Chasing The Wild Goose

Goal-Setting: The 90-Day Challenge

I read this on Michael Hyatt's Blog Today...I found it really helpful:

I planned to write a new post on goal-setting today. This is the perfect day for thinking about the year ahead. However, I re-read an article I had written on that topic a couple of years ago on my Working Smart blog. (I recently shut that blog down to focus on this one.) I didn’t think I could improve on what I said there, so I am re-posting it here—with a few minor tweaks. Enjoy!

It’s that time of year again. New Year’s resolutions, diets, exercise—and goal-setting. I continue to be surprised at how few people take time to write down their goals. Despite the fact that numerous studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between goal-setting and success, few people seem to ever get around to it.

I have been setting goals in one form or another for years. Every now and then, I stumble across an old list of goals. I am always fascinated by how many of the things I write down come to pass. And, I must confess, it often happens despite the fact that I do nothing more than write it down. The magic of this is all explained in a very compelling book by Henriette Klauser called Write It Down, Make It Happen.

Even if you don’t create an action plan for each goal and work your plan, there is tremendous power in simply identifying what you want and focusing some thought on the outcome.

For example, at the beginning of 1997, I wrote down this goal: “Write a a New York Times bestselling book.” Now understand: at that time I had never written a book. I had a book idea, but that’s all I had. Though I had worked in the publishing industry my whole career, I was scared to death at the thought of actually trying to write an entire book. Nevertheless, I wrote it down and took a deep breath.

Continue reading "Goal-Setting: The 90-Day Challenge"

Confessions of a Dead Workaholic

This article stolen from 850 Words of Relevant. If you don't already subscribe to Relevant, you should. Its the best magazine in print (Click here to visit Relevant Magazine).

I hesitantly knocked on Frankie's door. After all, he was pretty much a stranger. We lived next door to each other in an apartment building and casually exchanged head nods and "hellos" with each passing. He seemed to be a nice man, always commenting on how precious he thought my baby daughter was.

Fifty-something year old Frankie answered the door with his strong Puerto-Rican accent. "Yes?"

"Um, I have a favor to ask. My car broke down and I was wondering if you could please give me a ride to the mechanic's?" I asked timidly.

"Sure. Let me grab a few things," he responded, before quickly shutting the door.

On the short, 10-minute drive, Frankie proceeded to tell me the story of his life. "I worked hard my entire life, 80 hours a week, so that I could retire early and spend the rest of my life with my wife just enjoying everything around me … I sacrificed time with family and vacation, but it was worth it. I'm only 55, I've been retired for two years, and I have the next 20 or so years to enjoy traveling and doing other things. If you work hard too, you can retire early," he bragged while escorting me in his convertible BMW.

The Perspective of the Week

I'm a big fan of the Franklin/Covey system. I started using Franklin Planners when I was in 8th grade (I know I'm a nerd :-). A few years ago I stopped using the planner because I found myself living out of Outlook. About a month ago, my business partner Levi sat me down and told me I need to start planning on a weekly basis. He recommended that I use Franklin/Covey PlansPlus for Outlook. I've been using it for a while now, and love it.

Here's a great article (from inside the software) about the thought process behind weekly planning rather than daily planning. If you feel overwhelmed by your task list and never seem to get to the important things, I suggest you read this article and seriously consider using the software.

The Perspective of the Week
By Stephen R. Covey
from First Things First

Copyright © 2001 by Franklin Covey Co. All rights reserved.

For personal use only.

Professional photographers work with a variety of lenses. They use ultra-wide-angle and wide-angle lenses to capture the big picture. They use a telephoto lens to bring an object closer. They use a normal lens to capture the view that most closely resembles what’s seen by the human eye. They use a micro lens for close-up work. Part of their expertise is in knowing when to use each lens to create the desired result.

Like the photographer, part of our expertise in personal leadership is knowing when to focus in the most effective way. Most time management tools and techniques focus on daily planning, and there seems to be good rationale for the focus. We can only live one day at a time. The day is the smallest complete natural unit of time—the sun rises and sets, and we face a new agenda every 24 hours. We can plan the day, set daily goals, schedule appointments, and prioritize activities. And when one day is over, we can take what’s left and plan, schedule, and prioritize it all over again tomorrow. Nothing gets lost in the cracks.

But the problem with focusing on daily planning is that it’s like trying to walk down the street while looking through the telephoto lens of a camera. It keeps us focused on what’s right in front of us—what’s pressing, proximate, and urgent. So we’re essentially into prioritizing crises. While the objective of most daily planning approaches is to help us Put First Things First, the reality is that daily planning keeps us focused on doing urgent things first. The perspective is insufficient to accomplish the result.