When it comes to goal-setting the highest indicator of success is your execution rate. It has been said that a goal without a plan is a dream; and so it’s no wonder we’re told to write down our visions and make them plain.

To make something plain is to organize, to simplify, to set up a framework in order to guarantee our success. 

Without a plan, everything we want to achieve remains in our minds which is not dependable for charting out how we want to spend our time and what we want to do in that time that is strategic and not just busy-work. 

As an avid planner, I salivate at the idea of mapping out my day, week, quarters and year (suppose it makes sense that I became a coach in the end). But I recognize that this is something people really struggle with. 

One of the best resources that I could recommend to anyone starting your journey on planning and executing is the book the 12 week year. It encourages dividing up the year into quarters and setting miniature goals for those quarters while monitoring your progress and execution rate. 

The framework has a better chance of success when it comes to goal completion because it works against the habit of procrastinating when we set a new year resolution hoping that somewhere in the 12 months our spurt of motivation will intensify enough to complete all 20 goals we had in mind. 

The reality is, on average most companies and people only complete about 30% of their annual goals by November. In November- December productivity increases by 50% more than the previous 10 months! Wild.

 So to avoid the rat race of resolutions what can we do to be more effective in our execution?

“Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” – Les Brown

1. Break your goals down into smaller, more achievable chunks

We often overextend ourselves when we goal-set imagining that we’re going to have started a full fledged business, lost 50lbs, wrote a book and travelled to 3 more countries by the end of the year. 

How can these be broken down into bite sizes that reduce the risk of your brain becoming overwhelmed into procrastination? A chapter a week, 5lbs per month, 1 vacation per year. Make things feasible and you can always add on.

2. Break your year down into smaller sizes

The 12 week year is one framework that works but the year could also be broken down into quarters, thirds, or even a month to month basis. This allows you to actively measure your progress without too much time going by, and also allows you to pivot if you find that something’s not working.

3. Determine your WHY

I introduced the concept of your WHY in an earlier newsletter, and this is something I come back to often as a coach. Before you begin anything, having your WHY in mind is critical to ensure that when your motivation dies, you have something to kickstart that engine again – and that kickstart is based on emotion. How you feel about your goals is connected to your Why.

4. Set up an accountability structure

There’s an African proverb that says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” There is so much value in community and support in getting you closer to your goals.  Did you know that research shows the probability of your success rises by 95% when you have an accountability appointment with a person? 

What a wow! You can connect with a friend, set up a group or hire a life coach that you meet with consistently.

If you sense that you’re not progressing in your goals, I’ll leave you with one last nugget I ask my clients during sessions. 

When you have that goal in mind and have broken it down into an action item for your week, ask yourself “On a scale of 1-10 how committed am I to getting this done?” and here’s the tough part – be honest with yourself. 

If you get anything less than an 8 ask yourself what could bring your commitment up to a 10? Is it extending the deadline, breaking the goal up further, changing the goal entirely (after recognizing your WHY is not as internally motivating)? Work that until it gets to a sexy 8/10 and go from there.

We are halfway through the year my friends and if your 2024 is not bearing the fruit that you’d hoped it would in January, I encourage you to try out any of the things I mentioned or even read the 12 week year. 

Even as a planner myself, it improved not just how I spend my time but what I spend it on. Remember that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail; wishing you ultimate success in the next 6 months.