Goal setting and planning

[emp]

Goal setting threads are all the hype around this time of the year. I’ll share my personal goal setting and planning procedure.

Short disclaimer: None of the links here are afilliate links, so you can go ahead and click.

My three month timeline
While I might set vague and/or “lofty” goals for a year (or longer), I only get into the nitty gritty for three months.

Why?
Experience has shown me that three months is the ideal timeframe for planning. You can get a lot done in three months, but you aren’t bound to a rigid plan.

“But one year is not too long!”
Yes, it is. Trust me.

I am forty now (whimper) and so got some experience in this.
What might be sidetracking you is basic psychology.
Humans are story telling animals. We’ll spin a story out of any random series of events.
And we love telling them.

If you look at my CV, it looks like a planned career of a guy who knows what he wants.
And I can tell it to you that way, no problem. Lying to your face.

The uneasy truth is that a lot of things were completely unplanned.
Sheer luck, happenstance, randomness.
And it is that way for everyone, but people don't like to hear it.

So don’t get fixed in a cage, things happen faster than you think.

Book recommendation
The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months
Stressing how much is doable in 3 months. Interesting take and a fairly good read.

The Arena
I define 6 main life areas for my life.
The goal is to move forward in all, as life will only be good when all these areas are doing well.

They are:
Health

Personal health​

Family

My immediate family, wife, kids, me
Some extended family (I am not an extended family person)​

Work

Both 9-5 and entrepreneurial projects​

Finances

Have to keep them in control​

Social

Friends
Social events
Community​

Mind

Other people might have spirituality here​

Define those areas for your life, try to stay between three and seven.

Worksheets
For each quarter, I have a worksheet
Q1 2015, Q2 2015, etc...

I start a worksheet start of a quarter.
First, each area gets graded 1-10. This is not a scientific process, just gut feeling.

Then I outline goals, projects and tasks for each area.

Books
As a psychologist interested in personal development I have read a LOAD of books on the topic.
Here is a few. Focus on goal setting and personal development.

GTD
“Getting things done. How to Achieve Stress Free Productivity” by David Allen has literally made my life better.
His new book has another cringe worthy title.
“Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life”
This is GTD 2.0.
If you read one of them (and I can not recommend it more), read "Making it all work".
If you take up GTD as a system, it works wonders. But you’ll have to work to make it work. It takes time to truly get it.

Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day
More of a motivational title, I still enjoyed it. Read it if you like to, but not essential.

Tools and Techniques

Pomodoros

Read a short summary, then get cracking. For 25 minutes.​

Assessment of Strength and Weaknesses
I stumbled over this in a book called Your best year yet (this was a recommended read at a company I worked for - the book is .. OK)
Knowing your weak and strong points is worth a lot.
I have outlined them for all my areas of life, so I know what to focus on and what to avoid.
For example, if you know your teeth are a weak point, you know to take extra good care of them.
Writing these down is beneficial, so do it.

SMART goal setting
http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/smart-goals.php
Read, do.

TL;DR

Having a rough idea a year ahead is good, but plan for three months.
Define areas in your life to work in.
Know your strong and weak points.​

::emp::

 

[Murk]

U dah man brah

 

[Kevin]

I tried doing it this way for years @emp. It didn't work for me. That doesn't mean it won't work for you because you've got quite a bit more time on this planet than me, but I will share my approach:

1. What results do I want to accomplish?
2. What's a semi accurate timeframe for achieving?
3. What daily habits do I need to do to make that happen?

Then I forget the results and the timeframe and try to constantly focus on the day to day with the confidence that it's leading me in the right direction.

To me, habits > *.

 

[emp]

@Kevin
Sure thing. A lot of productivity / goal setting / life planning / self help / ... techniques utterly depend on being a good fit for you.
You need to find something that works for you.
The above works for me, but might not be everyone's cup of tea.

:;:emp::