Start Smaller to Go Farther
Are the goals and habits you focus on helping you cultivate a life that fits you, suits you and inspires you? I have tried so many different goal-setting processes over the years, but honestly, my achiever/perfectionist tendencies can get me in the weeds sometimes.
I set big goals, end up feeling frustrated that it’s not happening fast enough, then feeling burnt out because I took on too much. Or, I end up feeling guilty or in scarcity-mode because I’m focused on the end result and NOT on enjoying the process and the growth. Then, I end up doubting myself, my systems and my choices.
Has this ever happened to you?
How can we do it differently, now that we can recognize what’s not working?
I have tried some new things in the past few months and I’m ready to share the golden nuggets of what I’ve learned.
This is for all of you out there who…
feel that your life vision and your short-term goals could be out of alignment
desire more awareness of and appreciation for the present moment, and for small wins
seek greater clarity and freedom by creating systems that suit your personality and your desired identity
In the first quarter of 2022, I worked through a book “Atomic Habits” while carrying out my third round of The 12 Week-Year. Both of these books/concepts anchor into the idea of smaller progress to help us achieve our goals, feel successful and enjoy the growth process. Let’s discuss, shall we?
The 12 Week Year
The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran is more of a system than a book. This is a way to structure goal-setting in any area of your life or multiple areas of your life, and set up accountability meetings to track your progress for twelve weeks. The allows us four full cycles each year, instead of dusting off those New Years resolutions sometime in May or July or October and wondering WTF happened. Twelve weeks is enough time to get some meaningful work done, but not enough time to just keep pushing things off into the abyss. Taking time to figure out what is reasonable to accomplish in twelve weeks, and if there are foundational steps or skills you must complete next, also makes things feel both manageable and empowering.
If you can actually walk out this concept with an accountability group (recommended group size: 2-6 people), I am telling you - it will make all the difference. You just hop on a zoom together, go around the circle and tell everyone what you did and didn’t do, and what you’re going to do before the next meeting. No stories, no reasons, just the facts. Accountability to our goals and process is the missing piece for most of us. Accountability groups/partners have the potential to really transform your process as you courageously hold up the mirror to yourself, and hold space for others to do the same. I know that I moved myself along with much more success and satisfaction because of the group of women I had cheering me on and because I took ownership of my results through accountability. Brian Moran calls this a “WAM” (weekly accountability meeting) and while I was resistant at first, I am now a huge WAM FAN!
I have not always been successful with the time-blocking strategy they present in the 12 Week Year, but I still find the concept very valuable. Brian Moran suggests that we build our schedules with three different kinds of time blocks:
strategic blocks (focused work blocks of our highest thinking and production)
breakout blocks (intentionally NOT working) and
buffer blocks (all the emails, phone calls, bill-paying, time-sucking crap in between)
There is so much more to this, and following this concept can really change things in our day-to-day lives, in our achievements and accomplishments in the long-term, and in how we structure the work we’re doing along the way. The coolest part? After the 12 Week Year comes to an end, we can reflect, recalibrate, and celebrate… with an eye on the next cycle of goal-setting and the next phase of the journey. When operating in twelve-week chunks, we feel greater urgency, we employ greater focus and precision, and we can also give ourselves grace knowing that the cycle will begin again, with room to improve, refine and expand.
Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits is a book written James Clear that has gotten super popular of late, as we settle into a post-hustle culture. James Clear presents the revolutionary idea that we can achieve so much more when we focus on making habits attractive, obvious, easy and satisfying. It’s also about systems. In the face of every day distractions and vacillating levels of motivation, how do we stay on track? James Clear says, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
We are creatures of habit… but we often try to change too many things at once, or we try to leap too far from the current mode of operation, instead of just trying for 1% better at a time. Atomic Habits starts with the idea of establishing habits that support our overall identity, as opposed to habits that are based on an arbitrary metric, target or timeline. Instead of saying, “I want to run a marathon”… we might say “I am a runner. I want to be a runner.” From there, the habits we establish can be rooted in the question, “What would a runner do?” Instead of creating a goal to lose 20 pounds, or earn a certain amount of money… we can craft goals around the identity of a healthy person or a person who generates wealth. Small shifts that are rooted in something deeper than surface-level achievement or checking a box for completion are going to be much more sustainable, fulfilling, and motivating in the long-term. James Clear has so many tips and tricks for making our habits even better, and a lot of great support materials through his website. Right now, a group of us are doing his "“30 Days to Better Habits” challenge where we take one habit and really work with it, enhance it and build the systems for success one day at a time… it’s so cool!
In summary, here are a few reasons I really love these concepts….
Starting smaller help us with the obvious fact that, things change. We may find our goals don’t suit us, or that the conditions around the system or goals need to change. Maybe what we thought we wanted is not actually what we thought it was…. or maybe we need to work on a foundational goal or benchmark or skill before we can move on. When we’re working with smaller habits and smaller cycles of time, we get more clarity and feedback and more opportunities for a “fresh start”.
Speaking of needing a fresh start, all-or-nothing / perfectionism is going to make you quit, give up or just feel shame around the whole thing! No thank you! This is a new way of thinking around smaller actions and identity.
Regular feedback engages us in mindfulness around the process and the progress we’ve making. GAME-CHANGER.
Biting off more than we can chew can make us feel unfocused and overwhelmed, so instead of making incremental improvements in one area… we may feel like we are flailing and trying to do too much at once.
When we are setting goals that are based on an outside metric instead of an identity, we may still very well achieve and succeed to meet that goal, only to find that it is not actually as satisfying or fulfilling as we thought it would be. So instead of celebrating and embracing the milestone in the journey, we just set our eyes on the next prize in hopes of finding what we’re really looking for. I know… it’s deep, but it’s the truth! When we focus on identity, we can experience fulfillment now and in the future!
I hope you try one or both of these concepts…. and please let me know what you think! The cycle of 12-week goal setting and accountability, coupled with the decision to make meaningful and incremental change through building attractive, fun, satisfying, identity-based “atomic” habits is a totally winning combo.