Achieve Any Goal: 3 Steps to Accomplishing Absolutely Anything, part 1

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after four years studying business and five years working professionally, it’s the value of developing a process. Whether in your personal or business life, a process can help you accomplish anything. This is because for every task we want to complete, there are a million questions, concerns, and directions our mind can wander. And they all slow us down.

But we want to accomplish faster so we can accomplish more. That’s why I’ve been developing a process that can be applied to accomplish absolutely any goal. A process simplifies the details of what needs to be done. This way, instead of listening to all the distractions, all you need to focus on is following the simple steps. We reach our goals one step at a time.

Focus on the Daily 1–3

Every goal can be broken up into 1–3 repetitive actions to naturally lead you to your goal. Most of us get distracted by the big picture or the finish line off in the distance. We imagine crossing it and how great it will be.

But you can’t win a race by daydreaming about the finish line. You win a race by running the race, one step at a time. You must embrace the process.

You can find the actions you need to focus on by answering this question: “What are the 1–3 proactive things I need to do every day that, over time, carry me to my goal?” For example, when I worked in cold call sales, the 3 things I focused on and measured every day were:

· Talk time: how long was I live on the phone, from leaving voicemails to actual conversations?

· Dials: how many dials am I making in a day?

· Pitches: how many times did I get to my sales pitch?

In this case, my finish line was the number of sales I wanted to make each week. When all I did was focus on the sales, I would be discouraged at how far away they felt. I wasted time and energy worrying. I was not focusing on the steps to get there but the discrepancy between the number of sales I had and the amount I wanted. So many of us do this.

On the other hand, when I began to focus on and track my 3 actions every day, I was more motivated, positive, and productive. Most importantly, I began to consistently reach my goals.

It is important to choose 1–3 and no more to begin with. The entire purpose here is to keep it simple and attainable. I would advise starting here and adding more only if necessary as you find your rhythm. A few examples of applying this to other goals might look like these steps every day:

· Getting hired as a freelance writer: write 2k words, reach out to 5–10 writing opportunities, and spend 1 hour developing social media or online promotional content per day

· Running a 5k: run 2 miles, drink at least 64 ounces of water, and do at least 30 minutes of yoga or stretching per day

· Making money as an online influencer: posting 3 new pieces of content, engage with 10–20 followers, and run $50 worth of ads per day

These are a few examples.

Your focuses will vary depending on where you’re at and what goal you have.

What is your daily 1–3?