Chunk It Down

Jack Canfield's Success Principle #8

Breaking our big goals down into smaller, achievable tasks is something that Jack calls chunking it down. We certainly need this, after the overwhelming process of writing down those 101 goals from #7!

(1) Take the action steps to chunk it down.
Jack gives us three pieces of advice for chunking down our goals into smaller steps. They include:

-Consult successful people who have already done what you want to do and ask what steps they took.
-Read a book or manual that outlines the process.
-Start from the end and look backward. Think of the last thing you would need to do, then the step before that, and so on.

(2) Use mind mapping to break down your goals into achievable steps.
A mind map is a diagram that illustrates how we can get from an idea to the measurable outcome we're looking for. You really need to look at page 64 of Success Principles to fully understand it.

Basically, you start by drawing a circle on a paper and writing your goal inside. For me, this would read as, Publish Among the Ashes, the novel that I finished earlier this year.

Next, we draw lines from the center circle to smaller circles around the page. Each circle breaks down the big project into smaller tasks. For me, this would include Editing, Proposal, Query Letters, Contacts, Contract, Publicity.

The final step involves drawing spokes that project out from each of the smaller circles. Each spoke represents a step in the process. For my project, my Editing spoke would include Improve Pacing, Insert Comparisons, Eliminate Unnessary Characters, Delete Common Adjectives, Strengthen Verbs, Check Spelling.

(3) Make a daily to-do list.
From the results of the mind mapping exercise, the next step involves making a daily to-do list. Each item must include a completion date, otherwise we just let time slip by, and the project never gets finished. Do whatever it takes to stay on schedule.

(4) Do first things first.
We put things off, because we perceive that they're doing to be unpleasant or difficult. If we have a list of five things to do, we usually put off the hardest thing for last. Inevitably, it doesn't get done.

Brian Tracy wrote a book titled, Eat That Frog! I love his method for helping us to visualize how to quit procrastinating. He asks us to think of our most ardous task as a frog that we must eat. Yuk! If that hung over our heads all day, we'd be miserable, anticipating what was to come. But if we could just gulp down that slippery little critter, the rest of the day would be a breeze. After all, if we can swallow a frog, we can do anything!

(5) Plan your day the night before.
Scientists tell us that if we make a list of tasks to accomplish the night before, our minds will work out how we're going to do things while we're sleeping. If we plan our day's work before we sleep, we can start the day off running, chomping down that ugly frog before anyone else has rubbed the sleep from their eyes.

(6) Use the achievers focusing system.
You can find a helpful worksheet at www.thesuccessprinciples.com. It was designed by Les Heweitt of the Achievers Coaching Program and can be used to help you plan and hold yourself accountable as you accomplish the steps needed for 13 weeks of goals.

Today's Challenge
My frog is a pile of bookkeeping that I keep putting off. It's now on my list of things to do first thing tomorrow morning. I'd much rather get it off my desk than to continue listening to that ugly frog croaking from the corner of my desk. What's your frog? How are you going to eat him?