WEEK 28: FOLLOW THROUGH

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  This week I planned on adding over 12 different ideas and notes that I have had about the book into Scrivener and use 99 designs to find someone who could produce a possible book cover. I uploaded the SPI webpage on my devices to turn WT = DT.

IMPLEMENTATION (strategies used):  This week I was able to complete the weekly task, but yet again it was not something that I originally did not plan. Instead of getting frustrated I implemented the CVFA strategy and was able to connect with a designer that I had emailed a week ago to design the book cover. No new strategies this week, but I have listed the CORE strategies that I used this week. One new thing is that I am organizing the strategies under common obstacles or I CAN'Ts  that you might face while DPA your dreams. 

MOTIVATION: I CAN'T find the energy or reasons to...

1. Equal Odds Rule: This strategy I learned from James Clear and this strategy was actually coined by a Harvard-trained phycologist Kevin Simonton. He researched the impact of scientific publications and the effect on its readers. Keith found that any given scientist could write a game-changing publication or an average one that could be easy forgotten. James went further and made the connection that you could be an artist, teacher, lawyer, athlete, or the average Joe schmo like you and me, and we are all equally likely to produce a great piece of work or an average one. Essentially the only determining factor is frequency. What do I mean by this? The more you create, the more likely you will produce a great piece of work. Why? Well, if you think about it the more that you produce, in whatever area that you work in, the more chances you get to creating an excellent piece of work. The higher number of attempts allows you to produce more average pieces, that might be easily forgotten,but you are also able to learn more skills from this increased production. This in turn, increases the probability that you produce a great piece of work. In simple terms, the more you create, the more likely you will create an excellent piece of work. 

2. Seinfeld strategy:  I learned the Seinfeld strategy that from James Clear. It is called this because a young comedian once asked Jerry Seinfeld how to become a "better comedian." Jerry said take a huge calendar and place a big X for everyday that you write jokes, and if you can place an X for every day of the year, then you will become a better comedian. This strategy makes your progress visible and provides additional motivation to continue the streak of completing weekly tasks that move you towards your goals for the year. 

3. 3-Bucket System: I learned the 3-Bucket system from Jeff Goins who breaks up the process of writing into three easy steps. First, create a place (physical or digital) where you can collect ideas. Second, schedule a time to draft the first version without the pressure of making edits. Third, edit your draft after you have taken time away from it. This process makes writing much easier and I find myself producing better writing in a shorter amount of time. 

FEAR: I CAN'T because it is not perfect, that is not how I thought it might go, or I do not have the skill or resources to.....

4. CVFA: This strategy really helped me be aware and release judgement if things do not turn our a certain way. I learned this strategy from Tony Robbins and the initialism for the strategy is CVFA. In this strategy you stay Committed to your Vision, but are Flexible with the Approach. This comes in handy when you plan do complete a certain action earlier in the week, but have to complete something else to meet a pressing deadline. As long as the new task allows you to be Committed to your Vision, then you can be Flexible with your Approach. Don't beat yourself up, and try to control everything to the point that you get frustrated. Take a breath and think if the task still helps you be Committed to your Vision, if so, then be Flexible with the Approach. If not, then stay committed to your original plan.

LACK of CONFIDENCE: I CAN'T because I am not  a person that can...

5. Agreements: I was able to learn about this powerful strategy from Jack Canfield called agreements. In this strategy you keep and fulfill all of your agreements. By doing this, you boost self confidence and you slowly prove to yourself that you are a person that is able to complete whatever you agree to. This in turn, allows you to take on more challenging tasks, as you have trained the subconscious mind that you are able capable of such endeavors. My suggestion is to first start small, prove to yourself by consistently completing easy actions that you have agreed to. Second, only commit to things that you know that you will be able to complete. After you have proven to yourself that you can keep your agreements and your confidence grows, take the opportunity to agree to more challenging tasks on the process of discovering, pursuing, and achieving your dreams.

PROCRASTINATION

6. The Enkrateia strategy: Enkrateia is the antonym of Akrasia and means "in control of oneself"  and I learned this from James Clear. This involves three strategies in one to combat Akrasia, or simply put procrastination. First, create a Commitment Device, which increases the consequences of a bad behavior and decreases the effort to carry out a good one. For example, to eat less sugar, you can clear out all candies in your house, which reduces the effort to not eat sugar at home. Second, incorporate the 2-minute rule to initiate tasks, as the hardest part of following through is getting started. Third, utilize implementation intentions, or identify a [date] at certain [time] at a specific [place] to complete a task. By incorporating this you will be 2X to 3X more likely to follow through on what you planned.  

7. Early Scheduling = Implementation Intentions: This is a strategy that I was incorporating during my streak of completing my tasks on time, and it was a huge benefit this week. In this strategy, you first PLAN to complete a task and then SCHEDULE a time to complete the task as early in the week as you can. Two benefits are produced from doing this. First, you get a sense of accomplishment if you complete the task in the beginning of the week at the scheduled time. In addition, it allows you to devout more time to do additional tasks to reach your goals within the same week. Second, it provides more time to complete the task if life presents you with something that needs to be attended to during the original scheduled time. 

8. Got 2-minutes: I learned the 2-minute rule from James Clear and it helps you initiate a task, as usually this is the most difficult step. This strategy helps you focus on what you would do in the first 2 minutes of starting a task and then complete those actions. I often times do this and then look up at the clock and see that I have been working for well over 2 minutes. I have now merged this with the "Got a Minute" strategy, which is used to turn any amount of free time into productive time. It comes from Vierordt's Law, which states that when estimating a previous task, people overestimate short durations and underestimate long ones. Simply, we regularly overestimate how long it will take to accomplish meaningful tasks. task. Often times they can be accomplished in a short amount of time. So don't judge if you will start something by how time you think you have, just star! 

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): Another completed task and Week 28 is in the books. A huge takeaway from this week is the concept of following up. I have actually seen this in my reading time and have heard it on one of the podcast I have listened to (can not place it exactly, but will find out soon enough).

This learning came due to me finding someone to design my book cover. Last week I sent out an email to a book designer and in my mind I thought she would email me back the next day. Surprise, she did not. Then I thought, for sure she would email back on the second day, again no response. I gave it one more day and knew for sure I would see an email pop up from her. Answer, NO. After the first week I felt deflated and was about to give up, but for some reason the action of following up kept ringing in my mind. So I sent another message summarizing my first email. Guess what happened the next day...nothing...just kidding. I got a response from the designer! She wrote that she had been traveling and just saw my messages. She was excited to work together and gave me directions on the next steps to the process. 

This led me to researching a little bit as I was curious about the act of following up. Usually when you are asking a new person for a request, you usually ask once and if they do not respond you guess that they do not want to help. Often times, we forget that the receiver of the message probably also lives a hectic life and might be busy. For example, your email might be buried in a sea of other emails that are sent to them on a daily basis. The crazy thing is that 80% of sales are made in the 5th to 12th follow up. That is right, 80% sales! Why is this, first none of us are trained sales people and this is a strategy that most, well great salesmen use on you. For example, say that you go to a new restaurant and do not know what you are going to order. A good waiter/waitress will probably guide you to choices that will benefit them the most. They might highlight a dish if you like meat, or another if you like sauces, or yet another if you are looking for something light, but will probably end on "but my favorite is__, because __." This usually sells you and then you order that dish. As you can see, it is the not the first thing that you hear, rather it is the process of listening to other suggestions before you are finally sold. 

Now why I am talking about sales and offering statistics on the act of following up? Well, you will definitely reach out and try to connect with others in your DPA process, as I have in mine. This might be for advice, maybe to join a group, or something els to help you accomplish your weekly task, ie connecting with a designer for my book cover.  First, I should say that the most important thing to do is to ASK. You will be totally surprised by who might say yes to your request, but you will never know unless you ask first. The worst thing that can happen is that they will say no or not respond. But this is where the act of following up benefits you. After an initial period where you cold call someone (someone that you reach out that  do not personally know) for something and they do not respond, send them a follow up message summarizing your initial request. If there is still no response, then repeat the process until the fourth or fifth attempt. Now, if they have not responded after this time then you probably know they are not going to be able to help you. Additionally, I would reflect and see how important the request is, as sending out multiple emails to every new stranger for the smallest of favors might zap a lot of your time. However, if it is truly important to you and know that a possible connection could help you in your DPA process then I would say repeat it at least 5 times, as that is where 80% of the sales are made. 

Thanks for tuning in and see you in week 29.