[PODCAST 74]: Looking Back to Move Forward

This is such a great time of year to think about who we want to be, reflect on the past year, and design (or “architect”) our lives. One of our incredible team members, Jill Adams, has outlined a method for goal-setting that she has tailored to really work for her, and we’re excited to share it with you today!

If you’re listening to the companion audio via our podcast (click the “play” button up above), here are some helpful time stamps:

• 2:05 – Noel Keen’s STEP Win!
• 9:10 – Goal-setting ideas from Jill
• 29:20 – Update on my (April’s) personal goals, what’s been holding me back, what I’m excited about, etc.

First, to provide some awesome inspiration for you, we want to celebrate LearnDoBecome community member, Noel Keen. Noel applied our step-by-step process to create an unbelievable gift for her mother (hear the story in her words below!):

This is my most exciting project that I have been working on for ten years, nearly completed! These are my grandfather’s World War II letters and journals. My mom gave them to me upon my request so that I could type them up and make them readable. Over the years, I never focused and got them done because I didn’t know how to prioritize. If it weren’t for STEP, I don’t think I ever would have gotten to where I am. This Christmas I am printing them up and giving them to my mother in a nice spiral bound document. Then my project for 2020 is to work with her and add some outside info, then publish it in a nice book for the rest of the family. Thank you to April for this wonderful program! Merry Christmas!

Noel Keen

Is there something that you have wanted to create for someone you love? If you want move past the overwhelm that is holding you back and accomplish the projects that are in your heart, we can help! We have a community ready and waiting to cheer you on. (More information at the bottom of this post….)

Now here are the goal-setting action steps written by our LearnDoBecome team member, Jill Adams. Enjoy!

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I was struggling pulling together my goals, and found that if I stopped to look back, it helped me define how I wanted to move forward. Here are some things that have helped me:

Begin by asking or reviewing these prompts:

In the Past Year…

• What made me happy?
• What made me sad?
• I spend way too much time on ____.
• I wish I had more time for ____.
• I procrastinate when I have to ____.
• If I had one more hour in my day I would spend it on ____.

Right now…

• Something that is weighing me down is ____.

In the next year…

• I want to improve on ____.
• I want to let go of____.
• I want to focus on these areas: ____.

Decide how you want to group your goals:

I’ve organized my goals by roles, intentions, and platforms.

Roles

Christian, Wife, Mom, Friend, Work

Intentions

To be tidy, To be faithful, To be healthy, To be generous

Platforms

Here are two ways to organize into platforms. Choose the one you most identify with!

• Spiritual, Financial, Emotional, Vocational, Avocational, Health

• Impact, Health, Family, Faith, Relationships

Create the goals, considering these guidelines:

Choose no more than 7 or so platforms. This helps avoid the overwhelm of having too many goals in too many areas.

Then choose the next task to focus on in each platform. Start with easiest task that will move this goal forward–this helps trick your brain to start progress. Want to learn more about this? We teach all about Next Actions in our free class, How to Stop Drowning in Piles! (Link below.)

Don’t worry about getting the entire year planned out yet. Let’s just start with something.

Decide if you need to create a habit or a project for each task. Projects have a clear beginning and end; habits are tasks that you repeat regularly.

Write down your tasks / goals in order to greatly increase effectiveness. Having these written down gives you the ability to review your plan regularly and keep these goals in mind throughout each day and week.

Plan a celebration once achieved! Recognize areas where you are making progress by taking time to celebrate your success.

Why write down your goals? In Michael Hyatt’s Best Year Ever book and program, he outlines several reasons why writing down our goals can ensure success:

• It forces you to clarify what you want.
• It motivates you to action.
• It helps you overcome resistance.
• It filters other opportunities.
• It enables you to see and celebrate your progress.

Review Goals:

I use Michael Hyatt’s recommendations for goal review on a daily, weekly and quarterly basis. Here are the basics:

DAILY: Read your goals to start every day.

WEEKLY: Review your motivation for each of your goals.

QUARTERLY: Reassess goals.

As you reassess your goals, there are five ways to handle each goal.

1. REJOICE – If you’ve completed your goal, celebrate!
2. RECOMMIT – Maybe the method you were using to work on this goal isn’t working. Remember–strategies can change at any time. Your commitment is to the goal, not the strategy.
3. REVISE – Was your goal is set in the delusional zone? As you revise your goal, don’t revert to the comfort zone either…aim for the discomfort zone.

4. REMOVE – This is a last resort but sometimes necessary.
5. REPLACE – If you had to remove a goal, consider replacing it.

Winning at our goals and celebrating them helps keep us going and motivates us to keep pressing on to bigger goals!

Now it’s your turn: Did any ideas come to mind as you were reading or listening to the goal-setting process outlined above? Any tweaks you would make? Take 10-30 minutes to journal what you’re thinking–and then decide what your next step would be (and write it on your calendar!).

Wishing you a wonderful 2020!

Post-publication note from Jill:

I was so happy to have these ideas shared in the podcast! Just to clarify a few things that weren’t totally clear in the podcast notes April was using when she recorded:

(1) I don’t consider these “my” ideas, but I learned them from a variety of sources. The primary sources were Laura Smith from IHeartPlanners and Michael Hyatt.

(2) While I don’t use Laura’s planner, specifically, I have learned a lot from her and wanted to credit the source.

(3) I have used and recommend these 2 pages per day planners: Franklin Covey planner, and Michael Hyatt’s planner. I am currently trying out this Living Well weekly planner. I do miss having the section for notes on the 2 pages per day planners I have used in the past, but also enjoy my week at a glance view in this one. All planners have their pluses and minuses, and I encourage you to try a few out to find your perfect fit!

Happy Goal Setting and have a fabulous year ahead!

Related Resources

Michael Hyatt’s *Your Best Year Ever

Want to learn more about how to identify the Next Action for each of your goals? We can’t wait to teach you that concept–and more!–in our free class, How to Stop Drowning in Piles. Sign up here!