In a world where productivity and abundance intersect, it's crucial to cultivate the right approach to productivity. Typically, we're instructed to favor one method over another to optimize efficiency. However, the approach of Divergent Directives offers a unique perspective.
Rather than adhering to a standard goal-setting system, we advocate for a more adaptable approach.
But what exactly do we mean by that?
Adaptation, in this context, entails adjusting our productivity approach based on our current position in our life and success journey.
Before delving into that, let's explore what you'll gain from reading this newsletter.
In the next few minutes, you will uncover:
- The significance of goal-setting.
- The primary reasons necessitating an adaptable approach to goal setting and productivity.
- How the three most popular approaches can propel you toward your goals.
Hey! Divergents,
In response to the question, "Why bother setting goals?" the typical answer often boils down to something like, "to have a clear direction," or "to avoid wasting life on achieving very little!"
Certainly, there are other answers, but the ones mentioned above underscore the fundamental importance of goals.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Allow me a moment to share my own bird's-eye view story.
I aspired to be a successful drummer and dedicated myself to rigorous practice to hone my skills. Additionally, I aimed for financial success in my drumming career. And I did attain some level of success.
However, you might have noticed the absence of a clear definition of my aspirations and a detailed plan to achieve them. Furthermore, there was a lack of continuous refinement and redefinition to optimize my drumming journey.
According to conventional goal-setting standards, I should have:
- Specified my preferred style of drumming.
- Identified the genre I aimed to specialize in.
- Determined the type of band or artist I wanted to collaborate with.
- Outlined the types of gigs I desired to perform.
In broader terms, I should have also:
- Set a specific income target.
- Defined a savings and investment portfolio.
- Established a retirement goal to strive for.
Unfortunately, I lacked those fundamental ideas, theories, and concepts meticulously planned out or even jotted down on a piece of tissue paper, as the saying goes. None of that existed for me.
Why? Well, because my school never even broached the subject of goals. I wasn't taught that I could set targets and work towards them.
Instead, my school had different priorities in mind for me.
It's important to note that I did have most of what I listed above in mind. However, they remained mere thoughts throughout my drumming career.
Yes, I had the opportunity to collaborate with hundreds of celebrities over my career, but it all unfolded, dare I say, by accident.
It wasn't entirely accidental because I did have these aspirations in mind. However, I spent so much time pondering these thoughts that they overshadowed more crucial considerations. I realized too late that having a written plan would have helped me stay focused on my life's direction.
Much of my mental energy was consumed by unproductive thinking rather than constructive pursuits.
Looking back on my career with the knowledge I have now, I'm confident that I could have reached the pinnacle of my desired music scene relatively quickly. Moreover, with planned steps, I could have pushed even further.
But alas, that's no longer my aspiration.
You can extract a valuable lesson from my story. Once you've attained a certain level of success, you can replicate that experience or level of achievement relatively easily and devise smaller plans to propel you beyond it.
There's genuine power in this understanding. This knowing.
You can also observe that without clear goals and plans, your success is likely to occur by chance – a result of cluttered, unproductive thinking that could be better utilized.
In essence, once a goal is set, you don't need to continuously dwell on it (as I did). Instead, you can channel 100% of your focus into enhancing your skills and abilities, much like honing your drumming craft.
Well, if you're a drummer that is.
In response to the question, "Why is setting goals so important?" the answer is evident: it allows you to free your mind from constantly pondering your destination and instead focus 100% of your effort on reaching it, without cluttering your thoughts with unproductive ideas.
That frankly, just get in the way.
In fact, you might not need to think much at all; action becomes the precursor to deliberate thought and planning toward your goals. The key lies in further defining and refining your goals through thoughtful consideration later on.
New & Different Starting Points
As we progress, advancing through our goals one by one, it's crucial to maintain the ongoing process of redefining and refining our objectives through thoughtful reflection and planning the next steps.
While I won't delve deeply into the goal-setting processes here, it's essential to recognize that we have the flexibility to adapt our approach from our current or new starting points.
Our sponsors have created two blog posts that can provide further insights, and I'll include links to those for your reference. You can explore these resources at your convenience.
Additionally, I'll discuss these topics in reverse order, starting with establishing a career or business from the ground up.
Plan Tomorrow Today
Plan Tomorrow Today is a goal-setting option that serves as a fallback system for times when you're mentally exhausted, tired, or simply not inclined to engage in more in-depth approaches. Essentially, it involves planning your upcoming days the night before, outlining a list of your top 5-10 tasks that need to be accomplished.
This method ensures that you continue progressing towards your goals even when you're taking a step back to rest before delving into more comprehensive methods. For more information about this option, you can visiting our sponsors website here.
The 90-day Goal Setting Option
The 90-day Goal Setting Option is ideal for launching multiple projects and efficiently progressing toward their completion.
This method offers a mid-range approach, allowing for more depth than the Plan Tomorrow Today method.
For further insights, you can explore our sponsors blog here.
Super Productive Powerfunnels
This is my absolute favorite.
I firmly believe that this is the most powerful goal-setting method available. Nothing else comes close when it comes to initiating and completing numerous projects in record time.
When I first utilized this system, I had a daunting list of over 3000 tasks, all of which I managed to complete within just 3 months.
While it's often referred to as a 90-day system, it's more accurately described as a rapid progress system.
During my subsequent use of this method, my task list ballooned to over 6000 items. Yet again, within a span of 3 months, I successfully completed approximately 3600 tasks.
This system is particularly effective when you're just starting out and have a multitude of projects on your plate – whether it's writing multiple books, developing a website, building an email list, creating lead magnets, and so forth. Using this process, you can tackle hundreds of significant projects simultaneously.
As mentioned, it's all about getting stuff done, plain and simple.
For further details on Super Productive Powerfunnels, you can visit our sponsors here.
Order of Events
You may choose to utilize or test each of these approaches at different times.
Here's a breakdown of when I use each of them:
- Super Productive Powerfunnels: I employ this process when I have numerous projects to juggle simultaneously or when I need to write a large volume of website content quickly (such as 100 or more articles requiring research, etc.).
- 90-day Goal Setting System: I opt for this approach when I want to delve deeply into 1-10 projects and aim to see them completed within a 90-day timeframe.
- Plan Tomorrow Today: I utilize this method alongside the previous two options. When I find myself unable or unwilling to delve deeply into one of the other methods, I turn to Plan Tomorrow Today. This could be due to various reasons:
- I need time to reflect on my goals before diving into the Powerfunnel or 90-day process.
- I'm mentally exhausted but still want to make progress toward my goals, as a precursor to engaging in one of the other two methods.
Well there you have it. An adaptive approach to goal setting.
But wait... haven't I missed something out?
What about the S.M.A.R.T goal setting system, you ask?
Ah, you're absolutely right! I didn't include the S.M.A.R.T goal-setting system in the rundown, did I?
Well, to be honest, in the current phase of what I call the building process for my business foundations, I haven't found the need to adhere to the confines of what's known as S.M.A.R.T goals.
Here's my perspective:
- Specificity: My goals are specific enough, I did my thinking about what I wanted, did some research, and so my goals are all lined up.
- Measurement: I don't require measurement because the completion of a project is inherently measurable by its completion.
- Achievability: I don't subscribe to the idea of some things being unattainable. Everything I'm working on is relevant and achievable.
- Relevance: Every aspect of what I'm doing is relevant to my overall objectives.
- Timing: Frankly, I want everything I'm working on to be completed yesterday. And so, I'll know when a project is completed because, well, it'll be finished.
By embracing the Super Productive Powerfunnels process, I find no need to impose the constraints of S.M.A.R.T goals. My goals are smart because I've thoroughly considered them before embarking on them.
But not using the S.M.A.R.T goals process.
From my perspective, S.M.A.R.T goals represent a confine I prefer not to be confined by.
The 2nd Step
If you recall, from the Life Isnt A Game Newsletter, the initial step toward life success begins with clarity on your desires – or, knowing what you want. In that Newsletter, we said, "It's about rewriting your life and yourself according to your aspirations, essentially authorizing your own journey and who you will become along the way.
The second step, once you know exactly where you want to go is to plan to get there. And as we have seen, ther's no better goal-setting system than Super Productive Powerfunnels. Especially if you want to achieve big things.