Michael Hyatt's Blog, page 5

5 Steps to a Bigger, Better Future

Years ago, I had an idea for one of my coaching clients. It was a fundamental change to her business model that I knew would grow her business exponentially and provide her with more personal margin. But, almost immediately, she started retreating from the idea. Why? Because she couldn’t see how it could be possible. 

Her response was not unusual. She was voicing a mindset that’s common among entrepreneurs. But to achieve anything significant, you have to start with what you want accomplish and suspend any discussion of how you will do it. That comes later. First, you must get clear on what. Here are five steps for developing a crystal-clear vision without talking yourself out of it before you start.

Set aside the how. This needs to be a deliberate, conscious decision. Say to yourself, Look, I know I’ll eventually have to figure out how I’m going to achieve this. But for the next hour, I’m going to get clear on what I want. This takes discipline. You’ll be tempted to slip back into figuring out how you’ll pull it off. In fact, the bigger the vision, the greater the temptation. This is normal, especially if the vision scares you.Stand in the future. Human beings are adept at being mentally detached from where they are. So let’s use this to our advantage. Locate yourself at a point in time in the future. It can be a year, three years, or any future time you choose. The important thing is to choose a specific date, then mentally transport yourself to it.Record what you see. Nothing creates clarity faster than forcing yourself to write it down. Do this in two stages. First, just do a brain dump. This is the creative stage. The goal is to get the vision out of your head. Second, go back and fine-tune. This is the editing stage. Now is the time to rearrange what you have and clean up the grammar.Use the present tense. You might be tempted to write your vision in the future tense. After all, your vision is about the future. Don’t do it. Instead, write in the present tense. That way, it will seem more real. It will also help convince your brain that the vision is going to happen—it’s already a reality.Let it simmer. In one sense, the vision is never done. Until you achieve it, you will be tweaking it. That’s because as you move toward it, you’ll gain even more clarity. At this stage, it’s also helpful to share the vision with your team or with people you trust. But be careful here. You don’t want to invite naysayers into the conversation. You want people who can offer honest feedback and help you get even greater clarity.

To create a brighter, better future for yourself and the people you lead, you have to start with the vision—a clear, compelling view of the future. You can’t afford to let yourself get bogged down in how until you are clear about what. This is where every important improvement starts: in your mind.

3 Reasons You Can’t Stop Working (And How to Fix It)

Some of us are immensely compelled to work. It seems that we just can’t stop. Most of us don’t see it as a problem. We live in a society that congratulates and celebrates those with a strong work ethic. But the truth is, this approach causes you to pay the price with your health and most important relationships. If the cost is so high, what’s really driving the behavior?

 

6 Tips to Increase Your Concentration

In the distraction economy, focus is a rare commodity. We can’t do meaningful work unless we maintain focus. Good leaders not only achieve greater focus but also equip team members with focus-boosting tools. Don’t let another week go by with fractured focus. Below, you’ll find six practices to destroy distractions in your daily work. Choose at least one of these tools to add to your work today.

Calendar your focus time. What gets scheduled gets done. Block your calendar during the times of your peak performance. For instance, I do my best work early in the morning, so I schedule early alone time to complete my most important projects. If you aren’t familiar with chronotypes, consider reading When by Daniel Pink. You’ll identify when you work best, so you can schedule demanding tasks in your most productive time periods.Go offline. Turn off notifications or use a tool that blocks content. You don’t have the mental strength to overcome pop-ups on your own. I use a tool called Freedom on my desktop. On my phone, I delete nonessential apps and set screen-time controls for social media apps required for work. I don’t even know the code to bypass the limits. My wife keeps the code so I can’t breach my digital distraction firewall. To win the war on focus, you must take down the tech giants.Turn the room temperature down. In a study published by Scientific American, participants were asked to proofread an article. Some worked in a room at 77°F while others worked in a room set to 67°F. Those in the cool room found twice as many errors as their counterparts. Science proves it—cooler rooms improve concentration. Optimal temperature varies by person, so test out different settings to find your perfect thermostat setting.Put on music that aids concentration. Researchers at Stanford University studied the effect of music on the brain and found that it engaged areas of the brain involved in paying attention, making predictions, and updating memory. When I write, I listen to a playlist of instrumental and epic soundtracks. It gives me a sense of purpose. It’s designed to impact emotion, and it does. I feel more aware of my larger purpose in the world. For help finding this type of music, search the Focus genre on Spotify or use apps like Focus@Will.Notice the effect of food on your ability to focus. For some people, three cups of coffee help with focus. Others feel jittery after the slightest amount of caffeine. Pay attention to how your body reacts to what you consume, and don’t skip meals. You may need snacks in your desk drawer or a water bottle with markers that track your daily hydration. Add foods known to increase brain function to your regular diet.Take frequent breaks. If you power through too long on a project, you’ll run out of battery. Consider periodically going on a walk, meditating, taking an afternoon nap, or making a cup of coffee. Whatever you do, clear your mind for a few minutes, and you’ll feel almost immediate benefits. On a typical workday, I take a mid-morning break. Later, I break for lunch and an afternoon nap. Breaks renew my energy. Each time I return to my desk, I work with fresh eyes and fresh motivation.

Distractions are everywhere. Without intentional actions, you will fall prey to them again and again. Win the war on focus by using the focus-boosting strategies above.

4 Ways to Make Daily Progress on Your Goals

Most people think intensity is the key to accomplishing huge goals, but Jerry Seinfeld would disagree. When this stand-up comic, co-creator of Seinfeld, and actor considers the reason for his success, he credits one word: consistency. Early on in his career, Jerry started writing at least one joke per day. He hung a giant calendar on the wall, and every time he finished his daily joke, he drew a big red X over the day. Over time, the string of Xs formed a long chain. Jerry says the draw of money and fame didn’t motivate him. The real motivator was to not break the chain.

This daily joke routine is a perfect example of a habit goal. Habit goals keep you focused on small tasks that can be completed each day. Consistent victories keep the momentum going. If you want to make progress, you’ll need to trade intensity for consistency. Follow these four steps to get moving on your goals today.

Get clear on your goal. You can’t accomplish a goal until you’ve defined it. Vision always comes first. Get clarity about the end result you want. Get specific about your goal. And write it down. Thoughts disentangle themselves as they pass over the lips and through pencil tips. Until you can write down a clear goal, you don’t really know what you want. Writing down the goal is especially important when a team is involved. You may feel clarity in your brain, but you can’t create alignment until it’s on paper. This first step is critical to success.Identify the right behavior. Determine what behavior will enable you to achieve your goal. Don’t make this behavior too difficult. When practiced over and over again, it should get you incrementally closer to major change. Years ago, I had 25 stubborn pounds that just wouldn’t fall off. Instead of muscling my way through the weight or booking an intimidating Ironman triathlon, I cut out sugar and processed carbs. That’s it. Every day, I focused on this one step. It was super easy. It didn’t feel like an insurmountable goal. It was a simple behavioral change. I stayed consistent. Those pesky pounds dropped off in about three months. Just like a fad diet, intense goal setting doesn’t work. It’s about lifestyle change. Consistently follow the right behavior.Track your progress. Tracking progress accomplishes two objectives: it reinforces the habit through self-accountability, and it boosts motivation by showing you visual progress. Like Jerry Seinfeld’s compulsion to keep the chain going, recording your progress will keep you motivated. Seeing the string of success will generate more momentum for the days to come.Enlist an accountability partner. Building a relationship with an accountability partner might be the most impactful step you can take. It’s critically important to choose the right person. Years ago, when focusing on my golf game, I chose a partner that ragged on my mistakes. You can probably guess what happened. The more he ridiculed me, the worse I got. Your accountability partner must be encouraging. It might be a friend or coworker. It could also be a professional counselor, coach, or trainer.

Progress is within reach for you, but you might need to restructure the way you think about goals. When you lean into small tasks you can complete every day, you’ll get moving in no time.

From the Great Resignation to the Great Renovation

You need people to get work done. But more and more people are walking away from work for a variety of reasons. So finding and retaining talent has become a formidable challenge, which therefore causes the business to suffer. How do you keep pushing things forward without enough people around you?

From the Great Resignation to the Great Reinvention

You need people to get work done. But more and more people are walking away from work for a variety of reasons. So finding and retaining talent has become a formidable challenge, which therefore causes the business to suffer. How do you keep pushing things forward without enough people around you?

 

 

Leave Goal Shame Behind to Achieve Your Biggest Goals

Many leaders never admit their biggest goals because of invisible barriers. One of the main barriers is goal shame. Goal shame is embarrassment about the things you want to achieve. Sometimes it results from internal thoughts like, Who am I to do this? or Who am I to attempt something so big? Self-doubt, fear, and insecurity fuel internal shame. Imaginary naysayers add to the embarrassment. You don’t have to succumb to this. Here are three tips to help you eliminate goal shame and achieve your biggest goals.

Stop being your own worst critic and begin measuring the gains. Aspirations are fragile. Your inner critic is capable of wreaking more havoc than a whack-a-mole. This can show up as imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome says, I don’t deserve this. It’s only a matter of time before everyone figures out I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. When you get stuck here, progress stops dead in its tracks. Instead of measuring the distance to your goal, start focusing on how far you’ve come. You can either run on autopilot and let the inner critic show up, or you can intentionally choose confidence and optimism.Stop listening to cynics and start enlisting coaches. There are people in your community who will try to cut your goals off at the knees. This attack says more about your naysayers than it does about you. The disappointment in their own lives leads to a razing of others’ dreams. While it would be unwise to earmuff every external comment, you need to filter through the noise to divide the personal attacks from the practical critiques. Be wary of the trolls who are uninterested in your growth, and, remember, if it’s anonymous, it’s probably not worth considering. As you quiet the critics, you’ll need to replace the voices with coaches. In other words, find people who are in it for you. This support system will include equippers and encouragers who are committed to your betterment. You may select formal executive coaches, informal mentors, and close friends with a history of constructively speaking into your life. The key is in the construction. Deconstructive coaches are not invited to the progress party.Stop playing small and start owning your goals. Big goals are intimidating. They require risks and the willingness to enter our discomfort zone. It’s safer to not try than to try and fail. This risk management keeps us playing small, as we try to avoid failure. But focusing on avoiding failure can lead to self-sabotage. Contemplate the measure of success for a baseball player. In reframing failure, Donald Miller says, “If [a batter] fails 70% of the time, he will end up in the Hall of Fame. I think life gives you even better statistics. If you fail 90% of the time on ambitious goals . . . you’re going to end up in the human being hall of fame.” If you believe you’re not supposed to fail, you’re doomed. When you realize failure is necessary for progress, you can own your goals. You won’t reach the peak by simply wanting it. You must own your summit. It has to be integral to who you are, who you see yourself as, and where you see yourself going.

Goal shame will strengthen your limits. Owning your goals will shatter them. As you go on with your day, keep this in the forefront of your mind: successful and selfish are not synonyms. If you feel the effects of goal shame, you’re not alone. But you hold the power to defeat it.

5 Things You Need to Succeed in 2022

As a leader, you’re committed to making 2022 the best it can be. Yet uncertainty continues to hamper planning and execution. It’s hard to know how to prepare yourself and your business for the months ahead.

Five Items to Pack for a Successful 2022

As a leader, you’re committed to making 2022 the best it can be. Yet uncertainty continues to hamper planning and execution. It’s hard to know how to prepare yourself and your business for the months ahead.

3 Questions to Plan Your Life Around

Most people want more from life than what they’re getting. That’s natural. We were created with appetites that long for more. The hard part is taking that longing and turning it into reality. Life often throws us curve balls, and we don’t always have control over how things unfold. What we do have control over is how we respond to those situations—or how we get in front of them.

The outcomes we experience in life are often a direct result of the questions we ask ourselves. That’s the starting point. To get in front of whatever life throws your way and plan for the outcomes you want, ask yourself these three powerful questions. 

How do I want to be remembered? In planning anything, the best place to begin is with the end in mind. What’s the outcome you want? How do you want the story to end? How do you want people to think of you when you’re gone? This is a revolutionary question. It deserves your best thinking and deepest reflection. You won’t get where you really want to go simply by drifting and seeing where you land. You need to get clarity on your final destination, so you can start orienting yourself in that direction. What matters most? It’s possible you’ve never given yourself permission to ask this question. You spend your time instead tending to others. For example, you probably know what’s important to your spouse or family members. And you certainly know what’s important to your manager. But what’s important to you? This is about priorities and values. No one else can decide what they are for you. You have to take ownership of them yourself so you can find clarity on where to focus—especially when distractions come your way. What single, brave decision do I need to make today? It can feel daunting to reach for something new. But you don’t have to know all the steps or how everything will play out. In fact, trying to create an elaborate plan can lead to major procrastination. You only need to decide on the one thing you can do now to create some movement forward. 

Cutting through the confusion of life begins with getting clarity. That’s where these three questions are a powerful tool. You might ask questions of your friends and family, your spouse, your employer and coworkers. But maybe you’ve never asked questions of yourself. It’s your turn now.