100 Days Left In 2009

Yesterday, the autumnal equinox arrived. The Earth on its tilted axis was at the point where day and night were precisely the same length at the equator. In no time at all, it will be the winter solstice, the longest day of the year.

Between now and then, lots will happen. The passage of time through the seasons allows us to mark progress and take note of things that have changed. As autumn arrives, we're mostly in back-to-school mode, with thoughts of football and turning leaves. In December we'll be in the midst of holiday frenzy and the countdown toward a new year. The next three months, inevitably, is a busy time of the year.

Earlier this year, in January, you probably made some resolutions to yourself. Today, with just 100 days left in 2009, you might find yourself with unmet goals and unfulfilled promises.

Right now, you have the opportunity to close out the year like a winner. The question I'd ask is whether, 100 days from now, you will have accomplished what you wanted ... or if you'll just have been so "busy" that you'll wonder where the time went.

Every day, of course, is a moment of choice. But today, with 100 days left in 2009, is a highlighted moment of choice. My advice: Pick one mid-range target -- something significant that's important to you, a personal breakthrough that can be accomplished in 3 months.

Commit now to focusing on that outcome with discipline. Break it down to smaller pieces, bite-sized chunks you can work on day-by-day. Keep this target clearly in mind, and work on it regularly, each day if possible. Think of how you'll feel when the target is reached, the mission accomplished.

Today, you are facing an awesome opportunity to finish the year strong. If you stay motivated and focused, then your challenging target will be reached by December 21 (90 days from now) ... or at least by December 31, and you'll close out the year like a winner. Then, you can make another resolution for 2010.

Finding time to focus on Real Results: Review what you're doing and ...

We seldom take the time to re-evaluate what we're doing to be successful. Over time, our behavior can drift from what we should be focusing on. Here's a powerful but quite short eye-opening exercise. Ask yourself:

What can I do to ...

1. Start doing more of what I'm already doing that produces results? Well, of course, that's self-evident.


2. Stop doing something. Eliminate from your daily habit some low-impact activity (or activities). Look at things that used to serve you well, that you've ingrained in your routine, but that have outlived their usefulness. Time-suckers in this category could very well be little stuff that adds up to a lot of time. Or, maybe it's major, like routinely setting aside your own critical priorities to help someone else with their non-emergency tasks (simply motivated from wanting to be liked or be helpful).


3. Start doing something else? Think of what you're not doing, but have intended to do, filtering in those things that could be make a significant contribution to getting better results.


4. Start doing less of what is proving to be quesitonable? (If you can't stop doing it, at least do less of it.)

It helps to spend about an hour in reflection on these four points, at least twice a year (better yet, quarterly). If you can't remember when you've spent some time pondering these four quesitons, then schedule an hour within the next three days. Turn off the phone and email, and think about this.

Then, settle on at least four things you'll do differently. More of. Stop doing. Start doing. Less of.

I'd love to hear any stories from you about actually doing this!