Goal Setting Part 6: Map Your Actions & Systematize

Wait, did you just feel that earthquake under your feet? I swear, I did just now.

Oh, wait, that’s just the news…every minute of every day shifting the ground beneath us, as well as our ability to plan literally anything — kids, school, job, time, exercise, friends, solid sleep, you name it. I’m guessing that means you’re emotionally tapped, over the crap-tastic news, and really freakin’ ready for some solid answers, si?

Because of the shaky ground under all of us, now is the time to build a foundation from what is within your control and let go of the rest.

But where do you start? By mapping your baby steps that are going to help you come out of this COVID craziness with a rocket attached to you and your business. These steps will help you feel in control, give you a sense of what’s next and let you breathe a sigh of relief knowing that YOU are responsible — just YOU — for gathering the momentum you need right now. It will allow you to sideline your limitations (we all have ’em after all!) and find your power.

So, take a deep break, grab your notepad and join me for the most critical step in crafting your future — mapping your actions to get you from here to your finish line with clarity, motivation and precision.

Step 1: Write down the actual tasks

Before you start a roadtrip, you make a plan — you choose your destination, research your route, pack the car, fill the cooler, and make sure your kids know exactly how many hours its going to take to get there so they chill the F out and enjoy the scenery (kidding, this last part never works). You don’t just get in the car and start driving. The same thing is true of goals.

In this step, you need to write down every single task, or step, associated with getting from where you’re standing to your destination.

So, grab your newly refined collections of goals (you should only have 4–5 now), and write down every single itty bitty step for each one to see the light of day. Let’s say you want to get your email newsletter launched. Then write down things like, research best email marketing tools (hint: Flodesk!), where to find free stock photos (hint: Unsplash!), what makes a good headline (hint: speak to what your audience is experiencing today), how long should emails be (short, to the point, with tangible value and a firestarter intro line), etc.

You may find out that the tasks associated with the goal are just not resonating with you. That’s fine! That’s the point of this — to refine your goal list even more. If this is the case, scrap or table the goal for another time. Again, your job here is to work toward goals where you’re a). motivated to do the steps to get there and b). that will allow you to survive or thrive — nothing else matters, so be ruthless.

Step 2: Add single tasks to your calendar

As we mentioned in Step 2 of our Goal Setting Series, the likelihood of you reaching your goal increases 2–3x if you put the tasks on your calendar, then add a place and amount of time you think it will take. So, go now and secure the time and the location where the task is going to happen, then strap yourself to your calendar.

Welcome to your new non-negotiables, aka the systems you’re putting into place to allow you to achieve your goal.

These will allow you to plan your future behaviors and rituals. Again, the key here is understanding that without the system, you won’t achieve the goal, so place the systems that motivate you to actually do the thing, do the task. Remember what James Clear, author of Atomic Habits said: “Goals are useful for setting the direction. Systems are great for actually making progress.”

Step 3: Craft your environment to defend your goals

Let’s say you want to cut out dairy. Would you fill your fridge with milk and cheese? Probably not, unless you want to catastrophically fail. If your 1 year old is learning to walk, would you put a bunch of marbles all over the floor? Nah, you wouldn’t (unless you’re the devil). The same is true for adopting habits and ticking off tasks to move toward your finish line.

You have to architect every aspect of your environment to allow yourself to thrive.

Need examples? Back to dairy (which my husband announced to me the other day he’s cutting, NBD with 2 kids who eat mac ‘n cheese 17 meals per day): remove all dairy from your house, research dairy-free recipes, grab a friend to join you for accountability, track how you feel in a daily food journal.

In other words, fill your space with constant reminders and catalysts that will motivate you toward action.

Step 4: Recommit, and don’t defend your limitations

Recently, I heard someone ask: “Are you defending your own limitations? If so, you get to keep them.” I LOVE this because it calls you (well, me — you’re perfect!) out for coming up with excuses why you can’t create change, why you can’t handle the pain and challenge of changing habits. Sure, change can make you feel like sisyphus rolling a boulder up a hill, or like you’re learning to ski (not that I remember — I was 2, but I’ve heard it’s a PITA) — forming new habits feels really HARD. But, just because they’re hard, don’t give up.

Recommit over and over again. And remember that nobody is going to make anything happen for you — except you. Start today — tomorrow is too late.

The final details!

Ok, that’s it for now! Next I will share Part 7: Time To Celebrate…By Making Sh** Happen! If you want more info on this series, visit our introductory post here, Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, or Part 5 here. If you like this post, or this series, share it using links below or to your left. Then follow me on Instagram/Facebook at @rawstrategy, sign up for my emails here. And PLEASE leave a comment below on how this has impacted you, or shoot me a note with any clarifying questions — I’m here to help you through this process!

Want more?

If you or your business need a deeper dive that his customized, reach out! DM me, email me, call, text, whatever and we’ll schedule a time to do a business-specific Zoom session (typically anywhere from 2–6 hours depending on your business) where we get really specific on your challenges, and narrow down the exact systems and solutions you can implement in your business now. My vow to you is that I will ask the hard questions to get you on the path toward action. Once COVID is finito, we can explore even more in-person or group training sessions for your business. Ok, thanks for reading. More soon!