January, the sweet smell of... Isopropanol?

Ahhhh the sweet smell of January… crisp winter mornings, a crowded & sweaty gym, and fresh pots of coffee kicking brains back into post-holiday reality.

My favorite scent this time of year? EXPO marker.

For the past few years I’ve made it a point to surround myself with whiteboards. Currently, in my apartment, I have four of them, all different sizes and purposes.

Some of you may think this is overkill, but you’re also listening to someone who has six pillows on his bed, and is currently actively reading five different books. We all have our own quirks.

This article is about my favorite, the 36’’ x 24’’ in my room: THE GOAL BOARD.

January is that time for me to clear off a year's worth of goals, quotes and thoughts, and reflect so I can effectively “uncap” a new year. The process itself is fun and exciting for me.

 What the GOAL BOARD is not:

• New Year’s Resolutions
• A list of hopes and dreams
• Static

 What the GOAL BOARD is:

• Small and large goals broken down into categories which are individually supported by habits & microresolutions, quantified metrics, and an overall “theme”
• A list of inspirational quotes that I cherish and rotate throughout the year
• Dynamic

Change Habits, Not Resolutions

I totally get the “New Year’s Resolution,” kick. Really. It makes sense. I do like the concept of using time (i.e. new calendar year) to kick-start a new way of thinking and acting. Whatever excuse us humans need to finally stop procrastinating.

What seems to get lost upon these big ideas to change ourselves is a detailed approach to our behavior, that changes our habits associated with these resolutions. Caroline Arnold calls these “microresolutions” in Small Move, Big Change.

A microresolution is a compact and powerful commitment designed to nail a precise behavioral target exactly and deliver benefits immediately.

Caroline puts it so eloquently:

“Google ‘New Year's Resolutions’ and you’ll turn up dozens of links devoted to popular and worthwhile personal goals. These iconic resolutions are very much like wishes in disguise: I will be fit, I will be organized, I will be assertive …  I wish I were buff, I wish I were on top of my game, I wish I weren’t such a doormat . These resolutions focus on being, not doing.”

Transformation is a process, not an event, and the focus on changing your habits with actionable shifts in your behavior has proven to be effective. This can spark change by freeing us from decision making and self-control. A habit requires no decision, because the decision has been made beforehand.

“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”

This is one of Gretchen Rubin’s “Secret’s of Adulthood,” although it is only a secret when we are blind to our own habits.

So how am I transforming my habits and behavior with microresolutions to achieve my goals for 2017?

 Start with Reflection

By referencing my 2016 GOAL BOARD, a journal (I use 5 min journal), social media, and a detailed calendar of 2016, I was easily able to access what I did in the past year.

Taking an inventory of all this information on a day-by-day basis helped me identify patterns of positive things in my life, areas to improve, and negative things to cut out.

One way I enjoyed reflecting on 2016 was by using a tip by Tim Ferriss. He recommends using the 80/20 rule in his most recent podcast “What I’ve Learned,” on the Tim Ferriss Show (disclaimer: I’m a Tim Ferriss junkie and believe everyone should be).

Find the 20% of activities, experiences and people that produce 80% of positive emotions and outcomes as well as 20% of activities, experiences and people who produced 80% of the stress or negativity.

These can be broad or specific, they are the baseline... a couple of my positives: “basketball, coast trip, coffee meetings with Andrew.”

After I created a + list and - list, I began to ask myself of each item, do I want to attach a goal to this activity/person/experience? If so, I placed an asterisk on it so I could start to formulate my goals for 2017.

 

Forming the Goals: Establishing Habits with Metrics

 

I split up my goals into five different categories:

 

1. Health
2. Wealth
3. Wisdom/Development
4. Professional/Networking
5. Giving Back

 

As an example, I’ll refer to my greatest personal achievement of 2016, which fits into the health category.

 

Goal:

Test body fat % beginning, middle and end of the year. Lose 10% over the span of Jan-Dec of 2016.

Habits/Microresolutions:

1. Join a boxing gym and train minimum 3 days per week
2. Lift weights minimum 3 days per week
3. Play basketball minimum once per week
4. Change Diet (Slow Carb) minimum 4 days a week on

• Quit drinking soda and juice completely
• Create a breakfast shake that is tasty, filling, consistent, and prevents me from having to decide what to eat in the morning
• Bring carrots and snap peas to work to snack on all day to prevent me from making decisions about snacks during the day

 

Result:

January: ~25% body fat

July: 19% body fat

December: 11.3% body fat

 

This process was extremely difficult. However, when I realized that this wasn’t just a “resolution,” that it was a lifestyle change, I had to instill a new behavior pattern. This pattern was governed by habits and the microresolutions I put in place. Each of these needed quantifiable metrics and the commitment to these changes allowed me to automate my decision making.

For me, one day of skipping the breakfast sandwich for the shake didn't do much … but the span of months of automating that decision did wonders.

Small Goals Matter

Not all goals need to be as grand as losing 10% body fat, which was no trivial task. As of now my 2017 GOAL BOARD has 45 goals that have habits, microresolutions, and metrics associated with them.

This may seem like a lot. Even for a guy with 4 cases of La Croix in his fridge at a time (Blackberry Cucumber & Cherry Lime are my go-to’s). It is… but let’s get one thing straight - small goals matter!

Some of my goals can be achieved with only 30 seconds of attention at a time. What’s amazing is that these goals when supported by the same foundation (habits, microresolutions and metrics) will take less effort and time than bigger goals but often provide a similar feeling of satisfaction when achieved.

In each of my categories, here are examples of what I consider a small (but important) goals of mine for 2017 (MR=Microresolution):

Health

Goal: Improve flexibility, mobility, and recovery

Habit/MR: Stretch for 5 minutes after each workout

Wealth

Goal: Improve my financial knowledge

Habit/MR: Read one financial article per week (Recommendation: Orca Financial Blog)

Wisdom/Development

Goal: Keep room more tidy

Habit/MR: Make bed every morning upon waking up

Professional/Networking

Goal: Increase linkedin participation

Habit/MR: One comment and share per week, one article per quarter

Giving Back

Goal: Volunteer more for Pixie Project

Habit/MR: Walk one dog per week

(**Bonus Goal: Pet one dog per day… this is surprisingly easy living in an apartment building in Portland, OR**)

 

Accountability

 

There are many reasons goals slip through the cracks.

 

Below are a few things I do to stay accountable to my commitments:

1. Writing it down for me to see every day (GOAL BOARD is across from my bed when I wake up)
2. Writing it down publicly (So… that’s what this article is for…)
3. Telling family/friends (I encourage people I see frequently to ask me about my goals)
4. Put it in my calendar (If it’s not in the calendar, it doesn't exist)

 

Theme and Quotes

 

Each year I subscribe to one theme that I find as a pattern within my goals. In 2017, that theme for me will be “Value Creation.”

I’ve written this big and bold on my board smack dab in the center.

 

I’d like it to be a reminder to constantly ask myself - am I providing value in this situation or how can I provide value in this situation? (most importantly, make sure I'm focused on bringing value without any expectation)

 

This leads me to my quote section. I’ve dedicated a space in the lower center of the GOAL BOARD for some inspiration.

 

I have many quotes on there (I get them from blogs, books, 5 min journal, newsletters etc). The quote most tied to my theme is by Austin Kleon,

“Stop asking what others can do for us, start asking what we can do for others.”

 

Final Product

My challenge to you is to do something that works for you when you set your goals.

Consider popping open an EXPO (or even a permanent writing utensil) and evaluate your goal setting process to focus on habit change and microresolutions as the building blocks to the lifestyle changes you deserve.

Sharing these techniques and stories of success can truly create value. I’d love to hear how other people challenge the status quo of “resolutions” and find success in goal-setting, habit change, and microresolutions.

Thank you for reading.

Please like, share, or comment with your feedback.

View my other articles here:

The Cultural Complaining Conundrum

How I automated my short-term memory to become more productive