Total, Relaxed Organization, The Blog

Client Question: “I feel like I’m spinning my wheels, not really accomplishing the big things in life. My goals are not clarified or mapped out, and I don’t have a system in place that allows me to see that I am moving along, that I am progressing. What’s the answer?”

Coach Answer: Although you do need to identify and write down life goals, you need more than that to really move forward. The easier the approach, the more likely your success—if your approach is sound. With Total, Relaxed Organization training (which simplifies and improves on basic GTD principles) you just need to add two simple things to start realizing the progress and accomplishment you’re missing. Here they are.

Step One: Create a Strategic Calendar

Have you established a “strategic calendar”? (See chapters 21-22  of the TRO Field Guide or this quick online summary.)

Time is the capital of life. Progress requires time—there is no other way—and we become who we become according to where we actually spend our time. Allocate adequate time for each area that is important to you. This is your “time budget” to keep your life balanced and on track.

These life areas and time allocations are really 50,000-foot goals—views from a high-flying airplane, to use David Allen’s metaphor. Inside those life areas you will eventually focus on much more specific goals that inspire and motivate you.

If you don’t yet have a strategic calendar, create a task in your task list to set one up. (For one thing, it will make Trog Bar more intelligent in its task recommendations if you use that tool, which means your task list will reinforce your general life goals automatically.)

Step Two: Establish Projects for Your Goals

Have you decided what your goals are in each area? (This isn’t a vague, feel-good statement about goal-setting! Read on.) To get what you want, first you have to decide what you want. Then “collect” those wishes/goals into a trustworthy system that will actually lead you forward.

Once proper tasks/projects are collected, achieving those goals with your system is as simple as: 1) deciding/scheduling the next step (processing); and 2) honoring your appointments on those next steps. When you’re following your system (and with TRO it’s easy), steady progress is as inevitable as waking up each morning. TRO makes your progress more certain because your next steps are appropriately scheduled without burdening you.

Tip Number 1: Next steps for critical, carefully-selected life goals qualify as “hot” items and need realistic “hard” dates. (This terminology is explained in the TRO Field Guide.) Otherwise they may slip indefinitely. When you honor those dates, your progress on those goals is inevitable. Once you put something firmly on its “conveyor belt of destiny“ it moves forward inexorably, one “next step” at a time. You make progress without even realizing it. Once a month, during your monthly review, you’ll assess your progress in just a few minutes.

Tip Number 2: What if you don’t know what your goal is in some life area like “Career”? The answer is to create a general project called “Career goals”, then think about your long-term goals, brainstorm possible goals, or even do a little research to help you decide. Record that brainstorming or research as the next step for that project and schedule it like any other next step.

Tip Number 3: Be sure to identify the correct next step. If you hesitate to move forward on a goal, you’ve got a vague or incorrect next step that needs to be changed.

With these pieces in place, you will naturally focus and act on the goals that mean the most in your life. The conveyor belt of your trusted system will move you steadily forward, automatically, until your goals fulfil their purpose.