!  Be Happy.  Make Millions.  Live the Dream by James Altucher

A life worth living..... Is a life worth recording: The digital version

As some of you reading this may know I'm a fanatical supporter of Tony Robbins and his Personal Power series (both the tapes and the books) and in fact when I originally started on my own 2.0 journey will readily give credit to Tony's program for giving me the impetus to take my life to the next level.  One of the key concepts that Tony espouses is the title of this posting and as I've gotten more involved in social media over time, I've become an even stronger supporter of this position.

I now have a little over 5000 followers on Twitter and while the number is gratifying (and is frankly amazing to me) I'm much more interested in the fact that I've developed some real relationships as a result.  The other key I've found is not only being consistent and persistent (more on that in a future edition), but in being relentlessly positive.  Now don't get me wrong.  I have bad days too, but frankly folks have enough on their minds without me pouring gas on the "negative Nellie" fire that so many folks want to stoke.  

By always sticking with the positive (and never....ever being a troll) I've found that I've collected a following that expects me to share great content cheerfully and thank those that share mine (a practice that I know is nearly impossible for folks with huge followings which is why folks like Ann Tran, Glen Gilmore, Mark Schaefer, and Ted Rubin among others always amaze with their engagement).

So why does this tie into a life worth recording?  Because at its core... That is what social should really be.... A platform where you share your life. I'm deeply fortunate in that I have been given the gift of an amazing life and while I'm slowly building what will be a business on the social platforms I've curated to date... By being my authentic self and simply sharing that which I find compelling puts me in a unique position.  

If I build a business that's great.. But if I don't... I've recorded in a compelling way everything that was truly important to me... And make me who I am and hope to be.  The next time you're inclined to criticize someone or think they "over share".... Think about that.. And think as well about what your story might do for others.

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

Thanks for reading.

Persistence and the daily schedule

I'm often asked how I'm able to get so much done in any given day/week/month and I'll take this opportunity to state that I actually do sleep (in fact this past weekend I was down with the flu and slept for what felt like 20 hours) and BTW... I'm not a robot either!

The real secret for me is a series of components.  The first is a plan and a written set of goals.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm using my own personal "concoction" of goals setting systems at present, but the most important to date is the 12 Week Year (which you can read more about HERE) and its constant focus on reviewing goals consistently.  At the beginning of each 12 week cycle, I lay out the macro goals that I'll be targeting in each key area (more on that in the coming weeks) and then use that document to formulate my monthly goal sheets... From which my daily planning flows. 

Once I've got my goals laid out and documented (a process that I have now incorporated into my weekly schedule with another component of the 12 Week Year known as the strategic block), I'm ready for the key that makes everything flow... The daily schedule.

I get up each day at 4am.  There I said it.  The fact is that I get not just the extra 120 minutes that come from getting up this early, but it gives me the truly focused, uninterrupted time in my day that makes me a better employee, colleague and all around expert in my field.  I simply outwork the competition.  Getting up early however is not the only key, and that is where persistence and planning both play a key role.  I get up at 4 EVERY DAY... Regardless of timezone and regardless of workday, weekend, holiday or not.  Just like working out physically isn't a one time thing... Neither is getting the results a that you want..at the scale that you want.

The fact remains however that the entire world can't get up at 4 each day...and frankly that's OK.  What you need is uninterrupted focus time (I suggest 2 hours/day but it will likely vary by profession) where you can spend time focused on refining your plan, reading, learning more about your craft and perhaps most importantly....laying the groundwork for living.... A life well led!

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

Thanks for reading.

The art of the "personal offsite"

So we've all done them right?  We take time out with our Team, coworkers even sometimes the entire company and invariably we find ourselves asking "why don't we do this more often" right?.... or at least I hope you do.  I've been a big fan of these events and in my reading in recent weeks ran across a concept that I'd been practicing for some time...I just hadn't come up with a cool enough name for it...and that is the personal offsite.

For a number of years my wife and I have held what we have come to call 'goals retreats' where we head off to some exotic locations (at least exotic for us) and plan the next year.  In the last 60 days I've switched over to using a new goal setting methodology - The 12 Week Year (which if you haven't heard of it take a moment and check it out HERE) - which has altered both my approach to goal setting in general as well as the way I approach our annual planning.  It also fit perfectly into my renewed focus on reviewing goals constantly.

This week I'm in the midst of weeks 8-12 of my first "12 Week Year" (more on that journey in future editions), but suffice it to say that I've had an epiphany about both my work and the life that I've been fortunate to build and expand on since my "new" journey began from the nadir of 2001 (you can learn more about where my personal philosophy got its start HERE).  I now have a system - which this blog will seek to document - without which my life would have turned out quite differently.

Personal offsites are now a part of that effort.  Held at the beginning/end of each 12 week planning cycle, these checkpoints are crucial to ensure that I'm proceeding towards my larger goals... One major one is to share the wealth of what I've been fortunate enough to collect and put into practice over time.

As you think about how setting aside time every couple of months to think about how you can get more from your life, ask yourself this question - My company thinks that its important enough to the future of our business to spend time "thinking about the future" without distractions... Is my personal life and career any less important?

Some food for thought and would love to hear your thoughts.  Think personal offsite (or even planning) are a waste of time?  Have a great story about how planning and goal setting have made a difference for you?  Drop me a line directly at donegalhold@yahoo.com or leave a comment below.

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

Thanks for reading.

A life well led... Revisited

Several years ago when I began my other blog - The Intersection - I felt I needed a place to hold my thoughts on personal development, goal setting and general personal growth that didn't fit into the broader goals I've got for my tech blog.  This entry is the first in a while... But not because I'm any less busy than I was before.  I've found a new approach to goal setting and execution that allows me to both continue to maintain my core blog, work on the myriad of projects that I'm involved in and still leave time to sit back and think about how to "pay forward" what I've been fortunate to learn from a myriad of authors, thinkers, online friends, mentors and just flat out influencers.

I hope you'll join me on what will be just as much a journey for me as it will be for you... 

Welcome to A Life Well Led 2.0