Day 26: Stay flexible

On Day 9, we introduced the idea of different goals (Outcome, Performance and Process).  When I talked about outcome goals I said that they could be very motivating (especially over the long term) but can also lead to rigidity or inflexible practices, which can in turn produce stress.  Hence the need to also set performance and process goals.

Another way to look at this is summarised in our tip for the day:

Tip 26:  Work out where you have choice.

There are two ways you can do this.  First look at your goal and then ask yourself the following questions.  

'In order for me to achieve my goal what MUST I do?  What SHOULD I do? And what COULD I do?'  

This set of questions will help you decide your priorties in achieving your goal.  (In this case 'Should' means 'ideally what do I have to do, if I have the time/resources?'.  It does not mean 'what other people tell me to do'! See Tip 12 for more on this).  Once you have decided your priorities you can start to build flexibility into your plan.  On the days when you are busy with other tasks, you might only do the bare minimum on your goal, while on other days you might be able to do more.

Another way to look at where you have options is to think in terms of WHY you are doing your goal, WHAT you are aiming to achieve and HOW to go about achieving it.  You may find that you have little flexibility in one of these areas but much more choice in others.  Retaining a level of flexibility in your plans will increase your chances of achieving your overall goal.

A friend of mine describes it as like swimming across a fast flowing river.  There may be currents and rocks in the way that cause you to deviate from your path, but if you keep sight of a tree on the other bank then you won't lose sight of your overall aim.  In other words, keep your eyes on the prize but allow yourself some options along the way.