December Newsletter
Goal Setting, Books, and more!
Hi friends!
First things first! If there's any chance you found yourself on this newsletter by mistake, you can unsubscribe right now with my apologies. I do not collect emails for any purpose but this joyful newsletter and this is never intended to be spam.
The theme for this month's newsletter is Goal Setting!
🎯 Setting Goals
We tend to overestimate what we can do in the Short Term (weeks, months), but underestimate what we can do in long-term (years).
New Year is around, which means it's time for "Resolutions." If you struggle with keeping up with your New Year resolutions, they are very likely that they are open-ended and lack clarity. e.g. 'I want to be fit,' 'I want to read more,' 'I want to be happy' etc. There are no metrics attached to tell whether you have met your resolution or not.
Converting your Resolutions into SMART Goals helps make it Specific (adds clarity),
Measurable (clear indications whether you achieved the goal or not), Actionable,
Relevant and Time-bound (specific date).
'I want to run a Half Marathon in less than 2 hours by the end of March'
'I want to read 12 books and publish their summaries in 2021' etc.
What Goals to Set?
To find out what Goals to set:
Identify your Areas of Responsibilities (A in the PARA Method).
Pick 2- 4 Areas that you want to concentrate on and improve.
Identify SMART Goals for these Areas and write them down.
Once you have SMART Goals, try and add Ideas on how to achieve these SMART Goals. Ideas are shorter termed and can either be broken down to Projects (P in PARA Method) or directly into tasks. Tasks are what you prioritize, cross off from a Daily ToDo List, and your daily driver.
Below are a few Ideas for Running a Half Marathon Goal, e.g., 'Follow a training plan', 'Run 3 times a week', 'Core Exercise 4 times a week', 'Drink 2 litre water every day' etc.
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing" - Annie Dillard
Are you ready to break down your Areas of Responsibility?
✅ Key Actions For You
Identity key Areas you want to improve in life.
Create SMART Goals
Come up with Ideas, Projects, and Tasks to achieve your Goals.
Have a Daily and Weekly Plan
📑Additional Reading
Objective and Key Result (OKR) Framework
GIST (Goals-Ideas-Steps-Tasks) Framework
📚Book Recommendations
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Get into the right mindset to succeed.
This book shows how success in every area of life is influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. Learn about Fixed and Growth mindsets and how to get into the right mindset to transform your life.Atomic Habits
A practical guide on building Habits.
Learn how to build good habits and break out of bad ones and become better every day. You will learn tools and strategies to transform your habits. This book will help you change how you live your days and your life.
🙋♂️Personal Updates
After 5+ years with Readify/Telstra Purple and consulting, I have finally decided to move on. It's been a hard decision, but it's always good to get out of your comfort zone and put yourself at unrest to grow professionally and personally. At Telstra Purple, I was fortunate to work with multiple clients and alongside great minds. I will be moving to OFX beginning of next year and looking forward to work across a wide range of applications.
My main focus for the coming year is on Improving my Fitness, Growing Audience, Learning, and Improving Family Experience. I have a more detailed Year Review post coming soon on my blog if you are interested.
Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash