On Goal Setting and Resolutions
One of my main goals for the quarter is to post on Twitter each day and on Medium each week. This article shows how I will make that happen.
Accountability and TL;DR version here.
Despite being a productivity nerd, for years I struggled to find a system. I wallowed between Wunderlist, Reminders, Trello, Notes, Evernote, pen and paper, etc. In the end, it just stressed me out and left me drained.
Enter the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)
EOS is the framework that the company I work for, University Tees, uses for our vision and future planning. EOS is based around a tool called the Vision/Traction Organizer. Feel free to click and watch the very informative video on the link but we’ll be getting more into it below.
The Personal Plan
An offshoot of the Vision/Traction Organizer is the EOS Personal Plan. This has been a major game changer for me.
I’ve always been motivated by identity based goals, like ‘I am a lifter’, ‘I am a writer’, ‘I am leader’, etc. By speaking these identity statements into the world, we’re more likely to follow-up on them. For example, if you’re someone who ‘works out every day’, you’ll be less likely to skip your run today.
The Personal Plan is the first framework I’ve seen that uses Core Values and Passions at the heart of the vision. This is exceedingly important today in a year with increased levels of burnout and stress.
We must find our why.
I took the sheet below and added a section for our Marriage Mission and Family Pillars.
Working Backwards
We know all of this means nothing without intention, so here’s where we start to make the high-level ideas more visceral.
The magic happens in the Rocks, which are your main goals for the next 90 days. The concept of a Rock comes from the rock, gravel, sand, and water theory, which is a time management and prioritization framework. The general idea is that you have a jar and need to fit your rocks (most important projects), gravel (general work accountabilities), sand (email and calls), and water (interruptions) into the jar.
The rocks are the most important goals and projects, gravel is next important, and so on. Basically, if you put the water, sand, and gravel, or life’s day-to-day work and interruptions into the har first, you won’t have room for the rocks.
So the ROCKS come first. Then the gravel. Then the sand. And finally the water. Following this plan, you’ll ensure that you complete your most important tasks and projects first.
I have a recurring reminder to make sure I revisit this on a quarterly basis and always carve out a few hours to review and re-set my Rocks.
The Nitty Gritty
TickTick for Daily Habits and Projects
To ensure that I do what I said I would do, I use the app TickTick. TickTick is my brain. It’s fully equipped with a to-do list, Kanban board for project management, a Pomodoro Timer for deep work, and perhaps most importantly a habit tracker to build consistency, something I pride myself on. Plus, it’s available for both of my iOS devices.
I don’t think I need to explain to-do lists but I will say that in order to be a writer, you need to write. So there needs to be a trigger for that activity, especially if it’s something new to you. I suggest reading this piece by James Clear to educate yourself on the concept of Habit Stacking.
For example, maybe you like to journal while you drink your morning coffee. If your goal is to write, perhaps you use that journaling habit to trigger your writing. As soon as you finish with your journal, open your preferred writing software, set a timer (I suggest starting small, maybe 10 minutes) and begin.
Apple Notes
Finally, I take everything above and type it out into Apple Notes and PIN it to the top of my main folder, so it’s the first thing I see when I open the app. I then use TickTick to schedule recurring reminders to revisit the sheet.
The best productivity system, much like the best workout or diet, is the one you stick with.
This is an overly simplistic explanation of MY system. I say MY system because if there’s one thing I’ve found, it’s that in order for any system to work, you need to champion it and own it.
And that’s it! If you have any questions or would like to chat, I’d love the opportunity to help with your planning. Let’s crush the next 90 days!
