It is always much easier for any of us to point out other people’s flaws, mistakes and failures. But when it comes to our own, it usually takes a while before we get to the point where we would take ownership of our actions or lack thereof.

One of the key areas in my life where I haven’t always been that consistent and successful is when there’s a need to follow through on a certain plan or action. I’ve always been more natural and successful as a planner. Looking back on all the years (minus the past 7 or so years) of my life so far, I could seen a pattern, I am a great planner.

But I’ve also learned the really hard way that having the greatest plans won’t matter if there is no action taken to turn those ideas into reality. So, it’s clearly not enough to create great plans for something that we want to achieve.

Looking back on the past 15 years or so, my most meaningful and successful times were not a result of having that perfect plan ready first. Instead, they were a result of me having the discipline and will power to act upon those initial plans even though they were imperfect from the start. Truth is, I have been making some progress so far, but I know inside my heart that it is not enough. I still have a lot of work to do before I can get to a much better place.

So that is what I’m going to try my best to do this week, and for every week after.

Stop Chasing Short-term Progress

It’s the post-CNY mood for me right now. This morning, I was reminded of those times in my past when I felt something similar. Again, just for proper context, I’m going to overlook the past 7 odd years because things have been quite unstable. Back before things got more challenging, I remembered a time when I would experience this rush of energy and motivation post-CNY, and then I would begin to charge ahead towards my annual goals (aka New Year Resolutions). I would describe January as a “still waking up” period (when in comparison with the entire year). The time that I would really start working on my goals usually doesn’t start in January, but instead, February.

After experiencing a warped perspective on what productivity means to me and what it looks like in recent years, I’ve come to realize now that for the past 7 odd years, I have been chasing after the wrong thing – short-term progress.

That constant desire to see significant progress over a short period of time has led to so many unrealistic self-expectations and personal disappointments. Like a vicious cycle that keeps repeating itself over and over again, for the past 7 years, I haven’t made much meaningful progress. It made me feel almost like a hamster that is running in the same spot inside a spinning wheel.

Focusing on Meaningful Goals & Actions

It is a major part of the reason why the Bullet Journal Method has been a great help to my weekly and daily living so far. My recent reading session helped to reinforce one of the most important principles behind the Bullet Journal Method – it’s not so much about what I do with my time and energy, but more so why I choose to do something.

It is so easy to fill up our day with a bunch of to-do items, but what we often fail to do is to question why a particular task is more essential than another task. When we don’t ask why, we tend to operate like we’re on autopilot. Like the hamster running inside the wheel. But as we begin to question why with each task, that is when we will begin to understand that some tasks aren’t that important or necessary and we can quickly strike them off the list as irrelevant.

Not everything that I write down today is something that I must do today. Some things can wait.

As I begin to adjust my mindset in this manner, I’ve also realized that I need to change my expectations about the progress that I will be making over time. Unlike in the past of chasing after weekly milestones, I’m switching to a longer-term expectation. Think…bi-weekly and monthly reviews instead of weekly reviews. It’s not about how quickly I will finish something, but the quality of what I do finish. It is about how best to use the time and energy that I have on a daily basis.

Personal Thoughts for This Week

• Why is this task more important than the others?
• How will this task help me to reach my goal for this month?
• What are the steps that I need to take in order to reach that goal?
• I will start taking actions even if I don’t have everything figured out.
• I will adjust and adapt my plan/steps as I go.
• I will review my progress again in two weeks’ time.