FOCUS YOUR YEAR ON THE 5 AREAS THAT WILL MAKE THE MOST DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE (January 24, 2018)

The start of the year is always a time of anticipation and possibilities. No matter how cynical we are, the New Year is a time to reflect and hope that things will be different, somehow better, this year. And then reality rolls along and sucks us into breathless urgency. We default to the same ol same ol habits, the grind starts again, and another year is lost.

So how do you change the game? How can you be more effective this year?

In his bestselling book, 18 Minutes, author Peter Bregman, refers to Newtons first law of motion which says an object will keep moving at a constant velocity until an outside force impacts upon it.

What’s true for objects is also true for people. Either we keep moving along a path that isn’t quite right, but we fail to know ourselves off it, or we intentionally choose the right path but keep getting knocked off it.

If we are to look back and feel good about what we’ve done over a year, a day, or a moment we need to break these patterns. To interrupt our inertia, everyday distractions, and gut responses, we need to intervene in our own lives.

He discusses five strategies in the book:

1. Pause: Habits and mindsets that will position you to see possibilities beyond those you might otherwise notice.

2. What is your year about? How to organise your life around the things that matter to you.

3. What is this day about? How to translate your annual focus into an 18-minute daily plan.

4. What is this moment about? How to master distraction, use it or avoid it; keep yourself motivated and protect yourself by creating the right kind of boundaries.

5. Now what? How to gain momentum to move you in the direction that you want to go.

Bregman advises us to focus on five things that this year is about, plus one more to take care of what he calls the 5%.

The problem with most time management systems is that they don’t help solve the problem. They’re focussed on how to get it all done in less time. That’s a mistake. Because we can’t possibly get it all done and not end up frantic, depleted and overwhelmed.

The secret to thriving in your life is the same: Do fewer things.

As Bregman rightly points out, this means being strategic about what you choose to do and making hard decision about what you choose not to do.

Many of us are like hoarders. We hoard tasks, emails and projects which sit there glaring at us like the proverbial frog on the breakfast table. Somehow, we just don’t have the heart to kill them off, so they end up costing us mental space and adding to our stress.

I’ve decided to focus my year on five things, writes Bregman. Three work-related, two personal. Almost everything I do must fit into one of those five areas. If it doesn’t, then I politely decline.

Bregman’s five things are:

Business

1. Do great work with current clients

2. Attract future clients

3. Write and speak about my ideas

Personal

4. Be present with family and friends

5. Have fun and take care of myself

When you decide on your five, commit to spending 95% of your time there. The other 5% is miscellaneous Maybe a project on your colleague Jane’s top five doesn’t make your top five, but she needs your help. Maybe you need to take the car in for an oil change.

If that 5% becomes 20 percent, it means you’re spending too much time on other people’s priorities, your frivolity, and life maintenance, and not enough time on your own priorities.