Reaching Life Goals on Cruise Control

Client Question: “I feel like I’m spinning my wheels, not really accomplishing the big things in life. My goals are not clarified or mapped out, and I don’t have a system in place that allows me to see that I am moving along, that I am progressing. What’s the answer?”

Coach Answer: Although you do need to identify and write down life goals, you need more than that to really move forward. The easier the approach, the more likely your success—if your approach is sound.

Start with a trustworthy contextual productivity system (CPS) like GTD (Getting Things Done, the book and philosophy by David Allen), TRO (Total, Relaxed Organization, a simplified and enhanced approach to GTD principles), or Total Workday Control (a system by Michael Linenberger). You could also rely on a "Now Do This" dedicated admin at a cost of about $50,000/year (don't laugh, one of my friends uses this method).

Once your system works for you comfortably, you just need to add two simple things to start realizing the progress and accomplishment you’re missing.

Here they are.

Step One: Create a Strategic Calendar.

Time is the capital of life. Progress requires time—there is no other way—and we become who we become according to where we actually spend our time. Allocate adequate time for each area that is important to you. This will be your flexible “time budget” to keep your life balanced and focused on what matters most to you.

These life areas and time allocations are really "50,000-foot goals" or views from a high-flying airplane to use David Allen’s metaphor. Inside those life areas you will eventually focus on much more specific goals that inspire and motivate you.

If you don’t yet have a strategic calendar, create a task in your task list to set one up. Allocate time to each major area of your life that matters to you. Then consider looking for a good software tool that will automatically help you focus on tasks in those life areas during those times of your day, week, and month. To find these tools, do a Google search for: GTD "time categorization", GTD "time filtering", or GTD "strategic calendar". Different vendors name this feature differently.

With or without a software tool, your strategic calendar is your general, flexible guide to what you want to be doing when. Balance your life by honoring these general appointments as an overall framework for your day.

Step Two: Establish Projects for Your Life Goals.

Have you decided what your goals are in each area? (This isn’t a vague, feel-good statement about goal-setting! Read on.) To get what you want, first you have to decide what you want. Then “collect” those wishes/goals into a trustworthy system that will actually lead you forward.

Once proper tasks/projects are collected, achieving those goals with your system is as simple as: 1) deciding/scheduling the next step (processing); and 2) honoring your appointments on those next steps. When you’re following your trustworthy system is should be easy, so steady progress is as inevitable as waking up each morning. If it's not easy, you need a new system or help implementing the system you've adopted—get a coach or self-training guide. A good system makes your progress more certain because your next steps are appropriately scheduled without burdening you.

Tip Number 1: With systems like TRO and TWC, next steps for critical, carefully-selected life goals need realistic “hard” reminder dates when they will be converted from passive task entries to "Do Today" items. Otherwise they may slip indefinitely. (Alternatively, with GTD you must not skip your Weekly Review, at all costs.) This will ensure inevitable progress on those goals. Once you put something firmly on its “conveyor belt of destiny“ it moves forward inexorably, one “next step” at a time. You make progress without even realizing it. Once a month during a regular monthly review you’ll assess your progress, taking somewhere between a few minutes (TRO) to half an hour or more (GTD) to make sure you're on track.

Tip Number 2: What if you don’t know what your goal is in some life area like “Career”? The answer is to create a general project called “Career goals”, then think about your long-term goals, brainstorm possible goals, or even do a little research to help you decide. Record that brainstorming or research as the next step for that project and schedule it like any other next step.

Tip Number 3: Be sure to identify the correct next step. If you hesitate to move forward on a goal, you’ve got a vague or incorrect next step that needs to be changed.

With these pieces in place, you will naturally focus and act on the goals that mean the most in your life. The conveyor belt of your trusted system will move you steadily forward, automatically, until your goals fulfill their purpose.

Reaching Life Goals on Cruise Control - To learn more about this author, visit Kevin Crenshaw's Website.

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