6 minute read
Get Into Gear for the New Year
As we move forward in the new year, we are hopeful for the things we want moving forward – whether they’re our dreams or daily moments of joy. The new year brings a sense of empowerment that we can do what we set our mind to - in work and in our personal lives. Take some time today to set the course for the year ahead.
Advertisement
“People are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far. They, in essence, are pushing a rope with all of their might.” - Dr. Stephen R. Covey
CHOOSE PRIORITIES
What is it that you value most for your life – family, career, achievement, legacy, service, friendships, experiences, fitness, great books, connections to people and places? What are your top three to five things that you value most? Identifying your priorities will help you stay focused on what matters most this year.
DEFINE THE END RESULT
Is there something you’ve really wanted to accomplish, but it keeps getting set aside? Do you have a personal improvement that you’ve been wanting to make? Write a list of the goals you have planned for your life in those areas and a few ideas on how to improve them. If it’s a project for home or work, write down what it will take to accomplish those goals. As Stephen Covey puts it, by starting with the end in mind, you have a place to focus your efforts. Time restrictions sometimes won’t allow you to get to everything completed, instead focus on your major priorities or biggest opportunities.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
WRITE IT DOWN
The simple act of writing down your goals is already one step ahead of most people. Post your major goal where you can see it every day – like the bathroom mirror or somewhere on your desk. Keeping your goals at the top of your mind will help you work towards them in small ways every day.
BREAK IT DOWN
Take your goals and break them into the steps needed to complete them. List the action items and dates associated with each step. Make sure that you keep each step small enough so that you can accomplish them. This may mean breaking bigger tasks into smaller pieces so each action item doesn’t feel overwhelming.
GET STARTED
Today is the day to start. Tomorrow will always be tomorrow. What is one thing you can do today that will move you forward towards your goals?
DO DAILY ACTION
In his book, The Slight Edge, author Jeff Olson writes about the long-term impacts of small steps taken daily. We often overestimate what we can accomplish in the short-term and drastically underestimate what we can accomplish in the long-term. Ideas of daily action include: • Reading your goals and tasks daily • Creating fun ways to track your progress • Setting aside time each day to work on a task toward your goal • Talking to someone else about your goals and your progress to help clarify and hold yourself accountable to your prog ress • Getting others involved (if necessary)
REVIEW YOUR PROGRESS
Check your progress at a milestone or maybe once each month. Consider how things are going and what adjustments need to be made to continue towards your goal. Edward W. Deming’s process for continuous
improvement is referred to as the PDSA cycle, which stands for Plan, Do, Study, Act. It’s an excellent tool for refining and adjusting your outcomes along the journey to accomplishment. Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle for continuous improvement
Source: Plan, Do, Study, Act model
FOCUS
It’s so easy to get distracted, especially when we are up against an obstacle or a hard task. We can fall into the “squirrel” syndrome and jump on the next easy-to-accomplish thing even if it’s not related to our goal or find other ways to escape from the task at hand. Remind yourself why the goal is important to you, what the end-reward is, and consider if there is another way to get to the end goal. I’m reminded of a story that Terri Brady, author of Letters to Lindsey, once told about her son’s raising money for a band field trip. The plan was to have the kids raise all the money for the trip and while they did a great job, they fell short of the final number. The kids did the work and learned the lessons of working towards a goal, but hadn’t reached the goal. The parents paid the difference and the kids went on the trip. The goal was the trip, not the fundraising. Sometimes we have to take a broad view perspective at the real goal and change the plan to make sure we still arrive at that goal. There are some things that are out of your control. Stephen Covey describes the idea of the “circle of influence” and the “circle of concern”. Any effort on items you can’t control or impact will only lead to frustration, stress, and worry. You will want to acknowledge them, but try not to spend time on them. Choose to put your time and attention on the things within the circle of influence – the things you can do something about.
CELEBRATE SUCCESS
It’s important to give your brain small moments of victory along the journey, and certainly at the end. These acknowledgments of success will inspire you to keep working towards your goal or to set a new goal. Reward ideas include: • Shouting a good old “yahoo!” • Dancing or jumping up and down • Telling your best friend or spouse • Buying yourself a new item – a paint set, a great book, etc. This will serve as a reminder of your success • Giving yourself an experience – a trip to a museum or a great restaurant, etc. • Posting a note to yourself about how proud you are of you.
MAKE A RECORD
No, not a real record from the days of vinyl, but a record of the goal, the accomplishment, and the learning moments along the way. This is especially important in a work setting, but can also be great mental practice for your personal life. Often the pace of life is so quick that we are regularly accomplishing things and moving right on to the next thing. It’s important to take note of the accomplishments along the way so that when you get frustrated with your progress or look back and think, “What have I done this year?” you’ll have a list of achievements to be proud of yourself for accomplishing. It may also be helpful to keep a list of future ideas. Once you get into the cycle of focused achievement you will be excited for all the things you can accomplish when you set your plans to it.
BE INCREDIBLE
This year be you – the best and most incredible version of you. Take on the big things, set your sights high and go for what you want. You’ll be so amazed at what you can accomplish when you set your goals in front of you and take small actions each day towards them.
Article by Erica Venton | Courtesy of MSU WorkLife Office https://worklife.msu.edu/news/gear-goal-setting-smash-your-new-year-resolutions
Sources: Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge, Edward W. Deming, Plan, Do, Study, Act model image, Terri Brady, Letters to Lindsey
