Focus On This Podcast

180. Build Your Plan: Weekly Preview Pt. 3

Audio

Overview

This is the last episode in our three-part look at the Weekly Preview. We previously talked about the Weekly Big 3 and the After Action Review. Our focus this time is on planning the upcoming week. This is the moment where you take all of the lessons learned from your After Action Review and combine those with the Weekly Big 3 tasks that you’ve already decided are essential. A properly planned week can be the difference between feeling great about what you’ve achieved and simply surviving to the weekend.

Courtney and Verbs talk you through three important elements that will help you get your week set up for success. Also, Courtney flips the tables on Nick and gives him a quiz about the history of goal setting.

Purchase Mind Your Mindset: The Science That Shows Success Starts with Your Thinking at www.mindyourmindsetbook.com.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Oi4hhnsw1Oc

Make sure to visit all of the other cool planner users over in the Full Focus Planner Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ffpthinktank

For more podcasts, visit www.focusonthispodcast.com

Episode Transcript

Verbs Boyer:
All right, here we are once again, Courtney, talking about one of our favorite components to the full focus planner, the weekly preview. So this is the third installment of a miniseries that we’ve been doing, all on the weekly preview. I have a question for you though, what are we looking at today as we finish this miniseries on the weekly preview?

Courtney Baker:
Well I think the section that we’re going to be talking about today, I think is the number one thing that brings down the overwhelm. It brings down the Sunday scaries. It is the thing that makes you start loving Monday again. You’re going to be so excited. Do you feel that? You feel the love? We are going to be talking about how you plan for the coming week.
This piece really weaves together some of the things we’ve already covered, like choosing your weekly big three and considering what you want to do differently this week, the things that you need to change. It is the perfect step, the perfect bridge between those things. But there are a few steps involved. Ending the Sunday scaries isn’t magic. There’s a few things that you need to do to make this come together.

Verbs Boyer:
No more Sunday scaries. Boom.

Courtney Baker:
That’s right. This is it. This is your week. You want to end the Sunday scaries? Right here. Dial in, listen up. Stay focused. Get it. Get it. Right. This is scary.

Verbs Boyer:
Welcome…

Nick Jaworski:
No, go.

Courtney Baker:
Go.

Nick Jaworski:
She’s going to keep… Just go, Verbs.

Courtney Baker:
Go.

Verbs Boyer:
Welcome to another episode of Focus On This. This is the most productive podcast on the whole internet. We are here to help you banish distractions to get the right stuff done and to help you start loving Mondays once again, with no more Sunday scaries. I’m Verbs, here with Courtney Baker. Happy Monday to you, Courtney.

Courtney Baker:
Happy Monday. I’m still laughing. Okay.

Verbs Boyer:
Sunday scaries are out of here. They’re about to be eliminated, mutated, eliminated, disseminated, all that good stuff.
Element number one.

Courtney Baker:
Element number one is the list sweep. This is the moment for me, this is the close the loop step. This is the step that makes sure all of those plates that we’re spinning and you forgot about don’t all get dropped. This is a really important step, and it seems really basic. But what you’re going to do is you’re really just looking at what you had and compiling everything from the week in one place. You’re reviewing your planner, and if you use a digital project management system you’re reviewing that database for task notes and anything else important. And you’re making sure that nothing falls through the cracks.
So you’re basically making a plan for anything that was outstanding from the week before and getting it… For me, I’m just moving it to a day next week that I’m going to tackle that, or I’m deleting it or I’m delegating it in this step. And so really powerful element number one, list sweep. Get it done. Did you get it? Are you done? All right.

Nick Jaworski:
I’m scared. What’s happening to Courtney?

Courtney Baker:
I don’t know.

Verbs Boyer:
It’s Monday, she has the Friday funnies.

Courtney Baker:
Dude.

Nick Jaworski:
This is a new version of the Monday… Mania? I don’t know what this means.

Verbs Boyer:
Monday, yeah. You got to think of one for that one.

Courtney Baker:
Lets just let Verbs take over, he’s got the rest of them. Okay.

Verbs Boyer:
All right. Element number two, rejuvenation. It’s funny ’cause this past week I think somewhere on Instagram or someplace like that I saw, maybe it was a t-shirt that said, “Self-care is healthcare.” And this is often one of the things that could be quickly looked over, quickly glossed over as you complete that rejuvenation portion of the weekly preview. But if you don’t make a plan to rejuvenate then you won’t. So without time to refuel, as they say, you will actually burn out. So consider how you can plan time during the week to tend to yourself as a human being and make sure that you’re taking care of yourself. Now we recommend considering the categories of sleep, eat, move, connect and relax. If you’re getting those things in you’ll be able to do something restorative, rejuvenation happens and really set yourself up going forward.

Courtney Baker:
And can I just say, don’t make this harder than it is. You don’t have to have a spa day every week to do self-care. This is a really simple but thoughtful and intentional moment in your week to take care of yourself and make sure you are set up well to succeed. High performing athletes, all of these elements would be obvious. Obviously you would think about your sleep and how you’re feeding your body and how you’re connecting with other people. Like that would be obvious. And I think for us it should also be obvious because we are also performing in whatever role that we’re in. And so I think this is a very… Could be overlooked step, but very powerful.
Okay. Element number three, weekly overview. Now if you’re one of those people that, on Wednesday morning you realize that you have a dentist appointment at 8:00 AM and you also have a big presentation at 9:30 at the office and you have that gut feeling like, “Oh no, not this again,” this is the thing that’s going to help you. It’s a really simple tool, very powerful, especially if you are managing other small people. It is going to give you the confidence going into the week that you’ve looked ahead, you have awareness for what’s coming. You know how to problem solve around those things like the dentist appointment, you get it moved. The kid that has to be picked up early from school, those meetings that are overlapping each other. Whatever it is, this is the time to take care of those loose ends and really make sure that you go into Monday feeling confident that you have a handle on the week ahead.
Do you want me to say it madder?

Nick Jaworski:
What? Oh, yes, I do. Do it.

Courtney Baker:
Yes. This is your weekly preview and it is the thing…

Nick Jaworski:
Wait, I know this isn’t true but I’m imagining that this is what parenting Courtney is like. Her children show up and she’s like, “Listen, clean your room.”

Verbs Boyer:
Wait.

Courtney Baker:
No.

Nick Jaworski:
Oh, okay.

Courtney Baker:
Actually I don’t raise my voice. Actually, you should get scared… I get very eye to eye and a little growly. You know what I mean?

Nick Jaworski:
Like, “Listen.”

Courtney Baker:
You hear me? Yeah.

Nick Jaworski:
Who put the toilet paper on the floor.

Courtney Baker:
Listen carefully.
Okay. Hey, Nick?

Nick Jaworski:
Courtney, I’m very excited and also a little scared ’cause I have no idea-

Courtney Baker:
You’re a little scared?

Nick Jaworski:
I have no idea what’s happening right now.

Courtney Baker:
Yeah. This is my favorite kind of episode. I want to say it was a few months ago you kind of randomly gave me a pop quiz on productivity. And I felt like it was only fitting-

Nick Jaworski:
Oh God.

Courtney Baker:
That I return the favor and give you a little pop quiz on goals and resolutions.

Nick Jaworski:
Okay. I do want to say for people who didn’t hear it or have forgotten, the quiz on productivity included things like, when was the first planner made? It was like, the early 20th century. It was very, very obscure knowledge.

Courtney Baker:
Well, and I would say so is today’s. But I think that you might fare better than… I tried to keep it in the same vein as yours.

Nick Jaworski:
We better hope it’s obscure enough that if I fail this people don’t go, “He’s got to go.”

Courtney Baker:
All right, so here is your first question. What century did people start setting New Year’s resolutions?

Nick Jaworski:
Ooh. Okay, there’s a couple of things-

Courtney Baker:
I made it easy because you’re just like, what century?

Nick Jaworski:
Yes, sure.

Courtney Baker:
I think you asked me what year did people start using a planner?

Nick Jaworski:
Well, but I gave you a range. This is tough because part of me thinks… We have to keep in mind that a new year is different… Different calendars have different New Years. So we do have to keep that in mind. Chinese calendars, Jewish calendars, there’s the Gregorian calendar? Is that what it is?

Courtney Baker:
Sure, let’s go with that.

Nick Jaworski:
Let’s hope I got that right. But I’m going to say that it’s associated, sort of similar to the planner stuff, and that the idea of achievement is connected to the idea of capitalism in some way. So I’m going to say that it’s in the… I’m going to say the 18th century, in the 1700s.

Courtney Baker:
Okay. So I would like to award you… It’s honestly kind of a trick question, but I would like to say that you were right. Okay?

Nick Jaworski:
“Would like to say.”

Courtney Baker:
I would like to say that you’re right. So this is from the good old dictionary, okay? Merriam-Webster. So they say that New Year’s resolutions have existed since the early 19th century and perhaps as far back as the 17th century. And so I think with the 18th century…

Nick Jaworski:
So I almost said that first one.

Courtney Baker:
Well, and I have a few more details on this, which is really interesting, and then I’m going to throw a major curve ball in this answer. So not only were people making resolutions 200 years ago, but they were also breaking them and using them as excuses for bad behavior very much like today. By the way, if you’re new to this listening to this episode, we are not a fan of resolutions. We are a fan of goals. So just keep listening.

Nick Jaworski:
But as something that I feel like Michael has changed his language on a little bit, it’s not that we’re opposed to the idea of using New Year’s as an opportunity to set new goals.

Courtney Baker:
Absolutely, yeah.

Nick Jaworski:
Right.

Courtney Baker:
Yeah, to get that fresh start.

Nick Jaworski:
Just that a goal is different than a wish.

Courtney Baker:
It’s interesting that you brought this up because I had a meeting last week, and the person that I was on was like… Whatever she said, it sounded like she set New Year’s resolutions. So she was like, “Oh, but not that I’m a resolution person.” And in my head later I was like, if it gives you motivation for working out for two weeks it’s not like it hurt you. But then I started to think about it more and I was like, but if you continually do that and just see it as failure, yeah, this is worthless and you kind of throw resolutions and goals out the window with it as the same thing. Then actually it is kind of… It’s not a good thing, actually.

Nick Jaworski:
Yeah, the ability to keep your word to yourself. And I’m not saying that as somebody who’s batting 1000 on this idea, but I talk about it with the child as well. It’s like, if you can’t honor your own desires and your own intents that you’ve set for yourself, then we’ve got some work we got to do because you’re pretty important to you.

Courtney Baker:
I’m going to give you even more context on New Year’s resolutions. So going back all the way to the Babylonians, that they reportedly made promises to the gods in the hopes that they would earn good favor in the coming year. So kind of a similar structure as a New Year’s resolution.

Nick Jaworski:
Kind of, right. But that was for… Yeah, okay. Similar. It wasn’t in the self-actualization zone that we think of them now, but it was, “It’s a new year, I’m going to do different things.” I get it, yeah.

Courtney Baker:
Yeah. “What’s something I want in this coming year?” Just interesting, and that’s from How Stuff Works.
Okay. Are you ready for your next question?

Nick Jaworski:
I’m ready.

Courtney Baker:
Okay. What age group… I think you’re going to get this one. What age group is most likely to make New Year’s resolutions?

Nick Jaworski:
Whoa. And your confidence around this actually worries me. I think that it is probably… Well how large is this cohort?

Courtney Baker:
Let’s break it up into younger than 45 and older than 45.

Nick Jaworski:
Oh, interesting.

Courtney Baker:
I’ll give you the largest possible…

Nick Jaworski:
Okay. It could be either one. You could say that younger people do because they have their whole life in front of them and they’re trying to craft the experiences in the life they have. And you could also say people over 45 might because they’ve learned enough to know that there’s so much that they need to figure out. I’m going to say over 45 actually, and I’m not confident of that.

Courtney Baker:
You are wrong, but this is interesting. I love this question.
Okay, so the majority of Americans, this is specifically Americans, age 45 and younger plan to make New Year’s resolutions. Only 28% of people 45 and older plan to make resolutions. Now here’s what’s really interesting. When you look at what age group is most likely to set goals, it’s like people that are older have figured this out. They’re like, “Resolutions? Not going to work. Setting goals is going to work.” Or it’s just that the Full Focus Planner, it’s taking over.

Nick Jaworski:
That’s right. It’s taking the country by storm.

Courtney Baker:
It’s taking over. People are learning, yes. So goal setting, it is still more common with younger than older Americans, but almost all age groups do it. So from ages 18 to 34, 79% set goals, 72% of 35 to 54-year-olds and 62% of people 55 and older. So isn’t that interesting?

Nick Jaworski:
That is interesting. I have to say, Courtney, and I’m not trying to be that guy, I’m not trying to work the ref. I am skeptical of this statistic.

Courtney Baker:
Interesting. Well you know-

Nick Jaworski:
I find it hard to believe that 79% of people between 18 and 35 set goals that really-

Courtney Baker:
Well would you like me to tell you the source data?

Nick Jaworski:
Sure, great.

Courtney Baker:
It is Gallup, so…

Nick Jaworski:
Gallup doesn’t know anything.

Courtney Baker:
I know.

Nick Jaworski:
But how are they defining a goal? I would be thrilled…

Courtney Baker:
Well this is a really great conversation of, if I say, “Hey, I want to get the garage cleaned out on Friday,” in their head is that a goal? I suspect that you’re right. I think probably people think aspirations are goals. Like, “Hey, I want to make a certain amount of money in the next two years,” or, “I want to save a certain amount.” Are they counting that as a goal, even though it’s mainly just living in their head?

Nick Jaworski:
Yes. That would be my prediction, ’cause as I said, I would be thrilled if it were that high. But I’ve known a lot of 18 to 35-year-olds in my life and that does not seem to be what’s happening. Or it could be like-

Courtney Baker:
I don’t know. I feel like there’s so many 18 to 34-year-olds that have a lot of goals, stuff that I’m blown away by. I’m like, “Gosh, if I would’ve had my act together like that when I was…”

Nick Jaworski:
Sure. Oh, for sure. Or that maybe what I’m getting stuck in is this idea of the volume of goals, and that if you have a goal to be a professional dancer or something and that’s countered as a goal, then that doesn’t really kind of do the goal planning step?

Courtney Baker:
Well, and what this isn’t tracking is what we’re all about, which is goal achievement.

Nick Jaworski:
Right, so-

Courtney Baker:
Those are still two different things. I would say probably even though it seems like people in general have realized it’s better to have a goal versus a resolution, even if it’s aspirational, it would be really interesting to see the percentage of actual goal achievement.

Nick Jaworski:
Gallup, we’re not sponsored by you, but… Not yet. We’ll dig deep and maybe we’ll post it into the community and see if…

Courtney Baker:
Okay. Are you ready for your last question?

Nick Jaworski:
Look, I started off great. I feel like I did pretty well. I sounded pretty smart on the first one.

Courtney Baker:
You always sound smart.

Nick Jaworski:
Didn’t do so great in that one. I feel this is really… This is stressful. I feel it for everybody who has to do these.

Courtney Baker:
You feel stressed. Okay, okay, this one is true/false. So 50/50.

Nick Jaworski:
Great. Love that start.

Courtney Baker:
When you set a goal… Here’s your true false statement. When you set a goal your brain will immediately begin producing opportunities pointing the way.

Nick Jaworski:
Okay. I’m going to say that on average this is false.

Courtney Baker:
You would be correct.

Nick Jaworski:
Okay, and let me say it is that we tend to think of our obstacles. And I can think about all of the students that I’ve known and taught and you’re like, “Well, why don’t you do that?” And I do this of course. “Well I can’t do that because… I want to do X. Well, there’s 10 reasons why I can’t do X.” Rather than saying, “I want to be a professional skier,” and going, “Okay, great, that means I get to get some new skis and I got to figure out…” By the way, I don’t want to do that. We surrender to our limiting beliefs more than we default to liberating truths for sure.

Courtney Baker:
Absolutely. Well, and I think now’s probably a good time to be talking about that because the obstacles actually might be building, even out of the gate. It’s like you write something and your brain can say like, “Oh, here’s the 12 reasons. You don’t have enough money for that. You don’t have enough time. You tried to do that before. What is that person going to think about?” Those things are going to come automatically, and as you start pursuing a goal those obstacles may arise again. And really thinking through your mindset and how you’re thinking about your goal in what we call the messy middle is really powerful.
So two resources for you, if you’re kind of struggling with that. Megan and Michael have a brand-new book called Mind Your Mindset that is fantastic. If you find yourself struggling with goals, really getting this content and thinking about your mindset is really transformational for your goal achievement. You also can go back through our full focus goal setting course, which is also fantastic for helping you with these limiting beliefs.
Nick, I would like to give you a winning score. I think you did fantastic, nerves and all. So thank you for coming on this goal-setting trip. Yeah.

Nick Jaworski:
Hey, anytime. I probably got a 50% actually, but I will take it because I like to win things, so thank you.

Courtney Baker:
Well here, let me give you a bonus one so that you can go above. Let’s see if you can get this one. What year did Full Focus creator Michael Hyatt create the Full Focus Planner?

Nick Jaworski:
Is it 2017?

Courtney Baker:
I actually don’t know the right answer but that’s the year I had in my head. So yay, good job, Nick.

Nick Jaworski:
Yay. We’re going to get all sorts of messages about, “Actually it was 2015.”

Courtney Baker:
They’re like, “You were wrong.” We might get one from Michael Hyatt that’s like, “Guys, it was 2015.” No, it was-

Nick Jaworski:
No one tell Michael what’s happening.

Courtney Baker:
That’s right, don’t tell.

Nick Jaworski:
All right. Thank you, Courtney.

Verbs Boyer:
Here’s today’s tip to level up your focus. Make a list of all the places you should check each week during your list sweep. Now your planner is a good place to start, you could have other inboxes or other places that you may stash different task lists, whether it’s digital or analog, but make sure you’re making that list so you can thoroughly check off those as you see fit.

Courtney Baker:
Hey guys, it’s Courtney here, Chief Revenue Officer at Full Focus. You know me, you’ve been listening to this podcast. Nick, Verbs, we love Michael Hyatt and Megan Hyatt-Miller. Legitimate, not just because-

Verbs Boyer:
100%

Courtney Baker:
They pay us. Without being paid I would say the three of us, genuinely some of our favorite people. Fair?

Verbs Boyer:
Fair. Fair indeed.

Nick Jaworski:
Yes. I’m not obligated to say that.

Courtney Baker:
You said that so convincingly.

Nick Jaworski:
No, they’re great. Michael and Megan are great. I’ve been in their homes. They’re great people.

Courtney Baker:
Yeah, but not just great. I mean, they are great, but people ask me, “Are they like what they seem?” Like, 1000%, absolutely the people that you-

Nick Jaworski:
I have a lot of jokes I want to make, but I won’t do it.

Courtney Baker:
I need you to be more convincing to the people listening on how awesome these people are, and you’re not doing it right now.

Nick Jaworski:
Did you see that, Verbs? She snapped on me.

Verbs Boyer:
“I need you to be a little more convincing.”

Nick Jaworski:
I got a cramp right here, okay.

Courtney Baker:
Michael and Megan have a brand new book called Mind Your Mindset that came out, and we want to get them on the New York Times bestseller list. And there’s one way you do that. You buy their book, Mind Your Mindset. You can get it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, all the places. Go buy it. There are tons of bonuses that come with it, and more importantly it is going to help you. It’s a fantastic book to examine your thinking and how your thinking helps you achieve your goals. I know everybody listening wants more of that, so go check it out. Help us put some of our favorite people on the top of the New York Times best seller list.

Verbs Boyer:
Thanks for joining us on Focus On This.

Courtney Baker:
This is the most productive podcast on the internet, so share it with your friends. And don’t forget to come join us over on the Full Focus Planner community on Facebook. We’ll be back next week with another great episode. Until then, stay focused.

Verbs Boyer:
Stay focused.

Courtney Baker:
Stay focused.

Verbs Boyer:
Stay focused.

Courtney Baker:
Nick was literally scared, just then.