At the start of the year I took a new approach to planning that has changed my life.
I was sitting in the Japan Airlines Business Class lounge at the Tokyo/Narita airport waiting for my flight home.
At the start of the year I took a new approach to planning that has changed my life.
Looking out over the tarmac, watching planes coming and going, shooting back a few rice cracker snacks and sipping an ice cold Asahi beer…I thought it was a good time to reflect on the previous year and what I wanted to accomplish during the next 12 months.
I grabbed my bag and pulled out a new planning sheet that a friend of mine had sent me a couple of days earlier.
Getting Focused
Each year, like so many, I set out to plan my resolutions and what I want to accomplish for the coming year. This year however, I did two things that I hadn’t done before…and the results surprised me.
I used that new planning sheet and made sure to look at what I had written every day.
So there I was, sitting in the lounge filling in the sheet.
I wrote about my biggest successes, both in business and personally for the previous year. My biggest disappointments and what I wanted to accomplish going forward.
The Secret Step
When I got back home I put this sheet beside the whiteboard in my office. This might not sound like a big deal, but having it in plain sight is crucial.
I look at it every day. I review it. It gives me a lot to think about. It keeps me in check. Each time I see it, I ask myself, “Am I doing what I need to do to reach my goals?”
Four months after filling in the planning sheet and I have already achieved 2 of the 6 major goals I had for the year. And I’m almost finished a third.
These are big accomplishments. I don’t know if I’ve ever come out of the gate so focused and have managed to complete so much in such a short period of time.
It’s Never Too Late
If you haven’t taken the time to write out what your goals are, do so now. You don’t need to wait for next year. It’s never too late.
If you’ve written them down, but they are hidden away in some drawer or on a bookshelf, get them out and put them up where you can see them each and every day.
This visioning thing is so powerful. It is unfortunate people that want to become successful consultants often laugh off the idea of visioning. Or they say “I have a plan, it’s all in my head.” That won’t cut it…
You need to write all of this down and put it up somewhere you can see it every day.
Give it a try, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Want a copy of the planning sheet?
If you want a copy of the planning sheet I used let me know in the comments below and I’ll send it to you.
*Update: I’ve received so many emails from people wanting this planning sheet that I’ve decided to make it available here to everyone.
Vision Planning Sheet