A few months ago I bought a road bike. I’ve never had one before. One of those funny bikes with bendy handlebars that droop down for no apparent reason. I’ve been riding a mountain bike for years now. Nothing too strenuous – a small 8 mile loop on soft ground three times a week. Helps me clear my head…

But I felt I needed to do more so I bought the road bike on eBay. I set myself a big goal. 20 miles three times a week. Now the lycra-cladded amongst you will be snorting derisively. I know some of you are doing 120 miles in a single day. But I’m not there. For me, 20 miles seems like a lot. It’s a big goal. I set the goal. I planned my route and off I went.

It was terrible…I managed it but it was exhausting. It seemed to take all day. And what are those stupid handlebars about? I thought I was going to die. The sweat was pouring off me and my head was pounding. And I knew everyone was looking at me, as I huffed and puffed my way around the Cheshire countryside. After what seemed like an eternity I finished the route. Twenty miles – in the bag.

Three days later I overcame all my fears and I did it again. A bit easier this time but it still seemed like torture. Mentally, I was pleased to have done it, but I was hardly left with a huge desire to repeat the experience, and in my heart I knew that doing this three times a week was not going to happen. I just could not picture it. As a consequence I was not motivated to try because it is near impossible to feel motivated to do something when you think you’re going to fail.

I went back to the mountain bike. More my sort of thing.

Then the mountain bike had to have a repair and I was without it for over a week. Out came the road bike again. With huge trepidation. However, not being one to repeat past mistakes (usually) I started small – 10 miles. It took about forty minutes. It was fine. I did this three times a week for a fortnight. Despite the return of the repaired mountain bike I persevered with the road bike.

Then I upped it to 16 miles. Now I’m at 20 miles. I’ve just done four consecutive days at 20 miles per day and it was easy. Diary permitting, I can do 100 miles in a week. How long has it taken me to get to this giddy height? Nine weeks.

I will consolidate this over the next two weeks and then up it to 25 miles per outing. Then 30 miles. Then I buy the lycra. You have been warned.

Now this is a major achievement for me.

My progress has involved starting small and building up. We all know this is the way to do things but for me it’s been a stark reminder that to get anywhere we need to take the first step…

As Martin Luther King said, “you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

The key to goal achievement is motivation and the key to motivation is a genuine belief that we will succeed. No self-delusion. A genuine feeling that in all likelihood we will succeed.

So…how to set challenging goals? Answer – don’t set challenging goals. Set small, incremental goals. Maintain motivation and keep going. Take the first step…

So, we’re twenty four days into 2011 already. Almost February. My Mother tells me time continues to speed up as you get older. Ug! It’s already going past at 600mph. So fast that it’s difficult to keep the really important stuff at the front of the mind. So easy to switch the neck-top computer off, do what we have always done and miss the chances to improve on last year, no matter how good last year was.

Well that would be a shame so here’s my Top 10 list of self-management essentials to ensure you use the free will you most certainly have, but can so easily neglect.

Let’s start at number 1…

Values

Straight in at number one, since about 500 B.C….values. What do you believe in? What matters to you? Values drive all effective action. Get this right. It’s the foundation.

Purpose

Number 2…the angelic offspring of values….purpose.  The essence of leadership – whether of oneself or of others. No purpose…no point. Start with values and from them…derive your purpose. Paying the mortgage is not a purpose. You were put on the earth for a wee bit more than that.

Plan

Number 3…values and purpose…now get a plan. You are part of a plan, whether you like it or not. The only question is who writes the plan. It’s either you or someone else. If you don’t wish to be the author there are many who will take your place, but they won’t write the plan with you in the starring role.

Goals

Number 4…goals. You have a purpose…very good.  Time to get a bit more real. A bit more tangible. So, how will I achieve my purpose? Goals. Goals. Goals. Think of goals as small steps on the route to achieving your ultimate purpose.

If you don’t have goals get some help. I really mean it. When a coach/manager/mentor says to you to set goals, it’s like your doctor saying “stop smoking.” It’s not fashion. It’s not the latest thing. Just do it.

Action

Number 5…take massive action. Data collection is over. Thinking time is over. Define and focus on your high-payoff activities (the things that if you do NOT do, you will fail to achieve your goals). Work on your time management and personal productivity until you feel like you are in charge of yourself. Then you probably are.  Develop a steely, cold, single-minded determination to do what you need to do to deliver your goals and ultimately your purpose. Consider throwing away your TV. Then throw it away.

Measure

Number 6…measure. If it matters to you, measure it. No measurement…no feedback. No feedback…no catalyst for improvement. You’ve got to get very lucky very early to be successful without measuring what’s important. So, do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?

Fear

Number 7…fear. If you have a high-payoff activity that you do not do as much as you should, deal with the fear that stops you doing it. The mistake you’re probably making is attributing more pain to doing the thing than not doing it. This is easy to do because the pain of doing the thing is now, palpable and tangible. Whereas the pain of not doing it is some time off and seems less urgent. Reattribute the pain to inaction, not action. In other words, focus on the pain of regret, not the pain of discipline, as the great, late Jim Rohn said. This works.

Educate

Number 8…educate yourself. Never stop. Deepen and widen what you know and how you use it. This is better than TV. You have the time.

Humans

Number 9…partner with others. We work better in teams. Get into one. Either a mentoring group, a mastermind group or a business partnership. Something involving others. We are social and work better in teams. But beware…here be dragons. Unless those you choose to work with are in the same place as you, mentally, and share similar ambitions, they will be very bad for you, despite not being bad people.

Stop running

Number 10…take time out. This life is a marathon, not a sprint. Smell the roses.

That’s it. Why not focus on one of these areas right now…today. No matter how good 2010 was, 2011 can be better. Good luck.

This week’s Pearl of Leadership Wisdom is on…
Planning
“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
Fail to plan…
…and you plan to fail. End of story.
You wouldn’t pretend to run anything significant without a plan. Yet some people never plan anything…their lives…their time. They waste something much more important than money. They waste their time. And their time is the currency they exchange for the chance to realise their potential…to be what they want to be. A waste indeed.
If you have a job…
…it can be tempting to feel that because you have hired your time out to your employer, having your time wasted by yourself and others is not so bad. That only works if you don’t want much in return for hiring out the prime of your life to someone else. Don’t be cheap.
Planning’s not for me…
It may not suit you. You may be a smell-the-roses person, in the moment, not future-focused. Well, the future’s focused on you and it’s coming at you, one inexorable second at a time.
Bondage…
But a plan is not a straight jacket. Your plan is a roadmap to your desired goal. Your plan may not withstand first contact with reality, but it’s the planning that counts. When you have a plan, obstacles are smaller, setbacks more minor. You will find a detour. Your drive and motivation are higher. You are more win-able; more able to win.
Note to self…
…when was the last time I hit a barrier? If you cannot remember, a siren should be going off in your head. Maybe you have a do-nothing plan. Sometimes this is appropriate. Maybe in the short-term. Seldom in the medium and beyond-term.
Set goals in stone…
…and plans in the sand. You need to know what your goals are and what you need to do to make them happen – the high payoff activities I go on about incessantly. Then you need to fill your available time with these activities. This is where planning fits…it’s the bit between goal setting and achievement. It’s about a) defining your high payoff activities and b) making sure you have the space and resources to execute them. That’s it. Simple.
Stop the clock…
But you need to be crystal clear on your goals. Don’t skip this bit. Without this, you can only plan to get through all the stuff that’s already surrounding you. Your to-do list. Then, you are indulging in what is laughably called time management. As if you can manage time. This is like being busy on the Titanic.
Abandon ship…
But if you are clear on your goals, and then plan, plan, plan…then you’re not time-managing, you are self-managing.
And in first place we have…
The number one high payoff activity for everyone is planning. So plan to plan. Schedule time for it. Give it space. You will free up infinitely more time by planning than the planning process itself will consume. Spend time to save time. Planning is the turbo charger on your productivity. Do it yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily.
So – what to do?
Start small. Plan for tomorrow…today. Ten minutes with your notebook, diary, whatever you use. Write down the high payoff activities that will consume 60 to 70% of your day tomorrow. The things you will do that will deliver what you want, come hell or high water. The things you will do first.
Then, in the morning, pursue these activities with maximum prejudice.
Do you think this will make a difference to you?
In a month?
A year?
A decade?
This is self-management. Maybe it’s even self-leadership. After which, all is easy.
Mark