7. Prioritize + Be Productive: Goal-Setting To The Now

Download your workbook for this lesson in the Materials tab above.

By thinking through the filter of Goal Setting to the Now, you set a future goal and then methodically drill down to what you should be doing right now. It can be a little like a Russian matryoshka doll in that your ONE Thing “right now” is nested inside your ONE Thing TODAY, which is nested inside your ONE Thing this WEEK, which is nested inside your ONE Thing this MONTH… it’s how a small thing can actually build up to a big one… You’re lining up your dominoes.“

— Gary Keller, The One Thing

Here’s how you want to “line up your dominoes” within the context of your professional life (by the way, it’s the same thing for your personal life or any other area of improvement):

Goal Setting to the Now

SOMEDAY GOAL:
What’s the ONE thing I want to do someday?

↓

FIVE-YEAR GOAL:
Based on my Someday Goal, what’s the ONE thing I can do in the next 5 years?

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ONE-YEAR GOAL:
Based on my Five-Year Goal, what’s the ONE thing I can do this year?

↓

MONTHLY GOAL:
Based on my One-Year Goal, what’s the ONE thing I can do this month?

↓

WEEKLY GOAL:
Based on my Monthly Goal, what’s the ONE thing I can do this week?

↓

DAILY GOAL:
Based on my Weekly Goal, what’s the ONE thing I can do today?

↓

RIGHT NOW:
Based on my Daily Goal, what’s the ONE thing I can do right now?

Now all you need to do is knock each domino down until you’ve hit your Someday Goal.

Actionable Insights

• Switch over to the Materials tab at the top of this lesson page, then download and print the workbook titled ‘Prioritize + Be Productive: Goal-Setting To The Now‘.

Prioritize + Be Productive

If you completed the Uncover Your Purpose workbook from Lesson 6, you should now have a PURPOSE that resonates with you. With your purpose in hand, you can now set a priority that’s in alignment with it, and then design a day that facilitates maximum productivity—so you can take focused action toward your ONE priority.

• Prioritizing gives you clarity in the ONE Thing you most want to accomplish or experience at some point in the future—and the ONE Thing you can do today to get there. Having a single priority clears the way for laser-like focus, so you can do WHAT you need to do, WHEN you need to do it.
• Being productive is about structuring your days so that the ONE Thing you need to do right now is done with total focus and complete presence.

THIS is how you achieve extraordinary results…

Now, let’s clarify your priority and build a productive day.

1: MODEL WHAT WORKS

To accomplish more in your life, you’ve got to find possibilities that exist beyond what you currently know. This is how you expand your thinking, your goals, and your outcomes.

• Spend 30 minutes searching the web for information about people who’ve accomplished a goal that’s aligned with (or related to) your purpose.
• Answer the following questions as you’re researching:

  • Who has accomplished a goal that aligns with my purpose?
  • What did they accomplish?
  • How did they accomplish it?
  • Who helped them accomplish it?

2: SET A BIG SOMEDAY GOAL

It’s time to set your big Someday Goal—a major long-term goal that’s in alignment with your purpose.

But first, let me share a quick story about a young statistics student from UC Berkley, named George Dantzig. One day, George sleeps past his alarm and shows up to class just in time to copy the problems that were left on the blackboard.

A few days later, he returns to class and turns in his homework with an apology—explaining to his professor that the problems were more challenging for him than usual.

A few weeks later, George’s professor tracks him down and enthusiastically explains to him that the “homework” problems he brought in weren’t actually homework problems at all—they were the two most famous unsolved problems in the field of statistics! George Dantzig—a student who’s experience was limited to no more than a handful of math classes—had solved not one, but TWO statistics problems that not even the world’s greatest mathematicians could find a solution to.

(This story, by the way, loosely inspired Matt Damon’s character in the movie Good Will Hunting.)

As Dantzig reflected on his achievement, he said,

If I had known that the problems were not homework, but were in fact two famous unsolved problems in statistics, I probably would not have thought positively, would have become discouraged, and would never have solved them.”

None of us knows our limits. Dantzig didn’t assume that the two problems were “unsolvable” or beyond his capabilities—and so he solved them…

So, what could YOU accomplish if you didn’t assume it was beyond your capabilities? What would your goals look like if you acted like you didn’t know your limits?

• Think about your purpose. Then, answer this question:

  • “What’s the ONE Thing I can do someday that aligns with my purpose, such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
  • Your response to the question above is your “Someday Goal.” This is a long-term stretch goal, which means you want to think BIG. If your Someday Goal is a number, double it. If it’s a level of achievement, aim higher than you normally would. Demand more of yourself, and watch how you’ll rise to the occasion.

• Examples of Someday Goals:

  • Sell 10,000 units of my product in the next 12 months and turn it into a thriving business.
  • Take my family on a one-month vacation to Europe without worrying about work or money.
  • Double my income within the next 12 months.
  • Read 50 books within the next 12 months to expand my knowledge + improve my thinking.
  • Become the #1 salesperson in my company so I can provide for my family and be an inspiration to those I mentor.
  • Lead my soccer team to a National Championship.
  • Complete an ultra-marathon to challenge my endurance and mental toughness.

3: GOAL SETTING TO THE NOW

The exercise of Goal Setting to the Now shows you what to do right now in order to achieve that really big goal you just set.

• Based on your Someday Goal, what’s the ONE Thing you can do in the next five years to be on track to achieve it?

  • In other words, what do you need to achieve in five years to be confident you will achieve your Someday Goal?

• Based on your 5-Year Goal, what’s the ONE Thing you can do THIS year to be on track to achieve your 5-Year Goal, so that you are on track to achieve your Someday Goal?

  • What do you need to accomplish this year to be certain you’ll accomplish your 5-Year Goal?

• Based on your 1-Year Goal, what’s the ONE Thing you can do this month to be on track?

  • What do you need to accomplish this month?

• Based on your Monthly Goal, what’s the ONE Thing you can do this week to be on track?

  • What do you need to accomplish this week?

• Based on your Weekly Goal, what’s the ONE Thing you can do today to be on track?

  • What do you need to accomplish today?

• Based on your Daily Goal, what’s the ONE Thing you can do right now to be on track?

  • What do you need to accomplish right now?

🙌 Congratulations!

You’ve just lined up your dominoes for a major Someday Goal that’s aligned with your purpose…

Now there’s only ONE thing left for you to do: Knock down your first domino!

I’m a firm believer in never leaving a new goal untouched—you must do at least ONE thing—no matter how small—to put your goal in motion. So take immediate action and go accomplish the Right Now Goal you just wrote down. It’s your ONE Thing… right now.

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