Episode #288: Yep, This Year Will Be Different

The new calendar year is always a time for reflection and goal setting. We get a few days off and can put some distance between ourselves and the everyday bustle and minutiae of the business. This affords an opportunity to think more strategically about where we want to be over the next few years and how to get there. We look at our waist line and think we should strike a blow for freedom and do something about removing that fatty liver build up. We also know this is not our first rodeo and we have done and said all this before. We have notes scattered amongst bits of paper or maybe even collected diligently in one place. If you want a good laugh, go back and look at what you said you would do in the business or personally, a few years ago.

But this year it will be different. Well, the Einstein take on insanity was repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. We were crazy kids in the past, but now we have seen the light. So far so good. Where do we start though?

Start small. Sounds a bit defeatist doesn’t it. “No, I can do it…!”. Well going by track record so far, why would that idea be true? Let’s try a different approach this year, aim lower to start off with and build up the tempo. We know that to change our results, we need to change what we are currently doing. We also know we are creatures of habit and the current crop of habits is delivering what we are currently getting. Ergo, we need to create some fresh habits. New habits will generate new behaviour and that in turn will create better ways of working and living.

For some people this gradual approach goes against their nature. They want to crash through or crash. Great. How has that “crash through” bit been working out so far? This is the obese crowd, crowding the gym in January but who evaporate by March. This is the mad boss making massive changes all at once in the first quarter and seeing them fritter away by the third quarter. Behaviour change is tough and needs a sustained programme to achieve results.

The new thinking is don’t plan for massive changes back at the office for the new year. Go for the 4/64 dance card. This is the next level of the Pareto Principle. This Principle says that 20% of our efforts produce 80% of our results. If we push it even harder, then 4% of our efforts yields 64% of our results. Let’s consider what that 4% might consist of? Also compared to achieving nothing in particular, getting 64% seems pretty good.

Don’t try and eat the elephant in one gulp. Find a 4% bite size piece that gets a 64% return in the business. What might that be? Is it some change to the systems being used now? Is it shaving off some item that reduces scale by 4% but delivers a 64% cost saving? Is it a pin point investment in training the people to sharpen up their productivity? Is it allocating 4% more of your time to supervise the very key functions of the team?

For your personal development, aim for reading five pages a day at first. Find a category area that will stimulate your mind and give you fresh ideas on how to drive the business forward. Take a good look. There are many books sitting on your bookshelves as yet unread. Pick up a four percenter and start with that one. As you find yourself achieving some daily reading consistency, crank it up to ten pages a day. At that rate you will finish a reasonably sized book in a month. Twelve a year is probably a lot better than what you did over the last decade! If you tried to read the book quickly, you may have been too ambitious and find, just like before, that book that got started, didn’t get completed.

If you are going after your health improvement again this year, declaring war on your waistline, be strategic. What would be the 4% intake reduction of alcohol and food, or specific choice of content, that will get your weight down by 64%. After having made selection number one, add selection number two, for the items which will be next four percenters.

If you are taking up walking or running, start modestly. Maybe don’t head off too far at first, but look for a nice, close big hill to make you work intensively, over a short period of time. As powering up the hill gets easier, extend the distance you can cover. Keep track of the time taken to see if you can improve the work rate.

If you are down at the gym or pool, which are the four percenter exercises which will give you the best results. Pick a few and then look at increasing the number of sets and reps. As you improve, add in more exercises - the next group of four percenters. Keep a written record that you can refer to, so you can see your progress and track it easily.

We know all of this stuff, by the way, but we just don’t do it. This year will be different because we are going after the 4/64 sweetspot. We are seeking to change our behavior, rather than trying to get short term results. Water on rock is our mantra - we will wear the problems down over time.

Action Steps

1. Start small and scale up.
2. Look for the four percenters and start there.
3. Don’t try and crash or crash through
4. Measure and track progress