Every fresh year or quarter comes with their very own set of ambitious goals. Deadlines set. Goals mapped. And yet you sit here, ignoring the half eaten Ben and Jerry’s, vday candy, or whatever your vice, beating yourself up for coming short of yet another goal. So off track. So much wasted time. Don’t even get started on money. And feeling like a horrible leader for your small but mighty team.

Look, you are not alone. I’ve been there, we all have. It’s demoralizing to feel the quarter sneaking up on you knowing full well you are going fall short of the ‘plan’. I totally understand how it feels to see those unmet goals sitting there and left wondering why you let the momentum slow down to a complete complete stop. Even with the best of intentions and elbow grease. HOW and WHY did this happen?

One of my key analysis points when working with clients is to see how their benchmarks or milestones shape up to meeting their goals. The most common reason why isn’t that the goal was too big or off or dumb, but rather the steps to get there were not properly broken down into single, level actionable items and prioritized.

This is a foundational principle into everything I teach and implement. We can’t have ‘launch a fill the in blank item’ without making sure every step into the progress is broken down, delegated, prioritized and (as much as possible) unlinked from depending on the progress of something else.

But listen carefully, this so different than a 75 point checklist. This is a real plan that is both adaptable and firm, because priorities are broken down creating a consistency and collaboration that isn’t found on any bulleted checklist.

Revamp in 3 super easy steps

STEP 1: Get everything down to an actionable, single level task

The to do’s are the problem! Many times (even with detailed operating procedures) we still attack recurring or special projects using a broad, generalized “to do list” vs. a set of detailed, prioritized actions. When we operate from a detailed, single level task your team knows exactly what to do and when. You are setting your operations up with a clear, transparent plan.

STEP 2: Unlink to do’s from depending on each other

Once you have your tasks broken down into single, actionable items you need a system that clearly defines each task along with independent subtasks. This allows your team members to work ahead, with each other, and be in front of deadlines.

STEP 3: Set your priorities and focus

Unlinking and getting those to do’s to task level is just 2/3 of mapping your next steps. The most important element to making your next steps count is to set out your priorities.

Much like shoving 30 days into 90, not having these key and crucial components prioritized into single level tasks are keeping you from consistent momentum towards your goals.

Once you eliminate the ripple effect, you will see real progress towards your goals. You’ll also be able to see where things are coming together quicker, what needs more refinement or a second hand, and what part of the process needs a little more work.

If you have your ‘launch fill in the blank’ simple sitting there, not broken down or prioritized, and working on tasks in general terms you won’t be able to see how much is left to reach the goal or move the project to DONE!

If you find yourself in this scenario, then you need to refine and tweak your tasks and prioritization. By taking one week to analyze the work done, the gaps that still exist, and the remaining items necessary you can get those goals back on track and get out of the stalled space.

Now if that has your wheels turning, you need to spend a little bit of time getting this just right. No better place to start than with Your Progress Gameplan. It’s an easy method to get your next 90 days broken down into a real gameplan!

Everything in business is tasked with a hole heapin’ side of mindset. There’s not a growth spurt, sales slump, plateau, or level that doesn’t require several mindset shifts amidst all the strategy, tactics, and lists. . . you know that’s the truth!

Today I’m not writing to you about the bigger mindset shifts: playing a bigger game, taking more of a leadership role, having uber confidence in selling, but rather something smaller- but maybe, just maybe, the most important shift of my signature method.

One of the most fundamental shifts I help clients (and heck even those of you that get The Benchmark) with is making the transition from a to do list into a prioritized plan of attack. All of that begins with shifting into a sprint mindset and proper training!

So what’s a sprint? A sprint is two weeks, organized in your project management platform of choice, where you and your team roll up your sleeves and get to work. You may be working on retooling your funnel, outlining a challenge, getting your videos done for the new sequence, batch recording a podcast, regular stuff, or systematically updating your SOP’s. Whatever the case, it’s simply a solid two weeks of work on a handful of important tasks- without the shiny object syndrome.

Why a sprint?

I love a good sprint because of a few reasons. 1- its enough time to accomplish a mini project (as long as its broken down well); 2- It gives enough legs to a new idea once it passes the PIZZA test; and 3- It gives the right amount structure (yet wiggle room for creativity) that your Type A VA loves and many Type B Creatives need!

Other than these three, here’s a few other reasons we love sprints!

It gives your team enough dedicated time to collaborate and forecast hurdles TOGETHER as a team rather than going silent when something breaks that needs fixing.

If you’re a number + data cruncher, 2 weeks is prime time to review analytics and make small tweaks before a bigger monthly or quarterly review.

Working from a task oriented list / to do list you don’t really have wiggle room. You are scrunching remaining tasks into one or two days for sake of “finishing my to do’s” or are left with a week or two of extra room in your schedule once you complete the big stuff. Working in sprints reduces the up and downs that come with a to do list. It pushes you to do more (if there’s room) and also gives you structure to stay on task without overwhelm!

But making that shift from a Task Oriented to do list (like what some see in Asana) can take some getting use to. I’ll admit, the Progress System is a radically different approach that does require some overhaul of to do’s most people think work just fine. BUT thinking in terms of sprints is an easy way to dip your toes in the water.

So how can you make that shift, even if you aren’t ready to fully implement the Progress System?

3 steps for Sprint Training:

It’ super important that while you train your brain to work in Sprints is to make sure you’re giving yourself enough structure to implement the tactical steps and stay open to new ways of thinking.

For now, as you are working to adopt a sprint mindset, I don’t want you to do anything to your tasks. You are simply setting up physical and mental cues to help click into a sprint mindset.

1- Put it on your calendar

This is a google calendar with FPM’s standard sprint dates. Feel free to copy this right over to your own calendar! Pro tip: I add a green * for start sprints and a red * for end sprints in my physical planner.

Simply start thinking about Sprints starting on a Monday and ending on a Sunday. This is your first step of sprint training!

2- Schedule yourself a Sprint Review (I like mine on Fridays)

The easiest way to hold yourself accountable and shift into this way of thinking is to schedule it in! What is scheduled gets done, same idea with this. Assign yourself a task (named Sprint Review) and due date it to a day close to the end of the Sprint. You will review your work and check in with your team on this day (or over the course of a couple days).

Schedule and make intentional time to complete this step and your mental framework starts shifting.

3- Take stock and measure up

This is super easy. Print your task list (easy enough in Asana or Trello) and draw a big red line above Monday (start of sprint) and a red line under Sunday (end of sprint). Look only at those items and make some notes.

What is checked off that was one giant step for your business?
What was a tedious task?
What things are on your list that need to be delegated to an existing (or new) team player
Where could you have squeezed in more?
What days did you stretch yourself too thin?
Is there anything that you checked off that’s not exactly 100% done? And does said task require a follow up or additional task for completion?

If you continue training for sprints in a second sprint (yay!) you’ll want to make small improvements or refinements to your tasks. Again, don’t overhaul everything at once (of course unless you are all-in, then hit me up!) but a gradual move toward working in sprints will definitely help you improve how much gets done (and done WELL) in your business.

This is the easiest way to set up mental and physical cues to get into the Sprint mindset. I am not lying when I say the Progress System is alive and well in my personal and business life. I plan for vacations and packing, meal prepping, and house projects all in sprints. It truly helps me not just make sure my business + clients are moving along, but that I’m also on the same page in my family life as well.

Once you start thinking in two week sprints you keep unnecessary pressure off your shoulders, even out your end of week pushes, and you find hidden time to work on new ideas or just take a little break. Of course if you are a recovering to do lister, it’s not always that easy or automatic- but there is freedom in the sprint and I can help you make that shift!

If you are interested in learning more on training for sprints, I truly want to hear from you! We could be crafting a new challenge that needs YOUR INPUT! So seriously, let me know in the comments or hit me up on Instagram @moves.you.forward.

Blog : Sprint training

Progress Issue #2: Stalled quarter goals