Newsletter issue #2: Productive Goal-Setting

Person 1: Sets 50 goals in January and is overwhelmed and stressed right now.

Person 2: Accomplishes daily goals and lives a vibrant and fulfilling life.

Let me help you be like person 2…

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Big Idea #1: Setting and completing daily goals is what gets you into an upward spiral.

Delayed gratification is a nice-to-have but not a requirement to be successful.

The goal of productive goal-setting is to create momentum.

How?

By nailing those goals.

Guidelines:

1. Break big goals down into weekly/daily actions to notice instant wins.

2. If daily targets slip, dial them down (1-2 max). Focus on rebuilding self-trust.

3. Small wins should not be ignored.

Small wins = momentum.

Momentum = motivation.

Motivation = consistent execution.

Consistent execution = long-term success.

That’s the secret behind productive goal-setting.

Don’t leave your accomplishments to luck and randomness.

Make sure you set yourself up for success by setting and completing daily goals.

Big Idea #2: End goals vs Means goals.

You’ve heard it before that attaching yourself to an outcome is self-sabotaging behaviour.

I disagree.

You should be crystal clear about the outcome you desire.

How greatly it will improve your life and the lives of everyone around you.

There is a caveat…

An end goal is your future vision about a certain area of life.

For example, my ultimate dream is to help my parents retire.

Is it an end goal or a means goal?

I might ask myself why I want it.

Why?

Why?

Why?

And I finally arrive at the realization that what I truly desire is for them to live a vibrant and happy life.

Will retiring them accomplish that end goal?

It may.

But it is not the only way.

An end goal answers “WHY”.

A means goal answers “HOW”.

The end goal is your non-negotiable target.

Means goals, however, can change.

And the best way to approach your means goals is to focus on the systems you put in place to succeed.

Let me explain…

Big Idea #3: Focus on systems > goals.

Let’s draw a comparison between the two…

🟥Setting goals…
✅Setting systems…

🟥Getting clear on what you want.
✅Getting clear on the price you’ll have to pay to get there.

🟥Success is out of your control.
✅Success is in your control.

🟥Chasing after a goal can cause frustration, and lower our confidence and motivation because the goal is often at a far-off spot that seems unreachable.
✅Having a system that we execute daily/weekly makes us feel like we are winning every single time we successfully execute the system!

🟥It can make us feel like we are losing.
✅It is instantly gratifying and motivating to keep going.

🟥Goal: to write a bestselling book.
✅System: Dedicate 2 hours every morning to writing

🟥Goal: to gain 20 lbs of muscle.
✅System: Strength training 3 times every week.

🟥Wishing for success.
✅Deciding you will succeed.

Tiny Habit: 90-day rule.

When it comes to systems, how do you know whether it is creating progress in your life or it’s time to change the strategy?

My mentor Brendon Burchard taught me this 90-day rule which makes it all simple.

For example, your goal is to write a bestselling book. And the system that you chose is to write for 1 hour every morning at home on your laptop.

Now all you need to do is to commit to your system and show up and execute for 90 days.

Do not question whether you are making progress.

Do not negotiate with yourself.

Show up every time.

And only when it is day #90, then you will reflect back on the progress made and modify the system if need be, otherwise, carry on for the next 90 days.

Why 90 days?

It is not very long.

So you have no excuse to not give it a try if you have a big goal or a dream.

However, it is long enough for you to overcome excuses and limiting beliefs that arise every time you start something new and notice progress.

The Productivist Questions

This one is for you.

Especially whenever you feel you are losing touch with what’s important in life and why you set these goals in the first place.

What does my ideal day look like one year from now?

Don’t skip it.

Write it in detail.

• What time do you go to bed and wake up?

• What do you do in the morning?

• Whom do you see during that day?

• How do you serve?

• How do you recharge?

• How do you feel at the end of such a day?

Now having a clearer idea of your ideal lifestyle, how can you bridge the gap between now and then?

You got this.

Until next week,

Valeriya

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