Execution Strategy – Documentation
This month at Ruly we are looking at the vexing problem of how to get from a goal in theory to a goal in action. This is one of the most difficult challenges anyone faces in life and, unfortunately, there is no sure-fire, 100% guaranteed method. But fortunately, there are a lot of different ways to approach the problem and more than likely at least one of them will be helpful to you.
Today’s execution strategy is to document your progress. Now many of you may groan at the thought of not only having to achieve your difficult goal but also committing to the dreaded task of writing it all down. Whether you call it documentation, charting, accounting or journaling, recording your progress is a great way to:
1) refocus on the priority you are trying to achieve
2) streamline to a small, achievable goal
3) measure the effectiveness of different action plans.
How do you do this? Documenting your progress does not have to be complicated or require a lot of effort. It generally works best to do a quick daily check-in. I do mine at night before I head off to bed. I quickly write down notes about myself or my children. Anything that is really important to you should be tracked.
If you are just getting started with documentation, here are some ideas to think about:
Downsize. First, think of your original goal and where you are now in your achievement process. Are you closer to your goal, in the same place as before or even further away? If you have not made progress, perhaps your original goal is too vague, too broad or too ambitious. Could you try downsizing the goal to something easier? Don’t worry about the goal being “too easy.” For now, you want to concentrate on achievement. Once you demonstrate achievement, you can always increase the goal.
All or Nothing. Next, write the goal in such a way so that there is a daily progress requirement and an easy yes/no, black and white answer as to whether you made the progress you needed to make. For example: put away 20 things every day OR exercise 30 minutes every day OR floss my teeth at bedtime OR file 20 e-mails. Make sure that your goal has a simple “yes” or “no” or a one-number quantifiable answer. If you can’t answer your progress checkpoint in this way then the goal is still too vague or complex. Make it even simpler.
Measure. Implement a system to track your progress. At the end of each day, report to yourself. I find that it is easier to track a difficult goal on a separate calendar, checklist, journal, e-mail folder or other system. That way you are focusing on that one issue just by itself. If your goal has separate components, each of which you need to be doing, track each component separately. For example, you could have one checklist for “floss teeth,” one for “file 20 emails” and one for “exercise 30 minutes.”
What would you add to this documentation strategy? What goal-tracking systems have worked for you? Please share in the comments.