Every year, either at the end of one or the beginning of another, we reflect on the past year's achievements and set goals for the year ahead. In 2020, I'm adding fuel to the momentum of 2019 and going to cultivate this year.
Cultivate
to develop or improve by education or training; train; refine.
to promote the growth or development of; foster.
3 Tips To Help You Cultivate Your Life This Year
Tip #1: Full Focus Planner
I have gone analog. I am incorporating a paper planner, called the Full Focus Planner, that is designed to help track your goals. Michael Hyatt, the creator of the planner, believes that writing your goals is critical. So to further grow and develop personally and professionally, I have, not only, written my goals down in my planner, but I have utilized the planner's "Goal Detail" pages to think through:
- A S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goal Summary
- Key Motivations: Why do I want this goal?
- Next Steps: What do I need to do next?
- Rewards: What can I reward myself for accomplishing the goal?
Tip #2: Use S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals
Instead of resolutions, I have set both habit and achievement goals with the SMARTER framework. The framework is as follows:
- Specific: Goals must be specific on what is to be achieved or the outcome.
- Measurable: How will you know when you have reached the goal?
- Actionable: Use an action verb or two.
- Risky: Raise the bar. 10X your goal. Even if you don't reach 10X, you may exceed your original 1X goal.
- Time-Keyed: Achievement goals have a deadline and Habit goals have a time or frequency the habit is to be performed.
- Exciting: Find the emotional reason for the goal that excites you, even if the process does not.
- Relevant: Your goal needs to be relevant to your current life demands.
Tip #3: Listen and Read
I consume a lot of information on a daily basis. Some of the best information has been in the form of podcasts and books.
I have a list of 8 books I will read by the end of the year. After I complete those 8 books, I will choose books from my growing list of books I want to read.
I am subscribed to 72 podcasts that fit into 4 categories:
- Aviation - always learning to be a better pilot and instructor.
- Business - this category includes real estate investing, leadership, and personal/business finance
- Health and Fitness - staying informed on what's a fad versus science
- Church - messages from several churches and a couple of Bible study
Due to the number of podcasts, I utilize an app called Overcast. The app allows me a lot of flexibility on the speed of playback and has some other features that reduce the playback time without speeded up voices.
