Today I want to share some ways to really accomplish your goals and have some accountability to yourself. If you’re wired like me, you are probably pretty good at creating “to do lists” in your head. In fact those lists are often so big and at the end of the day, when you fall short of what you expected you could accomplish, you may evaluate yourself harshly and let the negative voices remind you just how much you didn’t get done.
Ouch! I know the feeling. But what if you could change the approach and reframe your thoughts into a plan that allowed you to work toward 80% perfect instead of 100% as perfection? It’s possible and I want to show you how.
Several years ago I was introduced to the book the 12 week year. The system was pretty profound and worked really well for accountability not only to myself but to someone else on my progress. I started planning out my year in quarters and worked toward goals in three areas of my life over the course of 12 weeks. Like many of you, the thought of writing down and planning out 12 weeks seemed daunting, yet when I did the work, the accomplishments at the end of 3 months were impressive…even to this critic.
Here’s how it works. Set three areas of your life that you want to see change in. For me personally I like to focus on WELLNESS, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, and PERSONAL GROWTH/CONNECTION. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you need to focus on in order to really complete it.
Let’s use my example of Wellness. Wellness is a goal that has very specific, measurable outcomes. Then there are tasks or actions that are very specific that need to be done daily in order to meet the overall goal of Wellness. For instance, let’s say my Wellness goal is to Increase Strength and Flexibility while losing 10 pounds. So the actions I would need to practice daily would be things like, weight lifting, yoga, stretching, healthy food choices, limiting sugar and carbs, etc.
Every day, I log my specific actions I plan to take in order to move toward my goal of Wellness. I use a journal called the Self Journal, mainly because I like the format, but you can use whatever means you want…even a habit tracker app on your phone. At the end of the day or the next morning, I tally my behaviors and come up with a percentage of tasks accomplished. Don’t forget, my goal is for 80%, so I have a little room for imperfection and self-compassion too.
It’s a powerful practice, but that’s just it…it’s a discipline that becomes a habit and needs to be practiced daily in order to make progress.
If you want more information on how to implement behavioral changes in your life, book a session with me, and let’s get you on the right track in 2021.