Audit and Edit
We all know the saying life is about the journey, not the destination. When we focus on the destination, we lose sight of the present moment we are in and end up taking it for granted. By enjoying the journey, we stay present, we live in the moment and we are able to make the most of our time and energy.
One of the signature processes I use with my clients is what I call Audit and Edit. When working toward a goal, it is easy to hyperfocus on the end result without taking notice of the details that get us there. What if I told you that most goals are more easily achieved by making small shifts rather than major changes? Often times we are closer to our end result than we actually realize but can’t see the forest through the trees … we are too busy looking for the end result and not paying attention to the details that get us from here to there.
Did you know that people who submit weekly accountability reports tend to achieve 40% more than those who don’t? (FYI for my clients reading this, this is one of the reasons we incorporate short weekly accountability calls into our longer term goal achievement journeys!)
Why is this the case? Weekly reports create the habit of reflection. They help us learn how to keep a constant eye on what is working and, arguably even more critical, what isn’t! When you know what isn’t working, you can adapt and adjust your strategy. Doing this on a weekly basis creates an ideal window of time to invest into your goal without going too far down a path that isn’t potentially working. It creates a scenario where there is minimal wasted time and maximum return on the investment of your resources (time, energy, money).
The Audit portion of a goal review includes some of these questions:
· Are the actions I am taking this week aligned with the goal I want to accomplish?
· What am I doing that is taking me closer to my goal?
· Am I doing anything that is distracting me from or taking my focus away from my goal?
· Am I not doing something that could take me closer to my goal?
· What challenges and obstacles did I encounter this week?
· Am I feeling any resistance about working toward this goal or about the goal itself?
· Do I need to spend more time, money or energy on reaching my goal or am I happy with the pace I am going?
After the Audit comes the Edit…
The Edit process addresses the answers to the above questions with different plans, strategy and action to achieve the goal. If the Audit process is the what, when and why then the Edit process is the How. By continuously reviewing and fine tuning your strategy, you will overcome obstacles, push past limiting beliefs and create success more effectively and efficiently.
Regardless of the goal – from starting a business to paying off debt to losing weight to implementing a fitness routine – when you Audit and Edit on a weekly basis, you will uncover ways that you can streamline your efforts to become the goal getter you are meant to be!
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