But, when it comes to planning your immediate next chapter, the calendar is (generally) your friend.
So, following from on this post and this post, we’re talking about planning ahead this fall, to kick-start some back-to-school momentum. (And don’t forget, if you’re a paid subscriber, we have our ‘September Spark’ co-working on Tuesdays next month - please join us!)
So, yesterday we talked about setting a theme and identifying some goals in key life-categories. Today, I’m going to encourage you to put the highest priorities in the calendar.
This is all about implementation. And the very hardest task for a go-getter like yourself is to edit your priorities: choose just a few. Momentum is built on success. And success on a few things will create more likelihood you’ll get other things done too, but not if you try to do everything at once.
First of all quarters (or seasons as I prefer):
Take three (JUST THREE….I know you) items from your list yesterday and add them to each season. If you’re just focusing on the next few months, then obviously just fill in the top left quadrant.
Now, it doesn’t mean that those are the only things you will be doing in the next few months (of course not, you still have make dinner for the kids, and address the crisis your boss just handed you, and host your in-laws for the weekend), but these will be priorities and you will want to make sure your other tasks don’t totally take over.
Try to make these goals actionable and measurable if you can, so you know when you’re successful.
So, one of mine for the next quarter is to get better connected with potential colleagues in my (newish) local area. So I could say ‘networking’ as a goal. But then I won’t know when I can check it off. Much better to say ‘make four really good new work-related connections’.
Now you want to break those three seasonal/quarterly goals into smaller steps, so you can schedule them.
So, for example, in my case of making four really good connections, my first action step might be to ask my existing network (friends, colleagues etc) who they know in my area and could they make some introductions.
So my first step would read something like: send 10 emails to key friends and colleagues.
My second step might be: look up local 5 local organizations and email key people in them introducing myself as new to the area and share a little about why I’m interested to meet them.
My third step might be: invite at least 6 new connections for a cup of coffee in town.
All of that takes time of course, which is why you’ve got to schedule it. So the final step is to take out the calendar you use (I use google calendar), and reserve time to do the tasks week by week.
So for me, I could block off time to send the emails and respond.
Eg. a 30-minute block in the calendar in week one might say ‘send 3 emails: to Mandy, Olivia, and Tom, asking them who they could introduce me to in this area’. The next week might be three more emails. And then likely in the second or third month, I would reserve slots that I could use for a cup of coffee with my new connections.
It doesn’t have to be very much time, and the more doable the steps the better, but breaking it down and then scheduling it, makes an amazing difference. By the end of the quarter, I will have dramatically increased the chances that I will have some new and meaningful colleagues in the area.
You are literally writing your next chapter by entering these little tasks down in the calendar.
Really….try it if you have’t done planning like this before. Let me know how it goes.
Our own next chapters are where we write our community and planetary next chapters too. It all matters.
Oh, and one more thing to ponder this weekend:
That list of tolerations you wrote a couple of days ago.
What two things are you no longer willing to tolerate?
Have a great weekend y’all.
I actually do follow a process more or less like this. I have more success some days than others at following through with those plans, but I at least know what the targets are, what the action steps are, and what the big picture project is.
The challenge is to engage with what I think Covey called “integrity in the moment”, which is to do what you say you were going to do when you said you were going to do it - even if the only person who cares, is you.
So much easier said than done, eh?