How is your year progressing?
It’s now the end of January. Has that initial spurt of motivation, dedication and enthusiasm slowly been dissipating or are you as fired up for this coming month as you were for January? Did you make any New Year resolutions and if so are you still remaining faithful to them or are they sliding by the wayside as the pressures of time and effort take their toll?
Did you plan out your year in detail and are you on schedule?
Odds are that your efforts will shortly start to wane. The goal lines that you set for this year are still a long way off. Heck you’ve got another 11 months before you become accountable for the achievements that you set for yourself this year right?
You can afford to slacken off a bit, put things off till next week or next month. With 11 whole months ahead of you there is plenty of time to catch up and make up. Am I right?
Well yes and no. Yes, you still have a nice long timeframe left in which to attain the goals you have set for yourself this year. The problem is that that timeframe is exactly why many of us do not achieve what we set out to do. It gives us false hope and security that we have plenty of time to realise those goals when in actual fact we will be productive for a very short period over these 12 months and January is generally one of your most productive.
See the chart below as an indicator of typical dispersion of effort.
See how it tends to be all downhill from here on until we finally get to the gradual realisation by the back end of the year that the year is almost over so we start to panic and put in a spurt of effort to try and make up for what we failed to achieve up until that point?
This is human nature for you. Work tends to expand into the timeframe it is allotted. A concept known as Parkinson's law. This lack of urgency creates sloth, de-motivates and distracts us. It’s the very reason why most of us fail to achieve the greatness we know is within.
So what can we do about it? Just by recognising the danger we can fix the problem.
This is going to sound nuts to many but the simple truth of the matter is:
We simply have too much time in which to achieve our goals.
And this is why we fail to achieve them.
Now imagine if the earth did not take 365 (and a quarter) days to orbit the sun but merely 90, or even 60 days. Imagine if all that you wanted to achieve in 2016 had to be accomplished by April 30th or even March 31st.
Now that would galvanise the mind wouldn’t it?
When you seen how much you needed to do in this shortened timeframe then all of a sudden there would be a state of urgency that would propel you into action. In fact the actions you would need to take over that relatively short period of time would pretty much keep you focused throughout this shortened year wouldn’t it? Keeping you on track and moving forward.
So why don’t we do it? Why don’t we rip up our current rule book and plan to achieve this year’s goals in the next 60 or 90 days? Can’t be done? Says who? How do we know until we try? The truth of the matter is we will probably achieve far more if we attempt to complete it in 60/90 days than if we continue with our current course of action with 31st of December as our deadline.
Like it or not all of our barriers are self imposed. We can achieve far more in far less time than we realise. Don’t let the earth’s orbit dictate how long it takes you to improve your life.
Further reading:
http://amzn.to/1nuq2eA - The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less Richard Koch
http://amzn.to/1Q0IFxE - The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months Brian P. Moran,Michael Lennington
It’s now the end of January. Has that initial spurt of motivation, dedication and enthusiasm slowly been dissipating or are you as fired up for this coming month as you were for January? Did you make any New Year resolutions and if so are you still remaining faithful to them or are they sliding by the wayside as the pressures of time and effort take their toll?
Did you plan out your year in detail and are you on schedule?
Odds are that your efforts will shortly start to wane. The goal lines that you set for this year are still a long way off. Heck you’ve got another 11 months before you become accountable for the achievements that you set for yourself this year right?
You can afford to slacken off a bit, put things off till next week or next month. With 11 whole months ahead of you there is plenty of time to catch up and make up. Am I right?
Well yes and no. Yes, you still have a nice long timeframe left in which to attain the goals you have set for yourself this year. The problem is that that timeframe is exactly why many of us do not achieve what we set out to do. It gives us false hope and security that we have plenty of time to realise those goals when in actual fact we will be productive for a very short period over these 12 months and January is generally one of your most productive.
See the chart below as an indicator of typical dispersion of effort.
See how it tends to be all downhill from here on until we finally get to the gradual realisation by the back end of the year that the year is almost over so we start to panic and put in a spurt of effort to try and make up for what we failed to achieve up until that point?
This is human nature for you. Work tends to expand into the timeframe it is allotted. A concept known as Parkinson's law. This lack of urgency creates sloth, de-motivates and distracts us. It’s the very reason why most of us fail to achieve the greatness we know is within.
So what can we do about it? Just by recognising the danger we can fix the problem.
This is going to sound nuts to many but the simple truth of the matter is:
We simply have too much time in which to achieve our goals.
And this is why we fail to achieve them.
Now imagine if the earth did not take 365 (and a quarter) days to orbit the sun but merely 90, or even 60 days. Imagine if all that you wanted to achieve in 2016 had to be accomplished by April 30th or even March 31st.
Now that would galvanise the mind wouldn’t it?
When you seen how much you needed to do in this shortened timeframe then all of a sudden there would be a state of urgency that would propel you into action. In fact the actions you would need to take over that relatively short period of time would pretty much keep you focused throughout this shortened year wouldn’t it? Keeping you on track and moving forward.
So why don’t we do it? Why don’t we rip up our current rule book and plan to achieve this year’s goals in the next 60 or 90 days? Can’t be done? Says who? How do we know until we try? The truth of the matter is we will probably achieve far more if we attempt to complete it in 60/90 days than if we continue with our current course of action with 31st of December as our deadline.
Like it or not all of our barriers are self imposed. We can achieve far more in far less time than we realise. Don’t let the earth’s orbit dictate how long it takes you to improve your life.
Further reading:
http://amzn.to/1nuq2eA - The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less Richard Koch
http://amzn.to/1Q0IFxE - The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months Brian P. Moran,Michael Lennington
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
mum
