Setting Timelines for Your Life – don’t sweat the short term

So often in our goals driven society there is always a focus on what are you going to achieve this year, this quarter, this month, today?! When was the last time someone said, tell me about your goals for the next decade? For me, never. We are all so short term focused.

It has been shown in studies that we typically over estimate what we can achieve in 1 year and then dramatically under estimate what we can do in 10 years. There is a momentum or incremental acceleration there that we don’t think about – a progression that looks a lot like a snowball rolling downhill and gaining speed and mass.

I know this is true for me – always setting myself up with 3 years worth of work and goals in one year. What do you think my year end scorecard looks like? Well, its not good.

So now I have re-vamped my whole “goal setting” strategy. I think about the longer term regularly. I recognize that if I am working towards those larger goals and dreams then the short term will likely fall into place. I also still make the aggressive list of this year’s goals but if I fall short, the self-abuse or self-scolding isn’t there anymore. I know that looking longer term I may have an incredible breakthrough next week, month or year. So I am more diligent with long term focus. It also makes me more positive about my performance.

You know what else this has led me to … a better appreciate of life. I will always have a goals list for the upcoming year. Now that goals list is only one measure of things (because I see longer term for the decade and beyond). But now my 'fun factor' and 'overall enjoyment' measures are more front and center. If there is one thing I do want to measure everyday … its not productivity and goals, but enjoyment, love and adventure.

Quite Underestimating the Time it Takes – Oh damn, I’m late again!!

You know, I have a good friend named Dom who is apparently never late for anything. We met for Friday morning coffees for almost 2 years and he was never late. In fact, he was early and even when I tried to show up early to beat him, he was always already there.

So one day I ask Dom, how do you manage to get to our meetings on time every, single week?! He said, easy, I plan to be 15 minutes early to every meeting. Subsequently he was always on time or early.

This was unbelievable to me. Sure, because it was so simple I wanted to call him names but also because it was so practical.

I know our nature is to cram as much into an hour as possible. To leave for a destination at the last possible minute. To race through traffic just to get back the 5 minutes we need. To make that last stop or errand even though we don’t have time for it.

Dom’s simple philosophy sets you up for success all the time. At my restaurants, staff consistently show up late with excuses like traffic was heavy. Could you predict anyone would be on the roads today?! Probably! Was it the first day of traffic? No! Unfortunately, when you are the one waiting for someone else, their excuses on how they can't manage their time really don't count for much (besides painting a clear picture of them and how they operate).

What ever happened to arrive early, get there in advance, have an EXTRA five minutes? It is a better way to live I have to tell you. Whenever I re-adopt Dom’s 15 minute rule (because I fall back to my old ways sometimes too) everything runs smoother. I don’t rush. I drive safer. I create less stress for myself. I am better prepared for meetings and relaxed as I enter them.

I call these little nuggets from Dom, Dom’s Gold. Simple and Highly Effective. Take a week, leave early for every appointment and see what impact it makes on your life. I promise, you’ll love it.