PhotoCredit: Macaron
There were a few occasions during peak-pandemic that Mark and I decided to get dressed up despite our mandated seclusion. It felt important at the time - and I am glad we did it - but it smacked more of defeat than victory. All dressed up and nowhere to go just never feels right.
In much the same way, ummmmm major segue alert, our goals are completely useless if we don’t have practices, rituals, and actions to move us towards them. Great ambitions, alone, are as hopeless as a ballgown in a pandemic.
I wrote last time about reviewing your goals for 2021. Now we are midway through the year this is a great time to get focussed on what is truly critical. You might even want to eliminate some goals and get real about what is possible.
The next step is to create daily and weekly actions and practices that will support your goal achievement. Maybe only one muffin-day a week versus every day being muffin-day? Remember, I love you. Maybe reading for 30 minutes a day to get some brain enhancement. Maybe a little more sleep or a few more days of exercise. Maybe?
This video from Farnam Street notes that habits are algorithms operating in the background to power our lives. Bingo. Your job is to design and execute the algorithms. I could talk about OKR’s here but I will refrain. All I will say is that you want to monitor the habits/actions you put in place to ensure they are taking you towards achieving your goals.
Remember also that less is more when it comes to habits and actions. One of my favorite thinkers in this area is James Clear, author of Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results. Big changes can feel impossible. Make them small and unavoidable. Compound interest doesn’t just work in your bank account [insert nerdy comment about depressed interest rates here].
And do it today. Think fast. Just start. Momentum is everything. Change will create room for more change.