A game plan for what’s next
It’s pretty satisfying when something works out more or less the way you planned. (NASA)
How do you move forward with a project you care about?
With my first three-month group program concluding and another about to begin, it a good moment to share what I’ve learned. How do we ensure progress toward our goals? And do our goals even matter if we wind up heading in a different direction from where we thought we were going at the beginning?
Early in the summer, I struggled with putting a group together and what to call it. I decided to follow my own process and start with what I had, raw and unpolished.
I could not be more glad that I gave it a whirl. The seven business owners that I had the privilege of working with taught me so much about what I do and how I can better support them. They gave me the opportunity to hone my skills and experiment with new ideas. Fittingly, I was working on my own project right along with them: the group program itself.
Here’s a basic game plan for the next thing you want to accomplish, based on the broad strokes of the group’s work this summer.
The first thing you have to do is get clear on what you want. Not just what you think we want or what you feel like you should want, but what you actually want. How do you want your life to feel? What you want your schedule to look like? What results are you looking for, both in the short and the long term?
The next thing to look at is your constraints. What resources (time, money, energy) do you have to devote to this work?
Mindful of these constraints, you can begin to map out a plan for the upcoming days (i.e., a schedule) that gives you time to map out a plan and a timeline for the entire project.
In other words, you schedule an appointment (or series of appointments) with yourself to sit down and plan the project. This is, in effect, the first step in the project.
The planning consists of writing down everything you can think of related to the project (or the multiple smaller projects that are components of the business objectives you’re seeking to achieve) and organizing these tasks.
In the process, you’ll find gaps — things you don’t know how to do or needed resources you don’t have. You’ll make conflicts visible (for instance, two things that have to happen at the same time). You’ll discover previously unknown prerequisites. All of this is part of the planning, even though a lot of it might make you feel like you’re doing it wrong.
And yes, there may be places where we get well and truly stuck, searching for answers and solutions that seem to be taking their sweet time to show up. Sometimes, you can detour around these stuck places, inserting placeholders until something better comes along.
The plan will constantly be tinkered with and adjusted, so you don’t have to wait until it’s polished and complete before we take action. Indeed, by planning, you’re already taking action. So you proceed accordingly, working on your mindset, strengthening your follow through, and sharpening your clarity.
Even when you don’t stick to your exact plan, you will still be working toward our long-term vision. In some cases, to work through their plan in a linear fashion slows you down. Sometimes, you are able to make a dramatic leap that changes the game.
By the end, you may not have achieved everything you set out to achieve. But you’ve got some momentum and confidence — and hopefully, the support of others to help you keep going.
In the group this summer, it was fascinating to bear witness to the conversations and discussions happening across different media. It’s so much better to have a whole team with you as opposed to just one person. Not only is there a wider range of expertise to draw from, the diversity of ideas and perspectives gives the moments of consensus greater resonance.
As you get going on your next thing, recognize that the planning is a big part of it, but the plan is not an irrevocable contract.
And as you execute (and stray from) the plan, you don’t have to be alone. Surround yourself with people to guide you, support you, challenge you, and encourage you. Not only does it make the path easier to walk, it means you have friends to celebrate with when you reach your destination — and all along the way.
