Transcription
I have a question. Would you like to achieve your one-year goals in just 3 months? If you answered yes, then keep watching because today I'm going to summarize a book called "12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others Do in 12 Months" written by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington.
Most businesses and people set annual goals and create 12-month plans. You also do this in your own life. You set a New Year's resolution on January 1st and commit to changing your life by December 31st. The author's of the book argue that this type of thinking and planning is not effective, wastes so much time, and stops you from achieving your goals.
If annualized planning doesn't work, then what is the alternative? The authors argue that a better alternative is the 12-week year program, and here's why.
First, within the 12-week year program, seasons don't exist. There is no summer, there is no winter, there is no autumn. A week now takes the place of a month, and each day accounts for a week. Through this lens, you can see how important each day and week become.
Second, all the excitement and productivity of the year-end push now happens four times a year. Your deadline is always in sight, so you stop telling yourself that there's still plenty of time. If you have a slow week, you might be able to make it up the following week, but you know you can't have too many bad weeks if you are going to be successful at the end of 12 weeks. This mindset makes every day important, and the need to produce results every week becomes vital.
Third, you can't possibly predict every action you will take over a 12-month period, so any plan you make will be based on assumptions and theories. In contrast, a 12-week plan removes assumptions because the time frame is short enough for you to make an accurate plan and execute it successfully.
Fourth, instead of waiting until December to find out if you failed or succeeded, you find out much sooner and course-correct. No need to wait another year.
Finally, the fifth benefit is the relaxation and celebration you look forward to after all your hard work. You now have four opportunities to reflect on your achievements and take a few days off to recharge. And when you come back, you have a fresh start again. If, for some reason, your first 12 weeks didn't work out as you had hoped, you don't have to wait another year. You have three more chances to get it right and finish the year strong.
If these benefits excite you, then here is the four-step formula.
Step number one: Vision. Everything around you, such as your computer or the phone you're using now, is created twice. First, it started as an idea or vision in somebody's head, and second, it was created in physical form in some factories. What I'm trying to say is this: before you set goals, you need to get crystal clear about your destination, about your vision for the year. Imagine it this way: imagine the year has ended, and you look back and see that you have achieved all the things for that year. What does that perfect year look like? How much are you earning? Do you finally have your own business? Are you earning 10 grand per month? Are you in great shape as you have always wanted? This is a kind of dreaming stage. You are dreaming about your perfect year. Don't let your analytical mind come in and say, "How the hell will you achieve all that in 12 weeks? It's not realistic." This is not the time for "how we will get there" as well. It is time to dream, and dream big. Why dream big? Because soon you will push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and if it is not big and exciting enough, you will give up.
Step number two: Plan your execution. Now that you know where you want to go, it's time to plan how you will get there. First, you need to find a clear goal. You might have more than one goal, but don't overwhelm yourself with too many goals. The key is to identify a few essential ones that, if achieved, would bring you the results you want. Second, list all the key tasks for that goal and plan how you will get them done. Apply the same logic you applied to goals and focus on key tasks. For example, your goal might be to earn $120,000 for the year. Now, how do you plan to earn that amount of money within 12 weeks? Will you earn 10 grand in the first week, another 10 grand in the second week, and continue at this rate for the rest of the time? Or will the first four weeks have no earnings, but in the remaining eight weeks, you will earn 15 grand per month? The goal at this stage is to plan each week and identify what results need to be achieved by the end of the week and what tasks need to be done. Each week needs to be planned in advance, and it should look like this: the goal at the top of the page for that week and the list of tasks to achieve that goal.
Now, when you are planning, one of the most often questions you will be asking yourself is, "How? How do I get this task done within 1 week? Or how do I get this big goal achieved within 3 weeks?" Let me tell you a little secret: you are asking the wrong question. You shouldn't be asking "how." You should be asking "who." I recently read a book called "Who Not How" by one of the greatest business coaches, Dan Sullivan. Dan says when we want something done, we are trained to ask, "How can I do this?" This is the wrong question. The right question is, "Who can do this for me?" For example, if you need to design a logo, you need to ask, "Who can do this for me?" instead of "How can I do this?" You might say, "Well, I have no idea how to find a logo designer, so I will figure out how I do it myself." Well, if you don't know who can design a logo, then you need to find another person who will find you a logo designer. Again, you need another "who" question, not a "how" question. This sounds so simple, and it is simple, but don't let the simplicity fool you. Asking "who" is not natural for us, so it will take quite some effort to shift your mindset. Once you start asking the "who" question, the doors open up for you. It saves you so much time and money, plus improves the quality of your output because you are involving others who are experts at what they do.
Step number three: Control your process. The idea is simple: at the beginning of each week, ideally on Monday, review the progress you made in the last week. Did you complete all the tasks for the past week or not? In the next step, I will explain how to measure your progress. Once the evaluation of the last week is done, then create a new weekly plan for the coming week. Check your weekly plan every day to ensure you are completing the right tasks and the timeline of your week still makes sense. If it does, then keep moving. If not, review the plan to restructure the tasks in order to achieve the week's goal.
Step number four: Measure your progress. You can't know if you are progressing without measuring it. This is actually one of my favorite parts of the book, and here is why I like it. The author recommends two types of measuring systems: one for the results and another for your execution. For example, let us say you want to lose 1 kilo of weight per week, and to achieve that, you have planned that you will exercise five times a week and need 2,000 calories a day. Using this example, we can say that the measurement of the result is the amount of weight lost in one week. Did you lose 1 kilo in the past week or not? This is the measurement of the result. However, the measurement of execution is different. It is the number of tasks you completed to achieve that result. In this example, it was 5 days of exercising and eating under 2,000 calories a day. Did you exercise for 5 days and eat under 2,000 calories every single day? If yes, then you have a 100% execution score. This is the measurement of execution. The author says you should focus more on measuring execution rather than the results. People who focus on more execution have a higher chance of reaching their goals compared to people who focus on measuring their results only. Using the above weight loss example, if the only thing you measure is the result (losing 1 kilo per week), then you will probably get discouraged once you step on the scale and see that you haven't lost anything for that week. On the other hand, if you focus on the execution, you know that result will come because you are doing all the right things. The author says if you complete 85% or more of your tasks every week, results will come, and you will reach your goals. You might not see the result for one week, but the next week you will probably see it if you stick to executing your plan. You might ask, "What if the result doesn't come after 2 or 3 weeks?" Well, that means something is wrong with your plan, and it has to change. For example, maybe you have calculated the calories wrong. You had to eat 1,500 calories instead of 2,000 in order to achieve the result you wanted. This is why it is important to measure both the result and execution and keep them separate.
So, to quickly summarize the four-step formula: number one, create a clear vision. Number two, plan how you will execute your vision. Number three, control your process by evaluating the past week and planning for the new week. Four, measure your progress and focus more on execution.
If you would like to stop watching at this point, you can do that. You already got the core of the message of the book. In my opinion, however, I have 10 small tips that will make it very easy for you to implement this four-step formula. Here they are.
Tip number one: Manage your time well by splitting your day into blocks. It takes approximately 15 minutes for you to get back to your tasks when you're stopped to check emails or text messages. On average, 28% of employees' days are spent managing interruptions and refocusing on what they are doing. In a 40-hour work week, that is 11 hours of time wasted. That is why the author advises separating your day into three blocks. Block number one: Strategic block. This is the time block where you work on strategic tasks, minimum 3 hours. No emails, no talking to colleagues, no daydreaming about what you are going to eat for lunch. Block number two: Buffer block. The purpose of this block is to handle those small tasks, such as emails or calling your mom, etc. Block number three: Breakout block. Success is not about working hard all the time. You must allow your mind to rest and recharge so you can always work at your full capacity and focus.
Tip number two: Work-life balance is a lie. You struggle to find a balance between work, family, friends, health, and personal time, so you decide to give equal time and energy to each of them. The problem is that when you do that, you overextend yourself and become frustrated. So, success can't be achieved by balancing your time in each area of life. Success happens when you intentionally create an imbalance and direct the time and energy toward one or two areas of your life. Different moments in life will require different amounts of energy, and there is nothing wrong with that. The purpose of intentional imbalance is to put your energy where you want it to go.
Tip number three: Avoid having too many goals. Too many goals mean too many strategies and obstacles. They will quickly drain your energy and will make you give up.
Tip number four: Create a routine. Your execution will suffer a lot if you don't form a routine. You need a routine for everything, from your sleep to the time you work.
Tip number five: Create your model week. Your model week is kind of like your perfect scenario where you get everything done. Once you start designing your model week, you will quickly be able to say if your plan is realistic or not. If the plan isn't realistic, you will not be able to find space on your weekly calendar to put some of the tasks. Make sure to do this before you start your week.
Tip number six: Avoid focusing on tasks that involve your weaknesses. Most tasks you are working on should be based on your strengths, not your weaknesses.
Tip number seven: You are allowed to say no. When someone invites you somewhere or someone asks you to commit to something, say no as often as you can.
Tip number eight: Don't multitask. When you spread your attention too thin over multiple directions, you are not fully applying yourself to any tasks. You are overworked and tired. Burnout is a likely result, and in the end, you haven't mastered anything. You've just become mediocre at several things.
Tip number nine: Some tasks will not get done, and it is okay. Many people believe they can do it all and work day and night to catch up with everything on their plate. They focus on what they can do quickly to get it out of the way, which puts their strategic tasks in danger. Some tasks will eventually fall through the cracks, and it is okay. However, those tasks should never be the strategic ones.
Tip number 10: Celebrate. Even if you didn't reach your goal, you still have three more chances, and you probably made tons of progress. So celebrate and start again.
Finally, here is a bonus tip from my personal experience: sleep well. I can't emphasize the importance of sleep. It is the best productivity tip you will ever need. I know how much my life suffers when I don't have enough sleep, but still, very often, sleep is the first thing somehow I end up sacrificing when things get tough, despite the fact that I know how important it is. So, keep an eye on your sleep. This is the area I am doing my best to improve as well.
In the end, I would like to mention that the reason I summarize this book isn't that I know a lot about planning. It's quite the opposite. I quite suck at it, and this was the reason I picked up this book. I usually read books on the areas that I want to improve, and this was one of them. I hope it was a useful video. Thanks for watching.