Achieve more in 12 WEEKS than most do in 12 MONTHS (in your career)
Let me ask you a question. "Have you ever felt stuck?" you're setting goals but somehow not making the progress you need?
At the start of every year a large % of the world set a New Year's Resolutions (A goal) to make their life better.
Throughout the holiday season people start feeling optimistic. The weight of last year gets lighter and the idea that "This year is my year" sinks in.
Its incredible what a holiday can do for your mindset and mood.
The problem is optimism doesn't guarantee success. It just helps you expect a better outcome.
Roughly 72% of workers aren't happy
The workload is to high
They don't get on with colleagues
Work hours are too long
Work is monotonous
Lack of control over schedule
I was in this boat for years. The reality is that is the price paid for a stable salary and potential job security. That works for most people… actually 28%
The pain isn't enough to make a change. I know because it took me to hit rock bottom to make a change.
If you're part of that 72%, be aware that you spend 40 hours of your week at work - roughly 25%. If it makes you unhappy. The is a high chance thats influencing your home life & social life.
This isn't a newsletter about why you should work for yourself, because I don't believe everyone should. It's about how you can achieve more in 12 weeks than most people do in 12 months. Whether that is in your career, relationship or lifestyle.
I want you to stand out. What I talk about here helped me build a successful business, travel the world & become proud of who I am.
This is a process. You will need to be patient, consistent and to make this your own.
It's easy, the challenge you will face is personalising it. Problem solving, adapting & embracing failure.
If you can commit to that. Read on.
The first challenge I encountered with setting goals was not being realistic. I set goals like:
I will make $1,000,000 this year
I will squat 160kg & be 8% body fat
I will fly my family overseas
Reading them out, they were HUGE goals.
Every year I would fail… actually I never truly started. Within a few weeks I was overwhelmed, lost focus and moved back into the day to day grind.
I wasn't happy, but it was easy. It's what I knew.
Year after year went by until I was fed up. I was broke, hated my life & didn't see a future I enjoyed.
Around that time a buddy presented me with what he called an 'opportunity'. I took a while to think about it and realised there wasn't much to think about. I hated my life so any opportunity was worth trying.
It was during this experience I learnt about 90 day game plans or as we call in the SMOV Academy - 12 Week Game Plans.
The focus of achieving 12 months of progress in 12 weeks.
1 Goal - 1 Plan - 100% Focus
I won't lie, it took me starting around 7 of these before I finally completed one. Life would always find a way to get in the way.
Over time I built out my Life Design Blueprint which has helped me complete 31 Game plans since.
I don't recognise my life now.
People often ask about why I use the 12 week game plan. I want to break it down for you.
It has truly been one of the keys to my success over the last decade and it's something you can implement.
By the end of this newsletter you will have a better understanding of why and how this set me up for success… I want to show you how you can achieve more in 12 weeks than most people do in 12 months.
I thought to make it more interesting and for me to hold myself accountable I can use examples for my next goal kicking off July 1st, 2024. I am going to be documenting it over on X if you wanted to follow along.
There are a few key points to run through.
Use A 12 Week Time Frame:
I had never really thought about the power of the time frame. I just adopted it because I was doing it in sales. Recently I read the book "12 Week Year" which helped me understand it better.
Setting a 12-week goal creates a sense of urgency. The most common goal setting formula is the SMART formula. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, my goal is to earn $20,000 in 12 weeks by selling my online course - Join the waitlist here.
Specific
Earn $20,000 selling my online course.
Measurable
KPI. Track sales and revenue.
Achievable
Based on my pricing strategy and marketing plan.
Relevant
Aligns with my business growth objectives.
Time-bound
12-week deadline. - Monday September 23rd
A key part to making this timeframe work is scheduling weekly check ins & monthly reviews…. and sticking to them.
I couldn't tell you how many times I scheduled them but would skip the task as I thought I had more important things to do.
Reviews keep your goal in sight. No veering off track for a few weeks, or adding additional tasks to distract yourself. It keeps the main thing the main things.
Here are my weekly review questions. Once again don't let me influence you. You may need/want different ones.
What feedback can I take from achieving my one thing this week?
How was my mindset this week?
How am I using my time? Can I use it better?
Often this will lead to becoming more efficient.
You don't really have a goal if you don't have a structured plan to follow. While I am writing this I am spending this week to fine tune my plan for the goal above. It requires planning ahead.
I am thinking about:
Upcoming events
Travel
Obstacles
This helps with setting a realistic plan and breaking it down into manageable steps.
For instance, my plan to reach $20,000 in sales involves incrementally increasing the price of my course with each set of 5 sales:
$37 for the first 5 sales
$89 for the next 5 sales
$149 for subsequent sales
If you wondering why the price jumps. I have a MVP (Minimal Viable Product) that I have a road map to add to each week.
I want to get started and the MVP is still incredible.
Finally, It's important to set realistic goals. Changing too many things at once, leads to feeling overwhelmed and quitting. Focus on one or two key changes and build from there.
Remember, your perception of what's achievable matters. If you believe you can do it, you're more likely to stick to the plan.
Focus on the behaviour not the outcome
Don't allow motivation & inspiration to fool you into thinking the deal is done. Building your 12 week plan is the first thing.
Backing it up with action is a whole different thing. I couldn't tell you how many people tell me what they are going to do & then next time I see them… nothing has changed.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit - Aristotle"
Identify thing key behaviours that will help you achieve your goal.
For example, to sell my online course, I need to consistently engage with my audience and provide value. This includes:
Messaging 10 new people a day on social media.
Posting 3 tweets/day.
Writing 2 threads/week.
Making 1 call-to-action post/day.
(Organic not paid marketing strategy)
This doesn't guarantee me to achieve my goal but with the marketing strategy I am choosing. Those are the needle moving actions.
Distractions are the enemy of progress, identify the potential distractions and do whatever you can to avoid them. Put strategies in place.
A few things I have set up.
Activate do not disturb on phone and computer while working
Have a small private room to work in
Dedicated time for emails, social media and distractions
I find using the pomodoro technique helps as watching a 25 minute timer countdown creates a sense of urgency.
Consistency is king. It's better to do a little bit every day than to try to do everything at once. Set a routine and stick to it. For example, I've committed to engaging with my audience at the same time every day.
Track progress to see what's working and what's not. Use tools like Apple Notes to write key notes or create templates for things like systems and emails. Use Apple Calendar to schedule your time and Reminders to prompt you for important daily tasks.
It's been game changing for me.
Reminders keep you focused on your key tasks. Set reminders for daily actions and other to-dos. For example, set a reminder to reach out to new potential customers each day.
I essentially want to idiot proof my process. I get distracted, lose focus and fail goals. Focusing on the task has improved my outcomes.
Be Accountable
I am always investing in coaches for a few reasons.
Accountability
They have the results I desire
Their network. I want to meet those they are connected with
Recently I have realised you can't outsource your accountability.
To achieve the goal you must own it. Accept responsibility.
A coach can be used as a reminder but it doesn't impact them if you don't do what you said you would do.
As you can tell by this newsletter and my instagram that I document a lot of what I do.
It helps me build memories to look back on but it also puts my goals out to the public.
As a man who likes to keep his word, this put pressure on me to do what I said I would do.
Not only do I share it with social media but I share it with my closest mates.
I want people to know what I am working on. It allows people to check in on me and ask questions that keep me focus on the task at hand.
By following this approach over the years I have drastically changed my life.
10 years ago I had under $800 to my name, was in a job I hated and had just been broken up with.
Today I earn multiple 6 figures, travel the world & am happily married.
I still use the 12 week game plan today and will continue to use it.
Thanks for reading.
Lachie
Personal Progress 19th June - 27th June 🤯
What Happened ✅:
Personal: Start learning "I had some help" - Post Malone & Wallen on Guitar
Workshop: 3 spots remain for August Workshop
Running: Ran 52km for the week
Productivity Course: Made progress on my productivity program (coming soon)
What's Coming Up 📅:
Podcast: Batching all July's Podcast to have some down time. Epic guests talking (Building a business, Going all in on a goal, Getting your family's support + more)
Strong Men of Value Academy: New intake kicks off July 1. (apply here) Great for men wanting focus and accountability.
CRUISE: I am going on a cruise in Miami! Ps. I'll be running a marathon on the cruise