Do you keep pushing but never seem to get ahead? Or even caught up? This is so many of us! Wouldn’t it be nice if all our hard work came with a feeling of progress or accomplishment?
What if I told you there is a better way. The path is through our habits. And there is a hack. Do you have an idea of something you’d like to accomplish? Maybe you have a fitness goal or a business goal. What are your regular habits around this goal? What are the results you are getting right now? Knowing what we should be doing, and consistently DOING what we should be doing are 2 different things.
So, is there a way to take control of your habits? Yes! It's not with your to-do list. It's with your ROUTINEs list.
I know what you’re thinking. Great... Another list. But this is where we start to focus more on what’s important rather than what’s urgent. This one we can get lost in and look up in a few weeks, and instead of frustration we see REAL progress. So if you want a different result, you need to be willing to try a different approach, right?
Where to start.
Let’s use business as our example. Think of your goals... Maybe you want to generate 5 more Gs a month. What are your actions that you ‘routinely’ do now to bring you closer to that goal? If all you have is a never-ending to-do list, is there anything on there that’s moving you closer to that goal? Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. But the key isn’t to only take an important action here and there. The real trick is to take important action systematically and routinely.
So imagine a future where you blew past that goal, you’re ‘in the zone’, serving new & existing happy clients, and consistently bringing in revenue beyond your goal. Thinking ‘back’, what were the big actions that got you to this point? Maybe it includes things like networking, actually getting your product or service to market or launched, heavily marketing your offering. Yes, there are lots of other ‘to-dos’, but you need to think proactively to make the big moves for a big impact.
Whatever your strategy is, build it into your routines list. There are actions that ideally you would do daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. I would put the monthly, quarterly, and yearly tasks in my calendar and forget them until I get the reminder. When considering daily or weekly routines, think of only the essential few, not the trivial many. Consider the BIG needle movers, because you will still have to fit in the reactive to-do needs, that’s life.
Our habits are who we become. Here are some examples that include more than business and strive for balance and harmony. Keep daily routines short & simple. Here’s an example:
Daily: Miracle morning (includes gratitude & movement, etc.), core moves, declutter, pick off next actions list.
Then, make a list of tasks you would ideally do weekly. You will likely have to stretch really hard to eliminate tasks to get to the core of what needs to be done for a big impact. Consider which days you have a better opportunity to be productive, and roughly lay out a focus for each day. This can look so different for each of us, and it evolves over time. So I will share a glimpse of a current routines list where I consider a few different goals for overall life and harmony. Tuesday & Thursday are my main GROWTH days & production days.
Monday - Review prior weeks performance (Key performance indicators, KPIs or measurables), Systemize, Next Actions plan, Workout
Tuesday - Scale & 10X*, customer follow-ups
(*marketing strategy - engage, referral, attraction marketing, joint venture opps, breadcrumb, recruit, book appointments - each marketing day looks different, but this list serves to get me to consider where I think I could make the biggest impact for that day; and 10X for thinking BIG!)
Wednesday - Go live, Friend request & DM, Workout
Thursday - Work on Course (Production- Getting it ready for launch), Do a Giveaway, Breadcrumbs on Social
Friday - Action Items List, Workout
Saturday - Catch-Up, My Personal Learning/Training
Sunday - Family, Inspiration, Gratitude, Rest, Prep
It’s not about following this perfectly or adding stress. This is systemized in a way so if you don’t get to a task, it doesn’t get lost. It always comes back around the following week. When a new action comes up, if it’s a one-time thing, I add it to my next actions list, aka to-do list. If it’s something that needs repeating, I think about whether it belongs on my weekly or monthly routines, etc. But, I always try to keep it close to only 2 areas of focus in a day (marketing/workout) or I will feel burnt rather than progress.
Monthly - In my calendar, it literally says “10X, KPI, expense, forecast, decisions, 30, 60, 90-day goals/actions, rich & deserving”. I don’t follow this to a T, but it serves to make me think about what's important, so I can think proactively.
Quarterly - The only thing currently on my calendar quarterly is net worth.
If you are thinking it’s a lot of financial stuff, no one goes in business to not make a profit. And if they do, they don’t stay in business long. The more successful the entrepreneur, the more people they can serve. And unless you have hired a Chief Financial Officer, it is you, my friend.
Hopefully, these examples empower you to consider your routines and where they are leading you.
Need help with a business plan, strategy, or setting goals? Message us to learn how we can get you on your merry way to success!
Helping you, help them :)
The Evoke Creative Team
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