Sunday Night Success

With New year celebrations and family time, I will have a shortened week this week. I also set these actions to be completed by the end of 2009, so Thursday is my deadline as opposed to Sunday:

1. Write coaching reflection for client 1.
2. Write coaching reflection for client 2.
3. Write coaching reflection for client 3.
4. Write coaching reflection for client 4.
5. Contact client 5 to get coaching reflection form.
6. Write coaching reflection for client 5.
7. Complete class schedule.
8. Write self-assessment.
9. Research/take notes for coaching research paper.
10. Write outline for research paper.
11. Write introduction for research paper.
12. Write total behavior explanation for research paper.
13. Write total behavior application for research paper.
14. Write conclusion for research paper.
15. Edit research paper.
16. Write bibliography for research paper.
17. Send all completed written work to coaching school for assessment.
18. Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Ashlea and Fionn.

(From my focus goal pencast earlier in the week I have already completed my powertool and coaching model)

At the start of each year, and over the course of each year you may set specific goals for yourself. When you set these goals you have the clear intention to complete each of them. Over the course of the year you can accumulate a number of different goals, and by the time the end of the year rolls around you may not be able to achieve all of them.

End of the year focus – pick one goal and do it

I am writing this post on Thursday, December 17, 2009 exactly two weeks until the end of 2009. This past year was the first year I moved forward with a clear strategy on goal setting and goal achievement. As can be expected, and is not a bad thing, I set myself too many goals, and have a number of them still on my list to get done before 2010. There are two strategies I think I can use for the next two weeks:

1. Work on all the goals and try to get as much done as I can, with the risk that I only partially complete each of the goals.
2. Pick one of the remaining goals and put all of my energy into completing this one goal. I will only work on a different goal once my focus goal is finished.

As you can probably tell from the words I used in each possibility I am favoring the second option.

What is your focus goal?

Setting some of my other goals aside is going to be difficult, but I am excited with the prospect of getting one of the really big, and really important goals completed before 2010. My focus goal for the rest of 2009 is:

Complete all of the class and written requirements for my coach training certification

That is my commitment, and that will be the only major project, unless I complete it, I will be working on for the rest of 2009. There is a definite lightness, excitement, and energy I am feeling now that I have made this decision. The weight of the other goals has been lifted, and I am ready to focus on this one goal.

How would the end of 2009 be different for you if you chose one focus goal and did nothing but work towards its completion?

Share your focus goal in the comments section below and let’s get to work on ending 2009 with a successful bang!

If you need help with being accountable for you goals check out this post on accountability.

Here are my actions for the week:
1. Make pencast of SNS changes
2. Write “Homepage”
3. Write “Is this you” page
4. Write “How it works” page
5. Write “Last Ditch” page
6. Write “About” page
7. Write “Sign up” page
8. Write “Contact” page
9. Write “Archives” page
10. Write Power Tool
11. Edit Coaching Model
12. Edit Power Tool

Check back Sunday for an update on “working my list to zero”.

Nine of twenty-one:
1. Make pencast of SNS changes – Incomplete.
2. Write “Homepage” – Incomplete.
3. Write “Is this you” page – Incomplete.
4. Write “How it works” page – Incomplete.
5. Write “Last Ditch” page – Incomplete.
6. Write “About” page – Incomplete.
7. Write “Sign up” page – Incomplete.
8. Write “Contact” page – Incomplete.
9. Write “Archives” page – Incomplete.
10. Write Power Tool – Incomplete.
11. Edit Coaching Model – Incomplete.
12. Edit Power Tool – Incomplete.
13. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
14. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
15. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
16. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
17. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
18. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
19. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
20. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
21. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete.

NaNoWriMo is complete

A huge accomplishment for me this week as I have completed 50000 words in 30 days for the NaNoWriMo challenge. In the end the challenge had its ups and downs.

On the down side it ended up consuming my November and I didn’t get a lot of other writing tasks completed. I have some major catch-up to do in December. Should be fun!

On the up side I met some great people virtually (and a few in person) in my Spokane NaNoWriMo group. This group is discussing working together on our novels the year round instead of just in November. This is great as my novel is a bit of a mess, still incomplete, and needs a lot of TLC.

Working to zero

Next week’s action list will consist of everything I haven’t completed this week as I continue to work my list to zero. So far the experiment has been successful as I have finished my NaNoWriMo commitment. Now my focus shifts to the writing I need to complete in order to graduate from my coaching program, and the writing I need to complete for my coaching website.

Stay tuned to see how I do.

I managed to move my list closer to zero by

1. Make pencast of SNS changes – Incomplete.
2. Write “Homepage” – Incomplete
3. Write “Is this you” page – Incomplete
4. Write “How it works” page – Incomplete
5. Write “Last Ditch” page – Incomplete
6. Write “About” page – Incomplete
7. Write “Sign up” page – Incomplete
8. Write “Contact” page – Incomplete
9. Write “Archives” page – Incomplete
10. Write Power Tool – Incomplete
11. Reorganize goals for end of year – Complete
12. Edit Coaching Model – Incomplete
13. Edit Power Tool – Incomplete
14. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
15. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
16. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
17. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
18. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
19. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
20. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
21. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
22. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
23. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Complete
24. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete
25. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete
26. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete
27. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete
28. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete
29. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete
30. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete
31. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete
32. Write 2000 words for NaNoWriMo – Incomplete

Focus on writing – NaNoWriMo

Although I put a number of different writing tasks on my current action list in an attempt to work the list to zero I wasn’t really planning on getting to most of them this past week. I knew ahead of time that I had fallen behind on my National Novel Writing Month challenge and was going to need to catch up.

So, I managed to sneak a couple other tasks into my week, but the main focus was on increasing my NaNoWriMo word count so that I would at the challenge.

20000 words in a week

I am happy with the outcome: I have never written 20000 words about the same topic in one week before, including seven thousand words in one sitting during a Spokane virtual write-in. I am still about 3000 words behind but that is a far cry from how far behind I was earlier this week.

The upcoming week will probably be focused on NaNoWriMo once again as it is the last week of the challenge and my 50000 word milestone is only a handful of days away. After that my focus will change to the other writing tasks I have put on my list.

The normal action planning process at Sunday Night Success in its simplest form is:

1. Set your small action steps for a one-week period.
2. Work on your actions over the next seven days.
3. As you complete an action mark it off your list.
4. Review your accomplishments at the end of the week. Reflect on what didn’t work.
5. Move incomplete actions to your new list for the new week.
6. Add new actions for the new week.
7. Repeat the process each week.

The new experiment

My weekly list is usually a combination of actions that are carried over from the previous week, and new actions that I am adding to the list. This is a great process and gives me a lot of variety in the actions I can choose to work on.

However, sometimes by adding new actions to the list the incomplete actions from previous weeks get pushed down further and further. These actions are eventually removed from the list: if I ignore them for four weeks then they obviously were not as high priority as I thought they were.

That works fine if those actions can be set aside with minimal consequences, but what if the actions are really important and you are simply stuck in a place of delay: “I will just do it tomorrow”.

My solution, or at least the solution I am going to experiment with over the next few weeks is working your list to zero

Working your list to zero – how it works

I have set my current action list with a whole bunch of important actions that I absolutely need to get done in the next few weeks. These actions are important for both my business and my personal development: they are must dos.

So, I am going to make one important change to my action list for the coming weeks:

No new actions can be added to the list until all of the actions from the original list are completed. The action list must be completed, worked down to zero remaining actions.

Working your list to zero – why I think it will work

By not adding any new actions the list will get smaller each week. A smaller list means fewer actions to choose from, which means I will have to focus on the actions I have been putting off. With nothing else on the list to divert my attention I will have to get the actions I am stuck on completed, and I will have no choice but to move forward.

Will the experiment work? Only the coming weeks will provide an answer.

This is how I am going to focus on my “delayed actions”. I would love to hear any strategies that you are using to get your important actions off your list.

Ten of twenty-one:
1. Investigate mailchimp – Complete.
2. Work with Dad on Blog theme – Complete.
3. Plan out SNS changes – Complete.
4. Make pencast of SNS changes – Incomplete.
5. Change coach website to subdirectory – Complete.
6. Point URL to new “under construction” coaching site – Complete.
7. Download Ecto trial – Complete.
8. Download Fastpencil documents into Writeroom – Complete.
9. Pack business necessities for Calgary trip – Complete.
10. Write 30 minutes 7 times for NaNoWriMo – Complete.
11. Write “Homepage” – Incomplete.
12. Write “Is this you” page – Incomplete.
13. Write “How it works” page – Incomplete.
14. Write “Last Ditch” page – Incomplete.
15. Write “About” page – Incomplete.
16. Write “Sign up” page – Incomplete.
17. Write “Contact” page – Incomplete.
18. Write “Archives” page – Incomplete.
19. Write Coaching Model – Complete.
20. Write Power Tool – Incomplete.
21. Reorganize goals for end of year – Incomplete.

Lacking the list

This week didn’t go so well. For the first time in a long time, a really long time, I didn’t make half of my list. The reason? I think, upon relfection, there are a few, but the biggest one by far was I ended up without internet for the middle of the week. Not only did I not have internet, but I did not activate my Google Gears properly so was without my list for all of those days.

Without my list, which I normally check on a daily basis, I ended up a bit lost with what I was doing. In fact, it was not until today when I had a chance to look at my list again, that I even remembered a couple of the items I had on my list. By not being able to do my daily check I fell out of my normal process and things came to a bit of a grinding halt.

Action list as an environment

This is an excellent example of how effort is just not enough for achieving success. My effort alone allowed me to get ten items completed on my weekly list, but after that, I lost focus. When I have my action list at hand, and I start to lose focus, I don’t need to spend any time or energy trying to figure out what to do next. I open my list and I am instantly back on track. My weekly action list supports me in being successful by keeping my mind clear and focused.

Has my list become too important to my success or is it still the supportive environment I think it is? I would love to hear what you think.

Eighteen of twenty-six:
1. Write refund policy for workshops – incomplete. Off list.
2. Plan out SNS changes – incomplete.
3. Make pencast of SNS changes as example of action planning – incomplete.
4. Pay for Thesis developer’s license – complete.
5. Download Thesis 1.6 – complete.
6. Watch Thesis 1.6 tutorial video – complete.
7. Download grunge theme for Dad – incomplete.
8. Change Dad’s blog to grunge theme – incomplete.
9. Change coaching website to new folder – complete. (Didn’t work)
10. Make new folder for main coaching site – complete.
11. Upload Thesis 1.6 into new folder – complete.
12. Backup Sunday Night Success – complete.
13. Load SNS backup onto MAMP – complete.
14. Play with SNS and thesis 1.6 options – complete.
15. Download Straightshooter theme – complete.
16. Play with SNS and Straightshooter theme – incomplete.
17. Business Academy: write self story – complete.
18. Business Academy: write 7 yeses – complete.
19. Write message for NaNoWriMo forum – complete.
20. Post message for NaNoWriMo on forum – complete.
21. Write 30 min 7 times for NaNoWriMo – complete.
22. Download Elluminate trial – complete.
23. Experiment with Elluminate – complete.
24. Take bike racks off roof – incomplete.
25. Try Shambhala meditation for 15 minutes 5 times – incomplete.
26. Call Telus and change long distance plan – complete.

Off the list

For the second week in a row I did not write my refund policy for future workshops. While reflecting on the fact that I missed this for the second week in a row I decided that, at this point, I have other much larger priorities, and this action needed to be taken off of my weekly list and put on my braindump list. It will return later, but for now it is just a distraction on my weekly action list that is not going to get done.

Didn’t work

I spent quite a bit of time trying to switch my current coaching website to a subdirectory. It didn’t work, and nothing I tried worked. However, I am marking this as complete as I put in the effort, tried everything I could think of doing, then sent a message to others who may be able to figure out what is going wrong. Even though my coaching site is not in a subdirectory I did my best to complete this action and, in fact, did complete the action. It just didn’t work.

I am marking it as complete because the purpose of my action list is to support me during my week, so I see no need in beating myself up because the action I took didn’t work. By marking the action as complete it is a success and I can still use the energy of that success to build momentum going into next week.

Re-strategizing

One thing I did learn about myself this week is that I am getting a little muddled in my weekly action lists. I think this is mostly because my overall goals and actions have been adapting so much lately that I am not fully clear on where I am trying to get before the end of the year.

This upcoming week I am going to spend some time with my vision and my goals and try to regain clarity on where I am headed before the end of 2009. Not only will this help me stay focused for the rest of this year, but it will better prepare me for creating my big goals for 2010.

Have you revisited your vision and goals lately? Do you know if you are still on track?

Eighteen out of twenty:
1. Workshop: write instructions for weekly action planning – Complete.
2. Workshop: write instructions for accountability calls – not needed.
3. Workshop: write foundations as filters – complete.
4. Workshop: print out receipts for workshop participants – Complete.
5. Workshop: print/photocopy workshop heft – Complete.
6. Workshop: print/photocopy workshop agenda – Complete.
7. Workshop: organize workshop heft into folders – Complete.
8. Workshop: One page agenda for participants – Complete.
9. Workshop: attach business cards to folders – Complete.
10. Workshop: write out final lesson plan – Complete.
11. Workshop: investigate recording using bluetooth headset – Complete.
12. Find time with Jason and Vicky to talk SNS – Complete.
13. Test freeconferencecall.com bridge line – Complete.
14. Write refund policy for workshops – Incomplete.
15. Write teleclass instructions for workshop phonecalls – Complete.
16. Send out workshop email with a challenge for the week – Complete.
17. Figure out schedule for one-on-one workshop sessions – Complete.
18. Plan out SNS changes – Incomplete.
19. Apply for coaching job – Complete.
20. Talk with Dad about brokebikealley.com – Complete.

Nineteen out of twenty:
1. Edit guest post for WhenIgrowup – complete.
2. Send guest post to WhenIgrowup – complete.
3. Buy trifold paper for workshop – complete.
4. Buy markers for workshop – complete.
5. Send out workshop email – complete.
6. Write pre-workshop assessment: five questions – complete.
7. Workshop: Write out SMART goal setting instructions – complete.
8. Workshop: Write out steps to creating action paths – complete.
9. Workshop: Write out backward action planning steps -complete.
10. Workshop: Write out forward action planning steps – complete.
11. Workshop: Write out instructions for accountability calls – incomplete.
12. Workshop: Write out instructions to creating action themes – not needed.
13. Workshop: write out instructions for “brain dump” and creating a master list – complete.
14. Workshop: write out final lesson plan for workshop – incomplete.
15. Workshop: complete core values edits – complete.
16. Business academy: review welcome pack – complete.
17. Business academy: write welcome pack – complete.
18. Business academy: write coaching agreement letter – complete.
19. Business academy: complete self reflection – complete.
20. Carry out strategy session with client. – complete.
21. Carry out strategy session with client. – complete.