The “Three Things Technique” & How to Set Yourself Up For Success

We’ve crossed the halfway mark of 2015 and are now in the final two quarters, so let’s check in and see how you’re doing with your business goals for the year.(Lisa Cherney)

Open up that “2015 Biz Goals” document you created, or find that scrap of paper where you wrote down all your “A” tasks (it’s probably still shoved in that shiny new planner you bought then promptly forgot about). Or, what about those notes you saved on your iPad during that great seminar? You know … it was the one that inspired you to make a list of everything you wanted to get done to improve your business.

How have you done so far? Are there tasks you’ve accomplished? Or are these docs and slips of paper all filled with the same to-dos that run through your brain when you wake up every morning? I know for me, I’m often haunted by things I want and intend to do, but that I haven’t gotten around to yet.

What things on your lists are haunting you? Which ones are things that if they aren’t accomplished by the end of the year, will make you feel like you’ve let another 12 months go by without making something happen for your biz?

Three-Things Technique

A coach friend of mine taught me a great technique to use when I have tons of things on my lists, but feel like nothing is ever getting done. What you do is choose three things (and only three) that will make you feel productive if you can check them off by the end of the day, and then you do them.

Now, these probably aren’t your A tasks, and that’s okay. What you want to do is pick 3 things that you can do before you go to bed that will make you feel better when you get up tomorrow.

This is an awesome way to feel like your looming to-do lists are manageable, and to make real progress toward your goals. Checking off tasks, even B and C level ones, gives you that lovely sense of being productive, even when you can’t knock it all out at once. “I may not have gotten everything done, but I did these three things, and that’s a start.”

Now, what about those A level tasks that will help you make huge leaps in your business before another year’s gone by and you find yourself feeling like crap because your New Year’s Resolution list looks exactly the same as it did last January (and the one before)?

Identify three A-level tasks you want to accomplish during the second half of the year that will make 2015 a success.

Here are some hints to make this process effective:

• Be willing to put things on the list that may not have made it to prior lists, but that are on your mind (and in your heart) right now.
• Stick to only three things. Three is the magic number, and it’s doable!
• Set yourself up for success; make sure it’s realistic to complete each action before the end of the year.
• Check in with your heart to be sure each task is something you WANT to do, not something you feel you SHOULD do.
• Promise yourself that you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment when these three things are done and make plans to celebrate.

You’ve still got plenty of time to make 2015 a success. Use the Three Things Technique to ensure you end the year with a feeling of pride and accomplishment. And when you move those lingering items to your list for 2016, do it knowing you’re right on track with achieving your goals!