Blog Archives

Really Getting Things Done

1/28/2015

David Allen really is the guru of GTD (Getting Things Done). His books are a great resource for how to put the steps in place to reach your goals. I recently ran across his TED talk that outlined his planning process to achieve goals:

1. Determine the Purpose of what you're trying to accomplish.
2. Picture what your idea will look like in the Ideal Scenario.
3. Brainstorm ideas on how to achieve your goal.
4. Determine How You Will Tackle the 2 or 3 things that you have to deal with in order to reach your goal.
5. What is your very Next Action to get you moving toward your goal.

Once you actually work through this process, the light bulbs start going off and things start happening. Try it! To see the short Ted talk, go here.

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New Year's Resolution - Conquering Weight Loss

1/19/2015

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Most Americans are continually on a "diet" or "watching their weight". In my past life as a Health Promotion/Wellness consultant, I often wondered whether the obesity epidemic was caused by the fact that people didn't know what to do (education) or that they didn't do what they were supposed to do (willpower).

Years ago, I do think that a big part of the problem was education - people didn't know what to eat and they didn't know the approximate nutritional value or caloric content in foods. Mass media has pretty much taken care of that and we know what we "should" eat...but many times, we don't.  So that must leave willpower, right? Not so fast.  I don't believe that you can "will" yourself to do something that you're not equipped to do. So how do you get equipped to finally lose that weight? In my mind, the answer is to think about your diet fouls and set up supportive structures to get you on your path.

The first step is to identify your own barriers to success. For me, one of my biggest was (and is) a mindset.   My training workout plan has me exercising quite a bit, so that little voice in my head often says, "You deserve a treat for working out so hard", or "You worked off the calories, so you can afford to eat more." I have to challenge that voice in my head and overrule it with, "I worked out hard and those are calories in the bank toward my weight loss, so I can't blow it by eating that cookie."  Now, I'm a big proponent of moderation of all things including moderation, so an occasional cookie IS in the plan, but it shouldn't be the norm for me to reach my goals.

Another one of my diet fouls is that I often tie watching TV to snacking...so I try to read a little more or do something to keep my mind otherwise occupied while watching TV, like working on that puzzle I talked about in my earlier blog. Distraction is a great tool.

One of my other fouls is that when I'm tired after a long work day, I drink too much caffeine and am on a constant search for sugar...and chocolate.   Having identified this is a challenge for me, if I arrive home tired from a crazy day, I take 10 minutes to relax with my eyes closed and doze. I keep it to 10 minutes, but it does refresh me for the evening without interfering with my sleep.

Ok, enough examples, now it's your turn... If you take the time to really identify what is keeping you from reaching any goal, you can set forth a plan to tackle ANY of your project fouls, including losing weight. Really identifying your barriers and how you might overcome them is the key to success. And I might add that, in many areas, success is a journey, not a destination! So get on your path today...

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Getting Things Done

1/11/2015

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I'm a big fan of David Allen, author of many productivity books including one called, "Getting Things Done." If you want to enhance your ability to check things off your "to do" list, his books will get you on the right track.

The most impactful thing that I have taken from Mr. Allen is the importance of figuring out your very next step or steps when you tackle a goal. This often starts with clear thinking about the obstacles that are standing in your way to getting started.

I'll take a simple example. I have this beautiful 1,000 piece puzzle with a scene of an Italian Bistro on it that I have been wanting to get started on for months. It's been sitting in the box in our kitchen (so I won't forget I want to put it together) nagging me the whole time. Big goal, not sure how to get started.

Having thought about why I was stuck, I identified that the biggest obstacle was that I didn't have a place to set it up. Obviously, this is something that once started will not be completed over night - I needed a place where it could take up temporary housing...and not at the kitchen table! Then the other problem, the puzzle is huge, so space was an issue.

Game plan : buy some foam core to make the puzzle portable. Keep it downstairs in the basement until I'm ready to work on it and then put it away when I'm finished for that day. Ok, but then that big piece of foam core is also an obstacle - it's too big and cumbersome to easily cart around. Hmmm, then I spied this small tray with a lip on it in our basement that would be perfect as a satellite tool to put chunks of pieces together while I was anywhere. Then I would take the chunks and add them to the bigger puzzle on the foam core. Side note: You will find as I have, that ideas just start popping when you take an action toward a goal and you create momentum!

Cool. So now I have the supportive structure and a plan...go through the pieces and put together the border first. Then, identify like colored pieces and use the tray to put them together one grouping at a time.

Now this was a really simplistic example, but it plays out the point that if you just look at a big goal without even thinking about how you might tackle it, it will sit there an nag you. It is easy to get distracted by our hectic lives and leave our most cherished goals on the sidelines, but sometimes it's just as simple as putting some brain power into it. Start giving goal achievement your attention by figuring out how you can get started...and soon you'll be a starter AND a finisher!

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Virtual Partner Goes Down...

1/3/2015

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One of my biggest motivators is data. I headed out this morning sporting my new Garmin GPS with no particular goal in mind other than to cover 5 miles. Started out kinda easy, enjoying the new big screen to read my distances and pace, and then it appeared, "Virtual Partner Pace 9:15". It was accompanied by this little running guy showing significantly ahead of me. I hadn't set up the virtual partner, but there it was beaconing me. I quickly did some math to see if it was even possible for me to catch "him".  The course was hilly and challenging...probably out of my reach. But I kept thinking about it...and looking to see if I was gaining on him.

Point is that the constant feedback/data was motivating me to keep going. Measurement of where you are and progress toward your goals is one of the key ways to accomplish important things in your life. We like feedback and that's one of the reasons it's so important to have a vision of your goal, map out the steps to get there and track your progress. And maybe most importantly, celebrate every little step along the way.

Pick today as your day to set the stage for accomplishing your most cherished dreams in 2015. It's easy:
1) Start by a vision of your goal and what it will mean to you to accomplish it,
2) Set small, bite size steps along the way and identify obstacles that may stand in your way,
3) Proactively plan how you will overcome the obstacles that you've identified,
4) Determine what your measures of success are along the way...and in the final achievement of your goal,
5) Most importantly - determine ahead of time how you will CELEBRATE your accomplishment.

So how'd I do? Well, data is still my friend - I beat Mr. Virtual Partner, even if it was only by a mere 4 seconds!

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What's YOUR BHAG for 2015?

1/1/2015

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BHAG, Big Hairy Audacious Goal is a term coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book, Build to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companires. Their application of a BHAG is for companies to implement visionary goals that are more strategic and emotionally compelling than a typical goal. Taken in a more personal way - what's your major goal for 2015 - one that is going to really challenge you...and really make a difference in your life?

One of my major BHAGs for 2015 is re-launching what was formally my consulting business website into this blog that is more personal in nature and will hopefully inspire and enable individuals to reach their most cherished dreams/goals.

Another BHAG that you'll likely hear about this year is my goal to re-validate my Ironman status and complete Ironman Wisconsin in September this year. It has been 10 years since my last journey toward 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running, so lots of training ahead!

I saw a NIKE t-shirt today that had, "Win the Day" printed on it. That is going to be my mantra for this year, knowing that each day, each little thing we do, inches us toward our big goals if we just focus on what we can do TODAY! I hope you'll take a step today toward YOUR dreams!

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What You'll Find Here at ANOVIA

ANOVIA is a word that I created from 2 Latin words, "nova" meaning new and "via" meaning path - a new path.

The focus of this blog will be to share the knowledge, motivation and inspiration that will hopefully lead you and your teams on a new path! The topics will be both professional and personal in nature.

Really Getting Things Done

New Year's Resolution - Conquering Weight Loss

Getting Things Done

Virtual Partner Goes Down...

What's YOUR BHAG for 2015?

What You'll Find Here at ANOVIA

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