The 12 Week Year (8/10)

The 12 Week Year The 12 Week Year

This second half of the book was almost an identical copy of the second half of the book. But still filled with solid advice on establishing a vision, settings goals, measuring the effectiveness of your actions, and other tidbits about being effective and taking action.

I have been implementing most of this and needed to go back through to make sure I’ve got down the process.

I highly advise you make your own outline so you do not have to read everything “twice again”.

Summary and Highlights

The barrier between the life you are living and the life you want is effective execution. Getting in shape is not a knowledge problem, it’s an execution problem. In order to maintain effective execution, you must:

  • Focus on the things that matter
  • Maintain a sense of urgency
  • Get rid of low value activity

Annual goals remove the sense of urgency we need to achieve our goals. 12 weeks is long enough to get things done, but short enough to not let you lose sight of your goals. Every 12 weeks you get a fresh start.

If you have had a bad 12 week year you can shake it off and start fresh. If you have had a good 12 week year, then you can build off the momentum.

At the end of each 12 week year, take a week of to reflect, regroup, and re-energize. You have 4 times as many opportunities to set new goals and celebrate your accomplishments.

Each weeks counts. And each day counts as you increase your focus on a few important daily tasks. Focusing on the short term keeps you from getting ahead of yourself.

You need a strong emotional stake in your goals

Action is uncomfortable, you must have values in place. You must value your higher purpose more than your comfort. If you establish a compelling vision of the future. And align your short term goals and plans with that vision. Then it will be easier to cope with short term discomforts.

Questions to ask when creating your vision:

  • What do you truly want to achieve?
  • What legacy do you want to create?
  • What do you want for yourself and your family?
  • What do you want spiritually?
  • What level of security do you seek?
  • What level of income and fulfillment do you want from your career?
  • What interests do you wish you could pursue?
  • What do you really want to do with the time you have been allotted?

You create things mentally before you create them physically. And you will never outpace your mental models. Vision is where you engage your thinking about what is possible for you.

People focus on only their career or business. But those are only certain aspects of life. You need to establish a vision of your whole life, and align your business goals around that.

You need to make your vision compelling enough to act on it. This is what creates the emotional connection needed to act on your goals.

This creates passion.

The execution system

The eight fundamental elements can be broken down into 5 disciplines and 3 principles.

5 Disciplines

  1. Vision
  2. Planning
  3. Process Control
  4. Measurement
  5. Time use

3 Principles

  1. Accountability
  2. Commitment
  3. Greatness in the moment

How to create a personal vision

Find out what you want in all areas of life:

  • Spiritual
  • Relationships
  • Family
  • Income
  • Lifestyle
  • Health
  • Community

Your career or business vision is is more powerful when it is developed in light of your personal vision. Once you have a personal vision, you can figure exactly the amount of income or production you need from your career or business.

By thinking about your vision often, your strengthen the areas of the brain that would help you make that happen.

Shift from a “How?” mindset to a “What if?” mindset. This helps you see your vision as possible. Then to “How might I?” and determine a plan. This helps you see your vision as probable.

Next, Implement your plan. This moves your vision from probable to Given.

Three time horizons for your vision

  • Long term aspirations
  • Mid-term (3 years)
  • 12 weeks
Long term aspirations

Imagine and embrace all possibilities. What do you want to have, do, and be in your life? What is most important to you in each life category? How much free time? What level of income?

What is your vision 5, 10, and 15 years into the future?

Mid-term (3 years)

What do you want to create over the next 3 years based on your long term vision?

Ask yourself these questions

Why are these things important to you? What does your vision unlock for you? What will be different for you, and those around you, if you reach that goal? Who will you share your vision with? How often have you looked at your vision? What risks or barriers might get in the way?

Team or family vision

Have each member work through their personal visions. Then come together and make a group vision that aligns with everyone’s personal visions.

Do this

  • Take your vision seriously. Keep it in front of you and align your plans with it. Review it often.
  • Think BIG. Your vision should challenge you.
  • Share your vision with others, print it out, review it daily. Find ways to make it more meaningful and vivid.
  • Reflect on each day. Was it filled with activity that moved you toward your vision? What action will you take tomorrow?

The 12 week year

A vision without a plan is just a dream. Working from a plan helps you focus on the right things, saves you time, and reduces mistakes. You make your mistakes when writing your plan down on paper. A plan helps you cut through unimportant distractions that pop up every day.

Quarterly goals are typically smaller goals that help you get to your annual goals. 12 week years are shrinking your annual goals into 12 weeks. Each 12 weeks stands alone.

12 weeks is a more predictable time frame. The farther the goal, the more unpredictable. Which makes it harder and harder to plan for. it’s nearly impossible to predict what your actions should be 12 months into the future.

12 weeks narrows your focus and keeps you from spreading yourself too thin. 12 weeks also gives you structure.

1. Set goals

Identify your 1-3 goals for the 12 weeks. This goals are the next 1-3 steps toward your long term vision. Then, create the tactics, or the daily or weekly actions you need to take to reach those goals.

Consistent action on few critical tasks is what drives success. Like dropping water wearing away on a stone.

Spend 20 minutes at the beginning of each week to review your previous week and plan the new one. Spend the first 5 minutes of each day reviewing your weekly plan and setting your plan for the day accordingly.

Check in with this plan multiple times per day and make sure you are executing on it. A good goal is specific and measurable, positively stated, realistic, and time bound.

Ask yourself why this goal is important to you? What will be different if your achieve this goal?

Is this in line with your vision?

2. Create a plan

Set the actions needed, and when they are to be acted on, as daily or weekly tasks. Brainstorm on a sheet of paper all of the things you need to do to or ideas to achieve your goal.

What actions will you struggle with? What can you do to overcome those struggles? Select the smallest number of the brainstormed actions needed to achieve the goal.

Trying to execute too many tactics will spread you thin.

Keep it simple.

3. Set up Process controls

Process controls are what you do to keep your plan from breaking down in a lapse of willpower. The two elements of process control are a weekly plan, and peer support.

A weekly plan gives you clarity. Not all is lost when you lose 50% of a week.

Peer support creates room for getting help from others. Meet on a weekly basis to discuss progress, struggles, and challenges. Encourage one another. Form a group of 2-4 committed people.

Weekly meeting agenda:

  • Individual report
    1. Results to date
    2. Weekly execution score
    3. Intentions for the coming week
    4. Feedback and suggestions from the group
  • Discuss what has been working and how to incorporate that into each other’s plan
  • Encouragement

Weekly plan

Take 15 minutes at the beginning of each week to plan the week on paper. Make sure you include all of your tasks for the week. Do not assume each week will be the same. And do not (usually) add extra tactics that weren’t in the original plan. Use this plan to guide your day.

Only change your plan if you have been executing and it’s not working.

Weekly Score

Measuring your success will tell you if what you are doing it working. And lets you know what adjustments to make. The data you get from measuring does not care about efforts or intentions. Only on outcomes. Are you getting the outcome you desire?

The sooner you confront yout outcomes, the sooner you can figure out what works and what doesn’t. Then you can shift your focus to what is working.

Measure lead and lag indicators.

Lag indicators measure overall results such as lbs lost, money made, etc. Lead indicators measure the activities that produce the results. Are you following through with your plan?

You can always control results, but you can control execution in real time. So Lead indicators should be your primary focus.

If you are not hitting your goals, is it a problem with the plan? Or with the execution of that plan? Is your strategy flawed? Or are you failing to implement that strategy? Once you identify your problem, you can address it head on.

Establish a set of lead and lag indicators for each of your goals. And measure your lead indicators as a percentage of tactics completed. (measuring execution, not results.) Score yourself on the percentage of tactics completed that week.

Strive for excellence, not perfection. Aim for 85% and you will most likely achieve your objectives. Even 65-70% is better than nothing.

Facing the reality of your actions is hard. You will be uncomfortable if you are not doing the things you need to do. (Productive tension)

Use this as a catalyst for change, instead of running away.

Team/Family Process Control

Does everyone have a plan for each week? Are they scoring each week? Are they participating in a weekly group meeting?

4. Use your time with purpose

Say no to things that go against your goals. Organize your life around your priorities that make progress toward your vision. Be intentional about how you allocate your time.

T.V. may be beneficial in some ways, but helping us live a life of significance is not one of them.

You may be doing busy work that is actually unimportant to the goals at hand.

Align your time and energy with what you do best and what you enjoy doing.

5. Performance time

Blocking out time chunks to work on important tasks. There are three categories of performance time:

  1. Strategic blocks
  2. Buffer blocks
  3. Breakout blocks

Strategic blocks

3 hour block of time scheduled early into each week. Block out every distractions and work on core tasks. Reschedule if this gets interrupted. Time to work on your business not in it. Focus on one thing at a time. NO DISTRACTIONS!

  • Connect with your vision
  • 12 week review
  • Assess performance breakdowns
  • Work on tactics

Buffer blocks

For unplanned and low value activities lie checking email, phone calls, organizing, etc. 1-2 30 minute buffer blocks per day.

Breakout blocks

Taking time away from work. 3 hours long and spent on things other than your business. Used to refresh and reinvigorate your mind. Helps prevent burnout and create free time.

6. Creating a routine

Create an ideal week calendar where your schedule your performance time and organize critical tasks so that you will be most productive. Consider when you tend to be at your best. And schedule important tasks around those times.

7. Taking ownership

Own your results regardless of circumstances. Tap into your resources and give it your best. Own the things you can control (Your thinking and actions). Be willing to confront the truth about your situation.

Learn from failures and do not place blame.

Remove the victim mindset. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

Be willing to take new and improved actions. And surround yourself with people who also take ownership.

Clarify expectations. Learn from life and focus on the future. Acknowledge reality.

Focus on the things that you can control.

8. 12 week commitments

Commitments are not broken when things get hard. Commitment fosters trust, confidence, and improves results. You are bound emotionally to a course of action.

When you are interested in something it can be abandoned. When you are committed, you are bound to results. You make no excuses.

Keys to successful commitments

  • You have a strong desire that is meaningful.
  • You identify the one or two core actions that will give you the result.
  • You identify the costs associated with keeping the commitment.
  • You act on the commitments rather than on your feelings.

12 week commitments are easier that 12 months ones. With a true commitment, don’t give yourself an out. Even if you fail. You gave it your all.

Don’t give up if you break a commitment once. And confront missed commitments.

Value your word.

Don’t over commit by taking on more than you can handle. Go public with your commitments and find a buddy.

Greatness happens in the moment

Your daily actions decide your greatness long before the results ever show up. The daily difference between mediocrity and greatness is slim. But the difference down the road is tremendous.

Intentional imbalance

Like balance is where you are purposeful about where your spend your time and efforts. It is not about spending equal time in all areas of life. You identify the most important areas of your life to work on, and set your 12 week goals to make progress in those areas.

Then, re evaluate the areas of yourlife that need work for the next 12 weeks. Rate the areas of your life out of 10. (Spiritual, Relationships, Family, Income, Lifestyle, Health, Community)

Then Work on the lowest ones.

The emotional cycle of change

5 stages people move through emotionally when changing their behavior

  1. Uninformed Optimism We imagine all of the benefits but have not experienced the costs.
  2. Informed Pessimism You begin to experience the costs and wonder if they are worth the end goal.
  3. Valley of despair When most people give up. All of the pain of change is felt and the benefits seem far away or unimportant.
  4. Informed Optimism New actions are becoming routine and you start to feel the benefits.
  5. Success and fulfillment Cost of change are gone, benefits are fully realized

Every time you complete this cycle, your capacity and confidence increase. Awareness of this cycle is important to help you manage negative emotions.

Author book recommendations:

  • Switch by Chip and Dan Heath
  • The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
  • Feel the Fear and do it anyway by Susan Jeffers

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