by Brandon Seyl
How I Crushed Every Goal on My 365-Day Deployment: A Strategy for the Home Front Too
My goal-setting strategy is super simple and will help you cross the finish line. In a recent conversation with a couple of my colleagues, it became apparent to me that some people struggle to set goals and follow through. As I reflected further, a few common trends emerged regarding why people can’t do it: Lack of clarity Procrastination Failure to commit Unrealistic expectations No idea how to break down goals As someone who is very organized and thrives on structure, I love to set (and achieve) goals. In fact, in today’s blog post, I’ll share my super simple goal-setting strategy that worked for me while on a 365-day military deployment, and one I continue to use at home too. I promise — you will not need a doctorate to understand or to achieve your goals. Enjoy! Photo by cottonbro studio at pexels.com 1. Spend $20 on Index Cards, Tape, and a Calendar Before my deployment, my mind was full of hope. I wanted to take full advantage of time away from loved ones and return home as a better version of myself. These thoughts consumed me, so I started taking notes on my phone. The list of goals grew large, some ideas formed and some, not so much. I needed a way to convert thoughts into actions. That’s when I made my whopping $20 investment. I went to Amazon and ordered a pack of index cards, tape, and an annual calendar. Then I grabbed a Sharpie and a yellow highlighter. These simple ingredients came together almost as if by magic. 2. Write Down Every Goal When the package finally arrived overseas, I returned to my office, opened my pack of index cards, and started writing down every goal I had in mind, each on its card. Some of my goals were: Run 100 miles Run a half marathon Write a book Save & Invest $10,000 Read Scripture & pray Read 10 books Start a business Here’s a key part of my strategy: you do not have to have everything figured out right away. Some of the goals I listed above were identified after I started completing others. You can pull on the thread of life, but I promise you it’s endless, so understand that your goals may change! That’s okay. 3. Organize into Categories When looking at my index cards, I saw that there were common trends. At the time, I didn’t realize it, but my brain was creating goals based on what I valued. Below is what started to take shape. Fitness:— Run 100 miles— Run a half marathon Pursuit of Knowledge:— Read 10 books Finance:— Save & invest $10,000 Burning Passions:— Write a book— Start a business Faith:— Deepen my faith My recommendation to you is to also write down and highlight your categories (“values”) on separate index cards and start associating goals with values. Then, you can break down your goals into smaller ones. For example, if you have an index card for “Run 100 miles,” create one for “Run 10 miles,” “Run 20 miles,” and so on. It should look something like this: Photo by Brandon Seyl 4. The Accountability Wall Once I had about 20 or so index cards scattered around my office desk, it was time for the most critical part: The Accountability Wall! I found an open wall and taped my calendar front and center. Then I surrounded it with index cards, grouped by category. Photo by cottonbro studio at pexels.com Is it super pretty? Nope, so choose somewhere that you visit often but that is out of sight of guests. Luckily for me, my deployment office was only seen by me. 5. Check them Off! Have you ever heard of “small wins” or “easy wins”? It’s a concept we use in military leadership: as you take on — and conquer — the easier challenges up front, your confidence grows, and you are empowered to take on the more demanding ones. Your confidence grows by giving others easier opportunities up front. Over time, their confidence grows, and they want more demanding challenges. It’s the same principle as checking off goals. Every day you will see your Accountability Wall of index cards that are broken down into small goals, and you will probably start by tackling the smallest ones. As you start completing them, check them off and mark the completion date. Every day, will have a visual reminder of how far you have come, and you’ll be inspired to take on the bigger goals. In my experience, it’s super motivating and makes you want to buy more index cards to keep going. Photo by Brandon Seyl Conclusion As promised, we went over my super simple goal-setting strategy, which personally worked for me during a 365-day deployment, and which I believe can work for you too The steps are: 1. Spend $20 on index cards, tape, and a calendar2. Write down every goal3. Organize into categories4. The accountability wall5. Check them off! Best of luck — get after it! Thanks for reading! -Brandon