Do you set far too many goals only to lose focus as you stretch yourself too thin across your list of priorities? I’m giving you permission to stop. Stop trying to do everything at once.
What if we narrowed our focus and set our intentions on ONE THING? This doesn’t mean the other goals on our list are unimportant or won’t get accomplished, but rather, they are not our #1 Priority right now. As Verne Harnish, acclaimed author of Scaling Up, expresses, “the key is sequencing a series of #1 priorities, so they align and build upon each other”.
When we focus on ONE THING, something magical happens. We set our minds to it, and it becomes our driving purpose. It creates the ultimate domino effect not only for our next priority but for our life. And when we achieve each ONE THING after another, we become the person/team/company who accomplishes what we set out to do. This gives us momentum and our job is to keep that momentum!
This can be accomplished by following the simple, yet highly effective process:
Set your #1 Priority/ONE THING
Measure it consistently
Share your ONE THING with others who will hold you accountable
Adjust based on your progress
Achieve your ONE THING (and, of course, celebrate!)
Repeat
As Pearson's Law states: “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates”. Once we set our #1 Priority, we must measure it consistently and find an accountability partner to ensure we’re staying committed—this is a MUST! Whether it’s your partner, coworker, or coach, find someone who will hold you to your commitment. The unfortunate truth is that most people have a harder time letting other people down than themselves (if you fall in the minority, then kudos to you. Encourage others to do the same.). Make your priority come to life by sharing it!
The best way to achieve your goal is to spend more time and attention on it. I encourage you to think about your #1 Priority for the year, whether it’s for you personally or for your team. If one year seems too long, apply this practice to one quarter, one month, one week, or even one day. Then, SHARE IT! My ONE THING for 2022 is to help leaders grow their businesses by clearly understanding their #1 Priority and holding them to it! I encourage you to share your ONE THING with your leadership team and your entire company. Please send me a message as I’d love to hear what your ONE THING is.
When your endless list of to-do’s creep in, keep this Steven Covey quote top of mind: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” You got this.