Get [good] things done

On Monday, I gave you a behind the scenes look into a big project. A project of this size takes months to prepare for and complete. And like many such whoppers, especially those which have no direct relationship to employment, making a living, and so on, it would be very easy to let it slide. Here’s how I keep myself accountable to a very personal BHAG on a daily basis.

As you might recall, the project “Complete the 2010 San Diego 3-Day” has two subprojects: completion of the training to carry out the physical feat of walking 60 miles over the course of three days and completing the necessary fund-raising that the event organizers require of the walkers. Functionally, these two sub-projects differ in fundamental ways.

For me, walking is very goal-driven. I don’t view it as a task and it doesn’t appear in my task management list system. It doesn’t appear on my calendar, either, since the time of day I undertake training is fluid and flexible. Instead, I use a simple, weekly engagement book which serves as my training diary as well as the place I track what to do next. At the beginning of each week, I mark out my mileage goals in parenthesis at the bottom right of each date. When I come back from my walk, I write how far I covered, where and anything else I want to remember. At the end of the week, I total my mileage and compare that total to the distance I intended to walk. I get instant feedback: did I get close, equal, or exceed my intended training goal?

For day-to-day planning on the training side, I also control my appointment calendar so that I block out sufficient time for the longer walks. Saturdays and Sundays are always held open for my longest walks. During the week, I multitask walking the dogs or trips around town. For example, when I took my car in for service, I walked home from the dealership rather than getting a ride back.

Fund-raising requires a completely different approach for me. I tackle it just as I would any other personal or work project. Donation request letters, for example. That’s another sub-project (Complete sending out donation request letters) and it goes into my task management system and treated like all the other personal tasks I take care of. I use my “shrink to fit” approach, deciding in advance how long I’m willing to spend on putting together a letter and then pounding through it in that length of time. Because of my training schedule, I’m super aware that I have an ever decreasing amount of time to get the fund-raising side completed, and that constant reminder serves nicely to keep me accountable.

Seven Dimensions Summary:

Taking on and successfully completing a personal BHAG makes a significant contribution to the seventh dimension of your productivity: happiness. You will make huge gains in the areas of purpose, meaning, fulfillment, and satisfaction.

Personal BHAGs challenge your ability to manage your relationship with your time (Dimension 1). You’ll need to improve your skills of setting and guarding your boundaries, especially for tasks that can easily be procrastinated (e.g., fund-raising).

You’ll improve your ability to be reliable (Dimension 4)–in this case, the primary recipient of your reliability is yourself, often the most neglected person in your sphere of reliability.

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