Once the idea took hold a few weeks ago, it was hard to shake.
As I grappled with having less capacity than usual due to personal circumstances outside my control, I asked myself where I should focus my energy when I am able to work.
It just so happened around that time, three things coincided:
- a new goal mapping process
- a podcast episode
- a book I’m reading
Charting goals
During a whiteboard brainstorming session, I wanted to visualize the different types of goals based on time horizon and control.
The result was a graph that looks like this:
Here’s the order of mapping the goals:
- Outcome Goal
This goal has longest time horizon and the least control since it often depends on factors outside your direct control.
e.g. Grow a YouTube channel to 100K subscribers
- Performance Goal
This goal is about striving for a level of personal performance, so you have more direct control over the result, although it still takes time and may not be guaranteed.
e.g. Make quality YouTube videos with high retention
- Process Goal
This goal is the most immediate and where you have the most control since it’s about the next action you need to take in order to improve your performance.
e.g. Create and publish YouTube videos
In light of my circumstances shifting, it seemed like a good time to map out my professional goals. But, I was about to learn a new reflection exercise that would come first.
A well-timed podcast episode
About the same time I was reflecting on where to focus my energy, Jay Clouse released a short podcast episode sharing about a 10-year visualization exercise he learned about back in 2017 from a guest on Tim Ferriss’s podcast. He was gearing up to repeat the exercise and surfaced the clip detailing how to do it.
Inspired by this concept, I decided to try the visualization before I started mapping my goals. In other words, look forward 10 years, then work backwards from outcome, to performance, to process.
And as it happened, my recent book purchase would fall into place next.
Designing a pact
When Anne-Laure Le Cunff from Ness Labs released the book Tiny Experiments, I knew it would become part of my book collection. She challenges the idea of linear goals and embraces exploration through tiny experiments.
Early in the book, she introduces the idea of a pact.
“I will do X for Y amount of time.”
What I love about a pact is the structure and time-frame. It provides clear parameters for action we can imagine doing instead of a vague, unending direction that can feel daunting.
Consider the YouTube example. Which one is more likely to inspire action:
- Create and publish weekly videos
- Create and publish 12 videos over the next 3 months
Most people would gravitate towards the one with defined parameters. It’s easier to picture yourself making 12 videos rather than creating an endless number of videos in perpetuity.
Also, since a pact is an experiment, it includes observation and reflection. Is this working? Should I keep going or not? What should change?
Putting it all together
After my visualization exercise and mapping my goals, one practice surfaced across multiple goals: writing.
I already have a strong personal writing habit, but professionally, I’m inconsistent. So I zeroed in at the process goal level and created a pact using the Momentum Formula as my base.
The pact: write 90 minutes a day, 6 days a week for 90 days.
But, I didn’t simply want to chose an action and a time frame. I wanted to put my framework to the test. So I kept going.
- Method
- listing the plan for the pact in detail, including a date range, days of the week, writing tool, etc.
- Mode
- considering my biology, environment, expectations, and preferences so the plan suits how I’m wired and increases the likelihood of me completing the pact
- Mindset
- surfacing any fears and inner resistance so I can challenge these thoughts that might become a psychological barrier to completing the pact
The end result is what I’m calling Momentum90.
But that’s not all.
I want to be transparent about the process, which is why I’ve posted the actual details of Momentum90 (yes, even my goal maps & my fears and resistance to the pact).
Two reasons I’m sharing the details:
- I want to show a real, live example of how the Momentum Formula can support taking action on goals that matter
- I respond well to external accountability, so making the process public is one way to build it in
→ See the details of Momentum90
It’s still early in the process (Day 8 as I send this email), but I’m already experiencing some of the benefits of this practice and making adjustments as I go.