The 12 Week Year By Brian Moran and Michael Lennington

Transcription

1 The 12 Week Year By Brian Mran and Michael Lenningtn T ften we vercmplicate things in life. Mran and Lenningtn have taken all f the guidance n prductivity / getting things dne and distilled it dwn t a simple, easy t fllw, intuitive executin framewrk that helps yu t get things dne. The basic principles are very straightfrward: Quit building yearly plans. Break the year int 12 week perids Make sure yu have a clear visin that drives what yu are ding Understand that yu have make yur plan, scre yur plan, and adjust as things change Realize that the nly thing stpping yu frm implementing this system is yur willingness t embrace persnal accuntability I ve read a tn f bks and been t numerus trainings n getting things dne. I can t say that I learned a lt f new cncepts frm this bk. HOWEVER, it is prbably the clearest, mst cncise, easiest t understand framewrk that I have seen. If yu are interested in getting mre accmplished, embracing their framewrk / stepping up t the challenge they have put frward t break the year int 4 x 12 week blcks is ging t bring yu a step change in prductivity and results. If yu are nt, yu can cntinue n with the apprach yu have used in the past. But fair warning, using the same apprach is in all likelihd ging t deliver the same results. Persnally I ve started t put SOME f the principles f the bk int place and plan t put mre int place ver this next 12 weeks. I can hnestly say that this bk has already had an impact n the way I d things. Belw I have elabrated n the principles in the text in mre detail. I d encurage yu t review these principles; and, if they resnate with yu, pick up the bk. Als, my friend Jaime Jay was nice enugh t put tgether an Excel spreadsheet that yu can use t build yur persnal 12 week plan. Yu can get a link t this tl here. Key Ideas Frm The 12 Week Year Often the things we think we knw are wrng! Only thrugh challenging ur thught patterns can we make majr changes Redefining the year as 12 weeks versus 12 mnths has the pprtunity t massively increase what we get dne We see this same cncept via peridizatin that is used by athletes

2 We are wired t prcrastinate/get things dne at the last minute. 4 x 12 week years gives us 4 times a year t get the year end push! It s all abut what yu believe / everything starts in yur mind. While they did nt include Stephen Cvey s qute f All things are created twice. First mentally and secnd physically, this is exactly the pint they are making CORNERSTONE IDEA Break yur planning cycle int a 12 week perid CORNERSTONE IDEA Plan every week CORNERSTONE IDEA Measure yur perfrmance EVERY week. Thse readers familiar with annual reviews will quickly recgnize what happens when yu have t reprt ut n yur results CORNERSTONE IDEA Yu need t be ruthless in blcking yur time. Intentinality f time management is critical BIGGEST REALIZATION IN THE ENTIRE BOOK Accuntability is NOT abut having smene else hld us accuntable. It s abut recgnizing that accuntability speaks t yur character and that yu need t be accuntable t yurself t get things dne! There is a big difference between interest and cmmitment. Cmmitment invlves A Strng desire Keystne actins Cunting the csts assciated with these actins Act n yur cmmitments versus hw yu feel (i.e. ften times we dn t feel like ding what we knw we shuld!) CORNERSTONE IDEA Yu cannt cntrl the past. Yu cannt cntrl the future. Yu can nly cntrl what yu d at this mment. Live in the mment CORNERSTONE IDEA T be successful yu have t embrace NOT getting certain things dne. Chse where yu fcus fr the next 12 weeks and accept smethings will nt get dne. They describe this as intentinal imbalance Executin f their system is based n 3 principles and 5 disciplines Principles Accuntability Cmmitment Greatness in the Mment Disciplines Visin Planning Prcess Cntrl Measurement Time Use As yu make this transitin. It will be uncmfrtable as it invlves change. The change cycle / prgressin thrugh the cycle is:

3 Uninfrmed Optimism This is where yu believe it will be easy Infrmed Pessimism This is where yu recgnize it is NOT easy Valley f Despair This is where yu becme cnvinced yu CANNOT d it Infrmed Optimism This is where yu start t see the benefits f change Success and Fulfillment This is where yu have changed and see the results CORNERTSTONE IDEA Yu MUST have a visin t make this system wrk. Withut a visin, yu will have n emtinal cnnectin t yur tasks and yu will in all likelihd fail. In creating a visin yu need t think f: Impssible Ideas that are s grand they seem unachievable Pssible A half step back frm the impssible / breaking it dwn int things that seem dable. Prbable Taking it the next step t where it seems likely Given Taking it the next step t where it is a given This cycle is nging and must be repeated. Yur visin needs t be aspiratinal Pitfalls assciated with visins: Yu dn t take the pwer f the visin seriusly The visin isn t meaningful t yu Yur visin is t small Yu dn t cnnect yur visin t yur daily actins Success tips n creating a visin: Share it with thers Stay in tuch with yur visin Live with intentin Framewrk fr building a 12 week plan (very simple BUT very pwerful!): Establish yur gals Break yur gals int tactics t be applied weekly FOCUS ON THE TACTICS Having a slid plan fsters executin Success criteria fr gals / this is a variant f the traditinal SMART gal cncepts Gals must be specific and measurable Yu must state them psitively Yu must ensure they are a realistic stretch Yu must assign accuntability They must be time-bund Pitfalls assciated with executing yur 12 week plan: Yur 12 week plan des nt align with yur lng-term visin Yu aren t staying fcused

4 Yu dn t make the tugh chices Yu dn t keep it simple Yu dn t make it meaningful CORNERSTONE PRINCIPLE What gets measured gets dne. Therefre yu must put a cntrl prcess in place t succeed Prcess needs t make sure things get dne each week The suggested weekly rutine is simple: Scre yur week Plan yur week Participate in a Weekly Accuntability Meeting (WAM) Scring des nt need t be cmplicated. Keep it simple. Cunt the number f tasks yu cmplete and sht fr 85%. Authrs suggest that if yu hit 85% f yur tasks yu will have a high prbability f success Pitfalls assciate with scring: Yu think that measurement is cmplicated and unimprtant Yu dn t schedule a blck f time each week t assess yur prgress Yu abandn the system when yu dn t scre well Success tips assciated with scring: Review yur weekly scre with a buddy r a small grup f peers each week Cmmit t make prgress each week Remember that a weekly scre f less than 85 isn t necessarily bad Dn t be afraid t cnfrnt what the numbers are telling yu CORNERSTONE PRINCIPLE Yu need t take back cntrl f yur day. A large part f the challenge individuals face is that they d nt manage their time: Yu need t blck the day ut int: Strategic blcks These are three hur blcks where yu wrk ON yur business versus IN yur business. Nrmally a single three hur blck will be adequate each week Buffer blcks These are 30 t 60 minute blcks f time where yu deal with the varius administrative tasks that yu need t d n a daily basis. Nrmally yu need ne r tw f these each day Breakut blcks These are three hur blcks where yu are free t enjy yurself and embrace yur creativity. Yu MUST have at least ne f these every week t avid burnut Other blcks Time slts where yu include the ther things that must be dne. These ften center arund the traditinal view f wrk It is the cncept f strategic, buffer, and breakut blcks that are critical / that yu must embrace / that invlve a new way f thinking

5 Cmmn pitfalls assciated with time management: Yu cnduct business as usual Yu dn t fcus n ne thing at a time in yur strategic blck Yu allw distractins t steal yur attentin Yu think being busy is the same as being prductive Success tips assciated with time management: Wrk frm a written weekly plan Input yur mdel week int yur calendar CORNERSTONE CONCEPT Ultimately it is all abut accuntability. Yu alne are respnsible fr ding the right things every day. Yu need t take wnership: Reslve never t be the victim again Stp feeling srry fr yurself Be willing t take different actins Cmmn pitfalls assciated with accuntability: Yu cntinue t view accuntability as cnsequences Yu lk utside yurself Success tips assciated with accuntability: Acknwledge reality Fcus n what yu can cntrl CORNERSTONE CONCEPT Ultimately it cmes dwn t cmmitment. Cmmitment can be defined as The state f being bund emtinally r intellectually t sme curse f actin : There are tw key categries f cmmitments: persnal cmmitments and cmmitments t thers Yu need t recgnize that with cmmitments there is ften a cnscius stated intentin versus an uncnscius hidden intentin. BE REAL WITH YOURSELF AND THINK ABOUT THIS! Prcess t determine what yu LIKELY will be able t cmmit t: Determine a gal that wuld represent a real breakthrugh Identify the keystne actin required t reach this gal Determine the cst yu will have t pay Determine which keystne actins yu are willing t pay the price fr Cmmn pitfalls assciated with cmmitment: Yu miss a cmmitment nce and give up Yu fail t cnfrnt missed cmmitments Yu dn t value yur wrd Success tips assciated with cmmitment: Dn t vercmmit G public with yur cmmitments

6 Buddy up The first 12 weeds / getting started is ften the hardest thing t d. This is because: We want immediate gratificatin We try and d t much We fall back int ld habits We get int victim thinking Hpefully yu will be able t put several f these ideas int practice. Als, a reminder, my friend Jaime Jay was nice enugh t put tgether an Excel spreadsheet that yu can use t build yur persnal 12 week plan. Yu can get a link t this tl here.