Hola! Alexis here,
“Ambition is nothing without a calendar entry.”
This is one of our 6 Rules of High Performance and it’s a foundational principle at our organization. Here’s an example of what that looks like in real life.
This week, we spent some time as an organization on what we call “Dreaming Days.” These are days we set in our calendar specifically for dreaming up our goals. During these 4 hour sessions, we review the past and imagine the future, gleaning from lessons learned to explore what’s possible in the new year.
We go from dreaming to discussion, to decisions, and finally, to details.
And then comes my favorite part: we put it in the calendar.
Plugging in dates for events, trips, planning days, speaking events, and retreats fills me with happy anticipation for what is to come in 2023.
But that’s not even the best part.
The best part is visually seeing the cadence of the year “on paper,” and feeling the warm, gentle presence of our scheduled downtime – a downtime that’s sitting there waiting for us. Those are the times most people forget to plan for; the slower days of the year where we get to spend time in creativity and deep work.
Calendaring is how we take radical ownership of the ebb and flow of our company’s productivity.
Sound dreamy? It is! And it elevates our team’s dedication, morale, and efficiency. If this is something you’d like to offer your team, take a look at our 4-D Productivity System.
The 4-D Productivity System
Follow these 4 easy steps and watch 2023 magically come to life.
Dream
Impose “Dreaming Days” into your calendar and invite your core team of dreamers, doers, and decision-makers to the table. This can be done in-person (a la, company retreat day) or virtually (with everyone’s camera on!) This year, we accomplished our Dreaming Days by setting aside three 4-hour blocks, one day a week for three consecutive weeks. Whatever timing you choose, make sure that all the necessary voices are there and that you have enough time to really get those creative juices flowing.
Discuss
During your Dreaming Days, discuss the past, the present, and the future.
- Past: Reflect on what went right and what you learned in the past year
- Present: Reflect on the state of your team and your resources. Where have you made strides, and where are the gaps?
- Future: What would it take for 2023 to be a maximum success? The key is to think big and fun.
Decide
After your discussion, set deadlines for deciding on your course of action. Are you implementing a new system? Looking for a new hire? Inventing a new program? Transform those dreams into concrete decisions.
Details
Now it’s time to break out the calendar! Set targets for accomplishing these goals. Determine when your next project is going to launch and the first step to getting there. Put these dates in the calendar.
Here are few other ideas that you may want to claim space for now as you look ahead into the new year:
- Retreat Days
- Team wide events
- Regular “Power Hours” dedicated to upgrading your fitness
- Hour blocks for deep work
- Weekly date night
- Religious observance days
- Professional Development Training
- Do-nothing Days
- Content Creation blocks
- Meditation blocks
- Watch-the-Sunrise Days
As my friend, Matthew Kelly, says, “the most important things in life are almost never urgent.” It’s time to put those most important things in the calendar now. Your to-do list will be the most inspired yet.
Here’s to dreaming!
With love,
Alexis
P.S. Are you serious about maximizing your productivity in 2023?
We can help with that!
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