Goal Setting & The Power List

Originally posted on LinkedIn Feb 2, 2018:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/goal-setting-power-list-rich-stone

In the season of derailed New Year's resolutions it is important to draw a line in the sand by differentiating yourself and your ability to accomplish your 2018 goals by taking action and holding yourself accountable. How do you do it?  It’s simple:

• Write down your goals.

• Note the daily actions that you can control and execute. As a result of doing so, achieve said goals.

I borrowed our team’s (the West Coast Whalers) approach to goal setting from Warren Buffet:

1. Create a list of 25 career goals.

• You will have to rack your brain to come up with 25. Force yourself to really look inward and find 25, this exercise is very valuable in and of itself.

• These goals can and should have an impact on your personal growth as well, not just professional.

2. Narrow the list to the five most important and imminent goals.

3. Focus solely on accomplishing these 5 goals before you move on to any other goal on your list.

4. Once you cross one off the list it’s on to the next most imminent goal.

The idea of setting goals is great, but how do you take action and work towards those goals?  I borrowed our team’s approach for accomplishing daily tasks to get one step closer to your goals from Andy Frisella, CEO of 1st Phorm and host of the MFCEO Project Podcast.  Frisella calls this approach the “Power List”, which he dives into on episode 107. The concept is very straightforward:

1. Write down 5 daily tasks that you can accomplish.

• Do this on a notebook, I keep mine on my bedside table.

• Don’t choose tasks that you already do regularly, force yourself to grow and get outside your comfort zone.

2. Note each and every day whether you accomplished each task or not by noting a “W” or an “L”.

3. Over the course of a month note which tasks you accomplished 80%+ of the time.

4. Those actions you hit 80% of the days or more are now habits. Replace them with other actions that get you one step closer to your goals.

• Again, growth lives outside your comfort zone.

It’s that simple. Complete your daily Power List with relentless consistency and you will accomplish your goals. Questions on the West Coast Whalers' approach to Goal Setting and the Power List? Hit me up in the comments below or on twitter @rstone57.