The publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber" published the book "12 weeks a year. How to do more in 12 weeks than others can do in 12 months” by two practicing business coaches Brian Moran and Michael Lennington. The authors criticize annual plans: they are often difficult to fulfill, people think that there is a lot of time ahead, so they put things off until later. Instead, they propose the concept of a "12-week year" borrowed from professional athletes that should solve the problem of action. After all, what's wrong with annual plans? People usually know what to do but don't do it. We publish two chapters from the book—why it's important to have the right vision for what you want to achieve, and why 12-week planning is better than an annual plan.

Chapter 3

Effective action is not in itself difficult, though not necessarily easy. In fact, most people and companies do it with difficulty. It always requires effort, and they give a feeling of discomfort.

When you have to strain to complete difficult or unpleasant tasks, the price of short-term effort seems much higher than the long-term benefits of achieving the goal. That is why people (and companies) often try to avoid hard work and even lose their strategy. Judging by our experience, in order to work effectively, you need to be sure of a positive result.

Without sufficient motivation, people will always try to do what they can easily do, and not what they really need. The problem is that the most important things are often the hardest to get done. From experience, we can say that the main thing that you have to sacrifice in order to work well, achieve your goals and even achieve more is your comfort. Secret full life and using one's potential lies in the ability to put important things above one's own comfort. Therefore, the main step in the beginning of effective work is to create and maintain a compelling picture of your future, which you value above short-term comfort. And then you can align your short-term goals and plans with your long-term vision.

Think about what you want to achieve. What legacy do you want to leave for your descendants? What do you want for yourself and your family? What are your spiritual needs? What level of security is acceptable to you? What level of income and what degree of satisfaction do you expect from your career? What would you like to do? What would you like to do in your life?

If you want to reach a really high level, take action, but don't forget that you need to create a compelling vision for the future. In order to perform better, you must develop a mental picture of the future, which is much more interesting than the present. Find a vision that resonates with you emotionally.

Otherwise, it will not be possible to overcome all the difficulties of change.

Behind every impossible achievement is a dreamer with impossible dreams.

Robert Greenleaf

Vision is the key to high performance. You create everything twice: first in your head, then in physical form. The most difficult barrier to effective action is not physical implementation, but mental work. You can never do anything without creating a mental picture. Vision defines your possibilities.

You must clearly see what you want to create. Most are mainly focused on business or career, but business is only a part of your life, and it is the vision that will allow you to properly relate to your work. That's why it's worth starting with your personal vision of what kind of life you want to create for yourself in the future. And only then can you move on to business, find out what it should be like in order to match your life goals. The more compelling the vision of your life, the more likely you are to act on it. It creates an emotional connection with the daily actions that affect your business.

To fully use the incredible power of vision, you need to create a mental image of the future, which is very different from the present. To make a breakthrough, to "go to the next level," you need to deal with fear, insecurity, and discomfort. And only understanding your future will help you stay in the game when everything around becomes too difficult.

A convincing picture of the future adds to the enthusiasm. Think about what you want most in the world and you can turn it into a vision. If you lack passion in business or personal relationships, then this is not a crisis of passion, but a crisis of vision. Below, we’ll show you how to create a compelling business vision and personal life, which will give a sense of harmony and reinforce your life goals.

I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific about it.

Lily Tomlin

The first step is to create a personal vision that clearly shows what you want to achieve. It will determine your life in every sense, including the spiritual component, relationships, family, income, lifestyle, health and environment. A personal vision creates the foundation for an emotional connection with your business goals, so that your work and personal goals align. A business vision is most effective when it takes into account the vision of a personal life. The main reason for failures in work is the lack of connection between business and personal life.

Your business goals are not an end in themselves, but only a means. Too often, company managers and partners plan for success but fail to connect the objectives to the true energy source that would enable them to be achieved. In essence, our views on our personal lives determine where we work.

Once you find the link between your personal vision and business success, you can pinpoint your desired income levels and other benefits that support your overall vision for the future.

Vision will help you overcome challenges and keep going. When the task seems too difficult or unpleasant for you, think about your goals and turn to the vision. An emotional connection will give you the strength to move forward despite the difficulties, helping you to realize your dreams and desires.

Your brain and vision

Our brain is an amazing organ. As David Frost once said, "It starts working from the moment you get up in the morning and doesn't stop until you start doing things."

Our brains are wonderful, functional, and incoherent. Due to his multitasking nature, he seems to sometimes contradict himself. Have you ever felt like your brain is in conflict with itself? If yes, then you are not alone (and you are not a psycho). We'll share a study that explains the reason for these contradictions and explains how to use the brain more effectively and live the life you want.

Scientists have found that part of the brain, the amygdala (amygdala), causes a negative reaction when faced with an uncertain or risky situation. It is necessary for a person to sense danger in time and save his life. Unfortunately, when we imagine a future that is very different from the present, we experience a sense of uncertainty because we do not know how to create the future of our dreams. And uncertainty is stressful for our brain.

This is why our brains resist risk. He is trying to save us from the unknown. When we imagine a future that is out of our comfort zone and very different from the present, the amygdala tries to stop this process before we can do something "dangerous."

Alas, we all naturally resist change and put it off until later. But the good news is that there is another part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex that works very differently. She responds positively when you're looking at perspectives, and keeps you interested when you're drawing images of a wonderful future. The scientists found an increase in electrical impulses in the prefrontal cortex when the subjects imagined a clear picture of the future.

Research has also shown that our brains can change. Previously, scientists believed that it did not develop after the process of growing up, but now it is known that the brain can change throughout a person's life. Those parts of it that we often and intensively use can increase in size, they increase the density of neurons and strengthen the connections between them. The ability of the brain to change is called neuroplasticity. Your brain can change and physically evolve if you give it a chance.

This is both good and bad at the same time. The bad news is that if you don’t consciously “turn on” your prefrontal cortex, you will continue to live by default, resisting change, staying in place and developing that part of the brain that rejects everything new and unknown. The good thing is that you can develop your brain through thinking. You can strengthen it by thinking about your wonderful future, constantly improving your imagination and thereby maintaining a strong emotional connection with the life you want to live.

And best of all, when you have a clear picture of the future, you use neurons that are also responsible for the actions aimed at realizing your dream. This means that you can train your brain and direct its actions with a simple mental effort. But first you need to create an inspiring picture of the future and not lose sight of it.

Tell me what are you going to do with your one and only and priceless life?

Mary Oliver

Chapter 4

Once you have a clear picture of your desired future, you will need a plan to get there. Imagine: you and your family are on vacation, driving across the country in a car - and you do not have a card. Do you agree that this is not the best situation?

A vision of the future without a plan for its implementation is all the same that castle in the sand.

A plan to achieve your personal and professional goals is even more important than having a map of the area in your car. Unfortunately, many people spend more time planning their travels than setting clear business priorities.

Actions according to the plan have three main advantages:

1. Reducing the likelihood of errors.

2. Save time.

3. Focus on the goal.

Planning allows you to think through all the steps in advance in order to move towards the goal. You evaluate possible mistakes on paper, which reduces the likelihood of their occurrence in life.

Studies have shown that planning significantly reduces the time and effort required. Sounds paradoxical, doesn't it? In fact, many people experience a feeling of inactivity if they are constantly not doing work. The truth is that time spent on a plan is most productive.

Finally, planning, like a good map, helps you focus on the goal. This is very important, because otherwise you will constantly be distracted and thrown off course. The plan will return you to strategically important matters.

12 week planning

We don't know a better approach than 12-week planning, which is superior to the yearly model in many ways. We will not mention quarterly planning as a derivative of annual planning. In the 12-week plan, each week is independent and every 12 weeks you meet New Year allowing for better results.

12-week planning differs significantly from annual planning in three important ways. First, it is more predictable. The further you go into the future, the less you have the ability to predict anything. In long-term plans, the assumptions overlap. If you can predict the future, give us a call and we'd love to talk to you about stocks that will make you a fortune someday!

The truth is that determining your daily activities for the next 11-12 months is almost impossible. That is why annual plans most often imply a specific goal. The accuracy of predicting the outcome of the 12-week plan is much higher. With a high degree of certainty, you will be able to determine what actions need to be performed during each week - and so for all 12 weeks. So the 12-week plan can be both numeric and action oriented. It allows you to maintain a close connection between your action today and the results in the future.

Secondly, the 12-week plan is clearly focused. Majority annual plans implies multitasking, so their implementation is questionable. The reason you multitask is because you're trying to fit everything you have planned for the next 365 days into them. And it's no wonder you get lost and off course. Often you just can't account for all the tasks!

There are always more opportunities than you can use. With a 12-week plan, you can do a few things well and not be wasted. In 12 weeks you will be able to finish three things, but they will be the most important for you and you will not be distracted by trifles. The plan will allow you to focus on a few major goals and give you enough energy and strength for timely action.

Thirdly, the 12-week plan has a fundamentally different structure. Our experience is that most plans are written with the tacit goal of simply making a good plan. Often they are placed in a beautiful folder, and this is where their execution ends.

We define goals

The point of planning is to help you identify and complete those few important tasks that are necessary to achieve your ultimate goal. If planning doesn't help you perform better, then you don't need it. Unfortunately, most plans are written without taking into account their implementation. The ability to act effectively depends on the structure and content of the plan. In a good plan, there are not too many complex tasks and not too few specific details needed to solve them. It must begin with the definition of the end goal. She, in turn, will determine your success in the 12-week year. And it will already allow you to move forward to obtain the desired long-term result.

If you don't know where you're going, you'll definitely end up in the wrong place. where they wanted. Yogi Bera

Once you have set yourself goals for 12 weeks, you need to choose a tactic of action. The easiest way is to break the 12-week goal into parts. For example, if you want to earn $10,000 and lose 5 kg during this period, then you should separately determine the tactics for generating income and losing weight.

Tactics - daily actions leading to the goal. It should be specific, achievable, include due dates for tasks, and allocate responsibility. The 12-week plan must be structured in such a way that tactical actions, completed on time, mean the achievement of goals. But you need to remember that in order not to lose sight of long-term goals, you need to align your 12-week plan with them.

The 12 week plan is a powerful tool. It allows you to focus on what is needed here and now. Do not forget that it is not part of the annual plan - this is already annual thinking, it is a thing of the past.

12 weeks is long enough to get things done, but short enough to leave a sense of the need for timely action. For those who know how to work, the 12-week plan is step-by-step instruction, which is not misleading, does not allow for delay and requires instant action.

Most of us have two lives: the first is our own daily life, and the second is one that we could live very differently.

How long have you been looking back at your plan for this year and reviewing the promises you made to yourself in January? I suppose each of us has a list of what we planned to improve in ourselves, career, personal life. But often by the middle, and even by the end of the year, some of these items remain unfulfilled, despite the fact that we had a whole long year of 12 months!

Imagine if a year was only 12 weeks long? The result may surprise you - we would have done much more. How? This is exactly what is written in the book.

Brian Moran

Brian Moran is an entrepreneur, consultant, business coach with 30 years of experience. He has worked in management positions at UPS, PepsiCo and Northern Automotive; currently continues to advise dozens of large international companies annually.

Who is this book for?

Do you feel like you still have something to strive for? You dream of a successful career, but year after year you put off studying foreign language, applying to university or trying unsuccessfully to build a business? Do you dream of a fabulous life, but do not believe that it is possible? If you have unfulfilled desires, want to get more done in the same amount of time and, most importantly, are ready to take action, this book will serve as a guide to achieving your goals.

It is not enough to just want to change. You need to work on it, and constantly and consistently.

The 12 weeks method is based on the proven practice of athletes, which is used to improve their performance.

We've developed a 12-week framework that allows you to focus on the important factors that go into increasing your income and streamlining your personal life.

How it works

Say no to yearly planning

It would seem, how is this possible? After all, the annual plan is the basis for the work of both small and large organizations around the world. The authors of the book, however, believe that, despite its popularity, the annual planning method is not really very effective. So, if we dig deeper and analyze this period, we will notice that we often work most effectively only by the end of the year, in anticipation of reporting and summing up the results for the whole year. And most of the rest of the time, we often allow ourselves to relax, because the year is so long!

Instead, Brian Moran and Michael Lennington suggest switching to a 12-week cycle, during which you simply will not have so much time to waste.

A short year gives enough time to complete everything planned, but you will always feel the need to act and maintain your tone.

Benefits of 12 Week Planning

1. It's more predictable. After all, it is much easier to predict the development of events in the coming weeks than for the whole year ahead.
2. The 12-week plan is clearly focused. The list of tasks that will need to be implemented is much smaller than the annual list, and this helps to avoid dispersion and waste of time.
3. The 12-week plan has a fundamentally different structure.

Our experience is that most plans are written with the tacit goal of simply making a good plan. Often they are placed in a beautiful folder, and this is where their execution ends.

A properly drawn up plan is very important, because without an intended scenario of actions, we will not be able to achieve specific goals. The authors give eight main, in their opinion, elements that most affect the quality and effectiveness of any undertaking:

1. Vision.
2. Planning.
3. The control.
4. Measurements and evaluation.
5. The use of time.
6. Responsibility.
7. Fulfillment of promises.
8. Unleashing your potential every time you take action.

It's not that hard to be successful! In the end, you either succeed here and now, or you never succeed.

Is not desk book, is a guide with ready-made tools that help you create a compelling vision of the future (a clear picture of what you want in life), define your goals, learn how to properly allocate time, not be afraid of responsibility and be honest with yourself. And the most important thing is to dream and at the same time gradually and harmoniously act towards your goals.

12 Weeks is one of the most inspiring and motivating books I've had the pleasure of reading in the past month. Personally, I'm starting my first of 12 weeks today.

And in this post I will share with you my experience of planning for this system in more detail.

And I'll start by talking a little about the book itself, which was written by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington. The book is written very simply and simply, without unnecessary water. There are only 89 pages in the book. Therefore, you can read it in just a couple of hours.

But I periodically return to some pages, and therefore I printed them out for myself (I have a book in electronic form). And the second half of the book, starting with 14 chapters, which already describes step by step how to draw up the actual plan and track its implementation, I printed it out for myself and keep it at hand on my desktop.

So what does 12 weeks a year even mean? The authors suggest that we set goals not for the calendar year from January to December, as many people and companies do. Set goals for yourself every 12 weeks.

Why exactly 12 weeks? This is the optimal length of the period for planning, it is long enough so that some significant goals can be achieved. But at the same time, this period is short enough that it can be planned accurately enough. This is not a year of 52 weeks, when it’s hard to imagine what will happen and how in half a year 😉

I also really liked that after describing the key points of the methodology, the authors talk about the most common mistakes and give recommendations on how to eliminate them. This is really very valuable. You sit and read a chapter and think: “no, that’s not quite right,” or “well, it’s not like that for me, it won’t suit me, because ...” And then you reach the end of the chapter, and there: if you think, if it doesn't work for you... And as if there is no excuse not to do it 😉

And now more about the system itself and my planning experience, how I do it:

1. Formulate your vision for the future

Before planning for the next 12 weeks, you need to understand where I'm going, how I want to get there. Therefore, you need to clearly imagine your picture of the IDEAL future, your ideal day.

That's why I really like the exercise that Kari Chapin gives in the book She describes very well there how to visualize your ideal day. I love to do this exercise from time to time.

I will send the full text of this exercise to the subscribers of the site in the next mailing list. Therefore, if you have not subscribed yet, you can do it in the column to the right of the article 😉

2. Write out your projects

In order to write down the most important goals for the next 12 weeks, I first wrote out all my projects and what I want to be done for each of them by the end of the period. Moreover, I wrote not only work projects (Etsy store KvitkaBags, #So_easy_planner diary, this site and a training course), but also personal projects and affairs (Me, my relationships, my home). Here's what I got.

3. Set goals for 12 weeks

After taking a critical look at all my projects, I first highlighted:
- what I want to formulate as goals for these 12 weeks.
- something that is not goals, but simply the current one-time tasks that need to be done and that's it (for example, order new curtains for the bedroom).
- regular activities or habits that I want to introduce into my life during this period or just continue to do as before (daily yoga, self-care, regular dates with my husband and bachelorette parties with my eldest daughter).

As a result, I got 3 global goals for this period, which relate to my work projects, and everything else was attributed to tasks or daily activities and procedures.

4. Break Goals into Steps and Distribute Them by Week

After setting goals as described in the book 12 weeks a year I wrote down each goal according to all the rules (measurable, clearly defined, etc.) and painted a plan for achieving it, or stages of implementation, for each goal

And then the most difficult thing is to prescribe specific deadlines for the implementation of each-each stage according to the goal: the time of the beginning of its implementation, the end, and leave a separate column to mark when it will be completed.

This probably took the most time. But it was worth it. Performing this stage of planning, I immediately saw and understood that this week was too busy for me, but this one was freer, I could redistribute some tasks. And this week I'll be busy preparing for my daughter's birthday, so I can't plan a lot of work for her. And here I have a tough deadline, so whatever you want, but you have to do it 😉

5. Set goals for each week

After I wrote it all down on a general plan, I began to transfer everything to my diary. And she began by writing down, next to each week, on the monthly spreads of the diary, the stages of the goals that must be met by this date.

Even for a monthly spread, it is necessary to register all important home meetings (for example, birthdays of relatives, etc.) so as not to forget about it and also understand how much time you will have on this day

6. Make a weekly plan

After that, right there on the monthly reversal, I painted the main task for each day, what should be done on that particular day. Here it is important not to forget about those stages of the goals, the implementation of which should already begin, but the end is not yet this week, but later.

To be honest, I didn’t immediately write down daily goals for all 12 weeks. And there are two reasons for this:

1. Right now, all of them are not needed at once. With the 12-week method, you still need to devote time to weekly planning, which, of course, is logical. And so during this weekly planning, I write down daily goals for the coming week.
2. I'm still a supporter of soft planning. Moreover, there is always a place for some unexpected urgent tasks (for example, additional training with my daughter before performances) that can interfere with the plans made. And then these same plans need to be adjusted in order to still meet the global deadlines.

6. Fill out your diary

And after that we transfer everything directly to the diary. I sit down, sum up the results of the current week, check what is done, what is not, redistribute the tasks that have not been completed since the last week, if any, and schedule my next week.

What do you mean I paint? First of all, I write its main task for each day, I transfer all planned meetings from the monthly plan (including birthdays, so as not to forget to congratulate loved ones).

After that, daily procedures that relate to health (Yoga, breathing, etc.). And all daily activities and procedures (Self care, house cleaning, reading with children). And then some current tasks. Here's what it looks like on my #So_easy_planner page:

When the week starts, I only need to enter some current affairs for the day. A small leaf with a list of goals for the week I pin to the spread current day to keep this list in front of your eyes all week. As I complete tasks, I cross them off this list and see what else is left.

Now in our family there is a period when urgent unplanned meetings or tasks can arise. This is temporary, of course, but somehow we need to cope with this in order to achieve our goals. Therefore, such a small list with goals for the current week allows you to keep the main things under control.

For example, one day these unplanned things "stole" absolutely all my time, and I did not have time not only to complete the current tasks, but even the main goal for the day. Then the next day I see this list in front of me and understand what needs to be done today, and what needs to be postponed 😉

Support for 12 weeks

When people meet with a support group, they perform much better than those who are left alone with their problems. We recommend creating a group of 2-4 people with common interests to meet every week.

We call them "Weekly Responsibility Societies" (WEOs)...

OEO is a very important element of control. This is a short morning meeting that usually takes place on Mondays after all participants have made their plans for the week. It lasts 15-30 minutes.

During the meeting, the group members do not accuse each other of not fulfilling the plans. They boldly talk about their mistakes, praise each other for successes, help focus on what is important and thereby encourage further action.

The book even has a sample story for OEO.

If you don't work in an office but are self employed (most hand makers work from home) you might think it's hard to get together with like minded people in one place for a 15 minute meeting. I must tell you that this is an absolutely solvable task in the age of high technology, Skype and Viber will help you.

For example, there are three of us in my OEO now: I am from the Dnieper, Ira from Chisinau and Marina from St. Petersburg. And what we're all out different countries does not limit us in any way

Sample working week

And another tool that just opened my eyes to my planning personally.

To learn how to allocate your time more efficiently, it is useful to develop a model of a highly productive week. As part of the exercise, you will create a sample work week by allocating time for the most important activities.

The book describes in detail how to make such a sample, that it is necessary to provide in it how to allocate your time more efficiently.

So when I compiled my Sample of the Week, entered my children’s schedule there (because we live far from kindergarten and school, I drive and pick them up), set aside time for household chores, I clearly understood that I have literally couple of hours a day! to work on global tasks that bring me closer to the goals.

At first I was shocked, but then I realized that this really stimulates me to manage my time more efficiently and minimize unproductive time.

And at the end of the book, the authors in the chapter Your first 12 weeks warn of all the difficulties that may lie in wait for you, for example, the strength of resistance, old habits, etc. And best of all, they give clear recommendations on how not to go astray. There are even texts of motivational training letters that need to be read in a certain week (2, 3, 5, 8 and 11).

And coming to an end. I am now in my second 12 weeks. The first were trial and more relaxed, because. It was summer. And now everything is serious: serious goals and serious intentions to achieve them.

If you also want to achieve several goals that are important to you by the end of this year using this planning technique, then we, together with your favorite publishing house MIF, decided to play a 99% discount on 10 books among my site subscribers.

More related articles

Let's start with the fact that I have enough desire for growth and development. The problem is that by nature I am more of a dreamer and planner than a "doer" and "plowman". I find it easier to admire new ideas and endlessly plan than to implement. Therefore, the upward movement was difficult and slow.

"12 weeks a year"

But at the end of 2014, the book “12 weeks a year. How to do more in 12 weeks than others can do in 12 months. A very loud headline makes my skepticism scream just as loudly. But if the book is on a topic of interest and about something new, then why not read it? At least the first few pages.

And just from these first pages, the authors began to dispel skepticism with reasoned arguments, research and common sense. The speculative theory is correct, beautiful and inspiring. But the best test for any theory is practice, which I immediately set to work.

Have I accomplished more in 12 weeks than others do in 12 months? It's hard for me to say. One thing is for sure: now in 12 weeks I manage to do more than I did in 12 months before! And for me it was a surprise, because I didn’t fully believe that this was possible.

I will say right away that this is not a quarterly planning system. This is a different way of thinking and even - to some extent - new tools. "12 weeks a year" allows you to change the way you think and learn how to act correctly. The system helps to focus on those methods that are necessary to achieve high results.

Within the framework of the article it is impossible to describe the system itself and the reasons for its effectiveness. Therefore, I advise you to read a book (you can) or attend a free webinar, which will be held as part of the 12 weeks a year online training on the SmartProgress site.

GTD method: without it, nowhere

So, in order not to stagnate, there is a system of "12 weeks a year" ("12-week year"). And so that the endless stream of incoming thoughts, ideas, tasks and projects does not drive you crazy, you need a technique to increase personal effectiveness. After all, no matter how purposeful and independent we are, no one has yet canceled the routine. As it turned out, these two systems of self-organization are very harmoniously combined and complement each other.

GTD helps us to have a mind free to create and at the same time not to miss anything, saving us from rush, punctures and stress. "12-week year" - do not lose focus and purposefulness. To bring everything together, to structure it, not to get confused and to have quick access, I use the MyLifeOrganized computer organizer.

MLO: collect and organize

If you do not know about this organizer or have no idea how to work with it, read the articles about and. Here I will talk about the task processing algorithm.

It all starts simply: ideas and thoughts come to us, tasks, projects appear and go to the trash. At the right time, we sort the basket, make decisions, structure, assign contexts, distribute to projects.

Dealing with routine classical laws(David Allen), but for the symbiosis of GTD and the "12-week year" you need to create a special folder and context. Let's call them simply - 12. All projects and tasks for the "12-week year" get into the folder. We need context to create tabs and views. There should be five.

1. All projects and tasks of the "12-week year"

The tab is made by simply focusing on folder 12 and pinning the default view. Everyone chooses the structure of the folder itself to taste. I organized it by areas of life: spirituality, family, professional activities, health, development, life, relationships ...

2. Unplanned

Like the previous one, it is created using focus, but a filter is applied to it, filtering out all tasks and projects for which any time period is selected. Opened at the end or beginning of a "year" (every 12 weeks) to plan for the next "year". We do this by simply specifying the “Year” value in the task properties. Each such task disappears from the "Unplanned" tab and appears in the "Annual Plan" tab.

3. Annual plan

The tab is created from the To-Do list, to which the filter is applied: the context is 12, the target is "Year". Helps to plan activities for the month. Everything is done as simply as in the previous case: in the goals, we change the “Year” to “Month” and the task, disappearing from this tab, appears in the “Monthly plan” tab.

4. Monthly plan

To create, use the previous tab, changing the filter value "Year" to "Month". We open the tab once a week, select tasks for the next seven days and set them the goal "Week".

5. Weekly Plan

This tab differs from the previous ones again by filtering by the “Target” property. And here she is - "Week". We look through it every day, or even several times a day, in order to decide on things for today. Completed tasks are marked.

It may seem that these are all unnecessary gestures that only complicate the achievement of the goals of the "12-week year". But in reality, it is very difficult to keep focus, and it is the availability of quick access to clear lists that helps not to be distracted, not to waste time on analysis and search, while avoiding unnecessary stress.

If something is still unclear to you, ask questions in the comments and sign up for the webinar. See you.

Develop your 12 week plan

In this chapter, we will help you develop your first 12-week plan. But first you need to formulate a vision for the future and establish a strong emotional connection with it. If you don't have any thoughts on this yet, read again to determine the goals you are going to achieve in the next 12 weeks and write a plan to help you achieve this.

About the benefits of planning

If your work does not involve constant feedback on the results, then it is very difficult to challenge the value of planning. It allows you to correctly allocate time and resources to find the best opportunities, increases your chances of successfully achieving the goal, and also helps to properly coordinate the actions of the team and thereby create a competitive advantage.

Despite the proven benefits of planning, not everyone likes to follow a plan. Most want to get started right away. This is a great character trait, but it can also become an obstacle to effectiveness. We are impatient and want immediate results. A good plan takes time, and it will take hard work to execute it. Ironically, the more time you spend putting together a really good plan, the less it will take to complete the task itself.

Another reason why people don't work according to a pre-planned plan is something like this: "I already know what needs to be done, and I don't need a plan to do it." It seems logical, but, unfortunately, there is always a difference between knowledge and action. For example, many want to be in good physical shape, and most know that this requires exercising and eating right. Question: how many succeed in this difficult task? The answer is obvious: no. It's not enough to just know. Our world is not constant: unexpected events always occur, obstacles arise, and the thirst for inner comfort overpowers the voice of reason. So we forget what we need to do.

And that is why you need to create a written plan and work according to it. This will greatly increase the likelihood of success.

The 12-week planning technique is good for more than just work. A well-written plan can positively affect almost every aspect of your life. J. McAndrews told a little story about his son and the 12 week year.

My son Kevin is a senior at the University of Louisiana. Two years ago, he had serious problems with the distribution of time for study, work in a student organization and participation in the football team. During the Christmas holidays, I told him about the basic principles of the 12-week year. Starting the following semester, he was able to independently set clear goals for himself and develop a plan of action. Since then, every Sunday he sends me his weekly plan and even includes quotes that give him strong motivation to get everything done. His grades improved significantly, and most importantly, he learned to properly focus on his goals and definitely understood the meaning of the expression to be successful at every moment.

The rules of the game are changing

Working on the principles of the 12-week year, you better feel the value of your time. Every day is important in achieving your goals. The value of the moment is felt very sharply, because in your year there are only 12 weeks! You learn to act constantly and in a timely manner - this is how the future you dream of is created.

Living in the moment, however, can be done in two different ways: re active or about actively. If you always demonstrate only a reaction - an immediate response to an external stimulus - then the risk of errors increases, because the main driving force behind your actions is "incoming signals": calls, notifications Email, new tasks... Someone knocks on the door, you quickly pack up and leave. At such moments it is very difficult to determine how valuable your actions are, because usually you do not divide them into “bad” and “good”, but rank them according to the degree of value to you. And at this point in time, it may not be obvious to you at all.

This is why 12-week planning is so helpful. With a plan in place, you don't have to rely on "incoming signals" to take action. It determines your actions. You can plan work in advance - this is called proactive action. The 12-week plan helps you do more of the right things each day and achieve your goals faster and more effectively.

Another useful feature of the 12-week plan is the extreme focus on a few of the most important actions that determine the result as a whole. You simply cannot do everything at once, because in a 12-week year there is not enough time for this. You will focus on the minimum set of actions required to achieve your goal.

12-week planning also allows you to set short deadlines - and this is very important. There is no uncertainty due to the small time frame; as a result, you can make an effective plan. Annual plans are usually not action-oriented: it is almost impossible to predict what will be needed in four months or beyond. Short deadlines are one of the main advantages of the 12-week year.

Because of high degree uncertainties, most of the annual plans contain some goals, but their clear implementation is not possible. The typical annual plan says what is to be achieved, but it doesn't explain how to proceed. There is no list of right actions, and you can move in the wrong direction or take on more than you can handle.

Describing daily and weekly activities is the basis of the effectiveness of the 12-week plan. If you have a clear idea of ​​each action that needs to be performed, then you are thereby preparing yourself for success.

Here is how our good friend Patrick Morin describes his experience of 12-week planning:

My introduction to the 12-week year began with an attempt to lose 20 kg of weight, which still did not want to disappear. The system of "intermediate goals, strategies and tactics" not only helped me to cope with this task perfectly; I was able to successfully prepare for the triathlon. Having achieved my goal and pleasantly surprised by my physical form, I began to think about new options for using this technique.

Then we were looking for money for a medical startup. We started work in January, preparing all the necessary documentation and product. The process of finding funding took longer than we planned, and we had to support the company with our own funds. I lost both money and patience ...

And then I thought it was time to apply the technique of the 12-week year.

July has begun. On Monday, I brought all the leaders to a meeting. The goal was very clear: in order for our product and company to survive, we needed to complete the private offering prospectus and raise funding in the next 12 weeks. The economic situation at that time was not only bad, but simply terrible. There were no investors - titanic efforts were required to at least interest someone.

We had a clear picture of the future. The next step was to create a 12-week fundraising plan. There was no time to feel sorry for ourselves and think about the great work that we had done in the previous six months. It was necessary to concentrate extremely on the next 12 weeks.

Under the slogan “every day is a week”, we completed the 100-page placement prospectus within the first week, submitted it to the lawyers, and received their approval a week later. What a huge boost of energy it gave us!

We negotiated with hundreds of businessmen we know and gained a "critical mass" that allowed us to close the first round on October 10!

Incredible! We began to apply the 12-week year principle to all projects, and the success of our company was noted by both investors and employees.

A good plan contributes to its successful execution.

Imagine driving a car through an unfamiliar area when everyone road signs and the pointers contradict each other and you get lost in space. You probably want to say a lot of things to the person who installed them. You will want to know exactly how to drive in the right direction, or you will get confused and return home.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I bet you have no idea how many people write business plans that can be compared to the example in the previous paragraph! Sometimes they miss important steps, labor-intensive processes are described in one sentence, and the necessary actions are jumbled. Even worse - often this is not a competent definition of actions leading to the achievement of the goal, but simply a collection of ideas and conclusions. It's like, for example, before driving from point A to point B, you will receive the instruction: "Get in the car and go straight to B." Such plans are widespread. Of course, they are suitable for anything, but not for working on them.

Drawing up an effective 12-week plan is the key to solving the most important tasks throughout this period. It defines the weekly activities that you need to complete within that time frame to achieve your goal.

Long-term prospects and short-term results

Plans can both identify potential for the future and help achieve short-term results. They should indicate the goal in accordance with which you will receive results in a given period. If it is a business plan, then it should define the expected profit.

Some plans may also include goals aimed at achieving long-term results: training or hiring additional employees, improving technologies, introducing new systems, etc. The effort and resources spent to achieve long-term goals are immediately visible, and the effect will be manifested only in the future. That's why it's important to have short-term results in your plan.

Proper plan structure

The structure of the plan you write is very important if you want to be successful. A good plan starts with the right goal. If it cannot be measured or evaluated, then the plan will not work. The clearer and more specific you are in your goals for the next 12 weeks, the easier it will be to write a workable plan.

Many 12 week plans only include 2-3 goals. For example, lose 5 kg or earn $105,000 in a new business. For each of them, you will describe tactical actions. Weight loss tactics will show you what needs to be done to achieve the desired goal. This may include limiting food intake to 1200 calories per day and 20 minutes of cardio three times a week. In the description, use verbs and full sentences rather than listing actions. The wording is very important. The $105,000 revenue goal will require a different set of actions.

There are five ways to successfully create 12-week plans in the part where you describe your goals and intended actions.

Technique 1. Be specific. Goals and actions must be measurable

Describe the goal so that it and the actions to achieve it can be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively. How many calls will you make? How many pounds will you lose weight? How long will you run? How much money will you earn? The more accurately you describe it, the better!

Technique 2. Write positively

Keep a positive attitude when describing your desired outcomes. For example, instead of 2% error, focus on 98% accuracy.

Tactic 3. The goals described must be realistic.

If you can achieve your goal without changing anything, then you need to do more. If this is not possible, then you should make the task a little easier. If you've never asked for referrals, then the "asking for referrals at every meeting" tactic will be redundant. You can try another approach - "ask for recommendations from at least one client per week."

Technique 4: Divide Responsibilities

This applies to the team (if you work alone, then all the responsibility lies with you). Personal responsibility for achieving each goal and performing each action is extremely important! “Everyone does” means “no one does”.

Tactic 5. Keep deadlines

There is nothing better than a precise deadline for completion of work. Then you start it on time and actively act. Make sure you set a date by which the goal or action must be completed.

In addition, each action must be described using a verb and formatted as a complete sentence, as well as completed within the week specified in the plan. Below is an example of a 12 week plan.

Set your goals for the next 12 weeks

Knowing the direction is the first step towards the goal. Effective planning starts with a clear, detailed, and measurable goal for the next 12 weeks—your own. If you achieve it, it will bring meaningful results and change your life for the better.

The 12 week goal is the bridge between vision and the 12 week plan. It must be achievable, otherwise there is a risk of being disappointed in it. It shouldn't be too easy: you don't need our method if you can achieve it in the usual way.

It's time to set yourself a goal for the next 12 weeks that fits your long-term vision of the future and is bold enough. Go back to and re-examine your long-term goals and vision for the future in a three-year perspective. Think about what you want to achieve in the next 12 weeks. Once you decide on a goal, be sure to write it down.

Goal(s) for 12 weeks:

1. ______________

2. ______________

3. ______________

The 12 week goals are achievable but ambitious enough to reach your potential.

Why is your goal for the next 12 weeks so important to you? What will change in your life if you achieve it? Write down your answer.

Creating a 12 week plan

It's time to write your first 12 week plan. This is your road map to achieve your goals. The best plan is one that helps you focus on a couple of goals you want to achieve during that time. The fewer goals and weekly actions in your plan, the easier it is to complete.

As George Patton once said, “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” Don't worry if your plan isn't "perfect" - there are no perfect plans. Its implementation itself will tell you what is effective and what needs to be adjusted. Remember that planning is problem solving. Your plan determines how you will improve your results in 12 weeks.

To begin, write down the heading “Goal 1.” Add each target separately. If you only have one goal, great! Then, for each goal, prioritize daily and weekly actions. You may need to write out everything that needs to be done on a separate sheet of paper. Think carefully and choose only the actions that will bring the greatest return. Some will be repeatable (eg, "work out every day"), while others will be done once every 12 weeks (eg, "join a gym"). Describe these actions in detail in complete sentences beginning with a verb. Then, in the Timeline column, enter all weeks (from 1st to 12th) during which each individual action will be performed.

As you plan, ask yourself a couple of questions:

What activities are difficult for you?

What will you do to overcome difficulties?

Shift in consciousness

Without a good plan, you will not be able to act correctly. How you think about the planning process has a lot to do with the quality of the plan and your success in achieving your goals. Let's take a look at a few common thinking problems.

Most people know to work according to a plan. But if they have a stereotype that such work is rarely done well, then they will not spend time on a quality plan. If you've had a bad experience with a plan before, remember that the 12-week one is noticeably different from the rest. It involves performing important actions every week in order to eventually achieve the goal. Key Features 12-week plan - focus on action. You can't "work with goals" as in the case of an annual plan, but you can take action.

Another problem with our thinking is that "we don't have time to make a good plan." Almost everyone thinks so, but unreasonably. A few years ago, we did a study on planning time. If you plan for complex tasks, you reduce the total time to complete them by 20%!

Teamwork

As a leader, you can completely change the results of a team with a 12-week plan. Imagine that each member is inspired by the vision of the future and their own goals. What difference will it make for you as a leader if the team works hard on the most important tasks - and so every week?

There are several steps you can take as a leader to help your team work effectively around the 12-week plan. The first is to ask them to read this book, help form a picture of the future, and develop a plan template. When they can visualize the future and make their own plans, schedule separate meetings with each to review and evaluate their work. The purpose of such meetings will be to carefully consider the plans of employees and strengthen your role as a leader - a leader who will help subordinates achieve their goals.

During meetings, always start the conversation with your 12-week goals. Are employees in control of their achievement, or do they just want to "make it happen"? Are their goals achievable or should they be adjusted? Do they believe in achieving their own goals? If necessary, invite them to change the goal - but give reasons. Remember that their goals are their conscious choice, not your desire.

Once you have resolved all the issues, switch to the action plan. As a consultant, help employees focus on the minimum number of goals and the minimum set of actions required to achieve them. Remember tricks accurate description goals and actions. These tips will help your employees improve the quality of their plans.

Team planning

As a leader or team member, you sometimes need to set common goals and develop common plans. Often, a team plan allows you to better uncover the talents and use the resources of its members.

The planning process in a group is similar to the individual, except that all team members jointly set goals and develop a plan. Ask everyone to participate. Make sure everyone agrees to work towards a common goal.

Then develop a joint action plan and choose the minimum possible number of actions that contribute to the achievement of the goal.

It is very important to separate the area of ​​responsibility and determine the actions of all team members. The personal responsibility of each will help everyone to work effectively. But if it is assumed that several team members will perform the same tasks, then it is better to break tactical tasks into several smaller ones and, accordingly, distribute them among the participants. For example, if a team of four is required to hold 20 business meetings per week, then the team members' individual plans should be formulated as "hold five meetings per week."

Finally, two tips about team planning. First, do not overestimate its capabilities. The best team plan is short and contains the minimum list of actions necessary to achieve the result - no more. Secondly, do not overload people at the initial stage. If possible, distribute their forces over the entire period of the plan - 12 weeks.

Don't let these five common mistakes derail your plan.

Mistake 1. Your 12-week plan doesn't match your long-term goals.

It is very important that your 12-week goals (and others within our planning methodology) are in line with the long-term vision of the future. When you set goals, make sure they are connected to your vision and define what you will accomplish after 12 weeks. They should constantly bring you closer to your long-term goals.

Mistake 2. You are not focused on the implementation of the plan.

Focusing on achieving goals is very important. If you set many goals at once, then there is a chance that you will not be able to properly prioritize and choose the necessary actions. "Everything" cannot be prioritised. You must learn to give up many things in favor of a few - but the most important. It takes courage to select a small number of key areas. Remember that a new year comes every 12 weeks. Every 12 weeks, identify one or two key areas for yourself in which you need to work with maximum impact. Then, after the 12-week period, you will redefine new key tasks for yourself. A 12-week year helps you focus on a few of your most important tasks and make significant progress in a short amount of time.

Mistake 3. You are inconsistent in your choice of actions.

Often people choose 8, 10 or more actions (tactical steps) to achieve one goal. Do you really think this is necessary? In most cases this great amount action is not only redundant, but also becomes an obstacle to the completion of your tasks.

It is very useful to consider all possible courses of action, but not all of them are necessary. Trying to do everything depletes your personal resources and leaves you feeling tired. It is important to remember that there is no “correct” number of actions. Like goals. In everything you need to observe the golden mean. If you can achieve your goal using four actions, why do you need a fifth? Consider all the options and choose only the ones you need.

Mistake 4. You make things difficult

The planning task itself can be very complex. Some companies have entire departments responsible for strategic planning. But if you want to successfully complete your 12-week year, don't over complicate the obvious. If you think the plan is getting cumbersome, you may be right. Choose only the most important directions and a reasonable minimum set of actions that will lead to the achievement of your goals.

Mistake 5. Your plan lacks focus

Your plan should cover the most important goals and the means to achieve them, otherwise it will not be effective. Often people make plans based on outside tips. It is not very difficult to carry out plans, but not so easy. It is difficult to work in the absence of clear and precise goals. Make sure you only focus on what matters most to you.