Last week I proposed an idea for the coming year. More precisely, I proposed a challenge by asking, "What if each of us each set one new goal for 2013 ?"
In determining the one-thing, I suggested we would do well to, "Make it simple, doable, delightful, compelling. Focused. A Concentrated effort. Write it down. And then do it. This is a practical way that each of us can advance the ball in our lives or careers. Not on lots of things. Just one thing."
It was great to receive feedback from a number of you as you shared your "one thing" and we compared notes on topics and strategy. In reflecting with friends on this idea, some of you suggested that focusing on only one thing for an entire year can be difficult.
Yes indeed. It may seem difficult to actually accomplish one thing and do it super-well over the course of a year without running out of steam. That is because the science of goal-setting indicates that any goal with a deadline greater than 90-days produces diminishing results in direct proportion to additional time past a 90-day optimum goal-line.
Therefore, an effective strategy to remain motivated and on-track is to divide the "one thing" goal into four way-points, each of which advances the ball toward the desired end result.
In very simple terms, therein lies the difference between a goal and a plan. The goal is the 2013 "one thing;" whereas the plan begins with establishing a set of 4 quarterly way-points that traverse the gap between the starting point and the targeted one-year objective.
So let's take heart - and each consider selecting one thing, dividing it into 4 logical parts, and set corresponding objectives for each quarter of 2013. There is power in setting a specific, concentrated goal - and in devising a plan to achieve it.