Work The Plan
January 2023 is racing towards February startlingly fast. Chances are your holiday moments are memories and you are back into the rhythm of the working year. Many people use the change of years to reflect back and plan forward. It is an excellent practice. It helps you realise what you have achieved and can encourage a sense of gratitude and stimulate hope for the year ahead. I have written a lot about planning and how to do this effectively. I often get feedback from people on the challenges in executing the plan. Much like New Years resolutions, plans can look great on paper but seem to falter and struggle in the grips of reality once the ‘rubber hits the road.’ The reality is that plans are intentions, hopes, aspirations and dreams in writing. It gives clarity but does not automatically guarantee success. For this you need to work the plan.
Some thoughts to help your application in the coming year:
Remember systems are better than goals. A goal is a future point you want to get to. For 99% of the time you remain behind your goal. This can be discouraging - feeling like you are in a place of lack and constantly behind. This applies to both business and personal life - launching a product, building a website, gaining market share, getting fit, losing weight, saving for a house. Having a system allows you to win every day. The system is how you work the plan - what activity you do daily to move you forward - R&D with product testing, writing content, sales activity, eating well and exercising daily, having an AP which feeds a saving account and putting your Kiwisaver to 10%. Systems allow you to know and feel like you are winning.
Working a plan requires consistent effort. Plans worth achieving rarely (if ever) occur from one off efforts. You use your willpower to start things. Willpower is a finite source. Habits, routines, processes and systems are what drive consistency. If you want to achieve your goals this year look at what habits you need and which ones hinder you. To support your plans make it easier to do what you know helps and more difficult to do the things that hold you back. An example of this is planning your weeks and days. If you break your goals into daily activities and then plan what is most important for your coming day (ideally the night before) you are more focused and more likely to put your efforts into the important rather than be distracted by the urgent. Could you make it a routine that team members share their coming days' focus with their work colleagues? This helps with communication as well as focusing the team on their top priorities.
Make deliberate time to reflect on what you have done. This has two key benefits: Firstly, you can analyse your activity and outcomes to see the learnings you have got from them - both positive and negative. Secondly it helps to reflect on what you have done, what has been achieved. Reminding yourself and your team of this can give much needed encouragement as you continue to strive and close the gap between where you are and the goals you are aiming for.
Here's to an incredible year. May it be filled with opportunities and the passion, drive, energy and enthusiasm to achieve all you dare hope for and more!
