Vision, Planning, and Follow Through
“Get more done in 12 weeks, than others do in 12 months.”
The 12 Week Year concept, developed by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington, changes planning and goal setting from a calendar year to just 12 weeks. They argue that we often forget our goals within the first few months of creating them. The goals shift to the back burner as more immediate items gain our attention and increase in priority. The 12 Week Year encourages the reader to only pick a few goals to intently focus on for a 12-week commitment. Each week of the 12 has a specific plan and each day has a detailed focus. In summary: vision + planning + commitment = focus, and focus leads to achieving your wildest dreams.
A Spotlight on Vision
The key to the entire process is having a clear vision. We’re talking about a long and short-term vision looking 3 to 15 years into the future. The long-term vision will inform a 12-week goal and ultimately inform personal and business decisions in the future.
“Without vision the people parish” - Proverbs 29:18
Moran and Lennington provide a prompt, "write down all of the things you want to do or have in your life". Three years ago, I constructed a similar list in a planner. I returned to that list and realized I wasn’t thinking big enough. I limited myself to what felt achievable, even though that prompt specially stated, “do not be realistic, instead set big goals and big vision”. A small vision is safe and limiting.
Here are items on that original list:
read a book a month
save enough money for travel
blog
own a property
join a grassroots organization
craft a marketable skill
Not to undermine any of the goals, but looking back, most were simple resolutions for the year. This time around, I pushed myself to think larger than just the realistic goals that can be achieved in a short period. I thought about who I wanted to be as a person, what I owned, and what success looked like. There are still a few short-term achievable goals there, but my overall thought process changed.
Here are a few of the new goals
owning multiple homes
running a profitable business
a host of dinner parties and community events
the flexibility to work when and where I want
To me, the point of achieving is to create a life I’m happy to live. It is the ability to increase my means for a balance of work and play, fulfillment and rest. It is not to achieve just to say I did.
Application of the 12-week plan
The principles of this book boil down to vision, planning, and follow-through. The process starts with crafting a big picture vision and deciding on a smaller yet challenging goal. 2: Create a roadmap to reach that goal with daily or weekly habits and milestones with due dates. 3: Each week honestly evaluate your progress and adjust as necessary.
Of course, I used this as an opportunity to revamp my notion with a new 12-week plan layout. Aesthetics aside, I spend a few days reflecting on my vision. I chose 3 priorities to focus on in the next 12 weeks: growing this newsletter, applying to grad school, and faith. I am in the process of developing weekly plans, but I have a rough shell documented.
Through this process, I realized my initial vision was too small. Even if I don’t reach a larger goal, gains are still made by trying. Lack of confidence and fear of failure could be holding me back and preventing me from dreaming big. The planning part is my favorite part and the easiest for me. The follow through is what I struggle with, but I feel a 12-week commitment is attainable. This email is the first step. I'll keep you updated with the rest.
Thank you for reading. I know it has been a while, but I’d like to introduce you to this section of the newsletter. Field Notes is the productivity part of the equation. On the first of each month, you’ll receive a productivity-themed newsletter in addition to the biweekly newsletter that will be resuming. When you view them online, these newsletters will have their own place on the A Little Light page.
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