Todd Henry runs The Accidental Creative, a speaking and consulting firm that helps teams do their best work consistently, not haphazardly. His book of the same name, about “how to be brilliant at a moment’s notice,” is out now.
It’s the time of year when many of us dream about what the new year holds in store. For many of us, this means setting goals and trying to decide which new ventures we’ll take on, which objectives we’ll set, and how we’ll engage life and work in the coming twelve months.
In other words, it’s a time of renewal. Renewal of expectations, renewal of action, renewal of hope. Hope is critical for the creative spirit. Without hope, we have no expectancy. Without expectancy, we have no reason to create.
But reentry at the beginning of the year can sometimes make us feel a little like a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere; a quick and brilliant flash, then a burnout. Because of this, it’s important to ensure that we’re not setting ourselves up to fail. We need a framework for how we approach goal setting, so that our goals are achievable. The difference between mere wishes and actual goals is the amount of detail we invest in planning the journey from point A to point B.
Recent studies have indicated that people who spend time thinking about how they will accomplish their goals, including how they will confront the inevitable obstacles that will come their way, fare far better than those who simply fixate on the goal itself. As you think about where you want to be this time next year, spend some time reflecting on likely obstacles in your path and the tactics you’ll use to circumvent them. Get granular about how you attack your goals. Here’s a framework, based on the five elements of creative rhythm, that can help:
Focus: have you defined the biggest three problems or areas of focus you’ll face this year?
Relationships: who do you need to spend more or less time with in order to effectively pursue your goals? Is there someone you need to contact who can help you along the way?
Energy: how will you manage your priorities, and what will you prune from your life so that you have the bandwidth to attack your goals?
Stimuli: what new information or inspiration will you need in order to do your best work this year? How will you challenge yourself to grow this year?
Hours: how will you restructure your time so that you are spending it in the places that make you effective in the pursuit of your goals, not just efficient?
Dream this year, but recognize that the how is as critical as the what. By envisioning the activities that will help you with your goals, and the obstacles you’ll need to overcome to accomplish them, you’ll be far ahead of the curve.
