No, that’s not a typo. Chunking is exactly what I mean.
November is NaNoWriMo in writing circles. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and many crazy writers dedicate this month to churning out a novel. That’s right. One novel in 30 days. I’ve done it once.
The goal is not production quality. It’s about getting it done so you have something to build on. Progress, not perfection.
So how can that improve your business? It’s a concept called chunking or uber focus. You take one hairy, audacious goal and power through it in a month. It may not be perfect but it will be done and that may be enough to feel the traction and jumpstart your inspiration to do something even greater. Still, there are a few things you should know before you undertake that Herculean task.
When you’re considering what idea to work on for your dedicated month, the first thing you need to think about is who else should be involved. Your chunking activity needn’t be an independent venture but it will be infinitely easier if you don’t have to worry about sign-offs until the end. Awaiting someone else’s decisions or relying on them to produce for you can rapidly eat away at your 30 days.
Writing a novel in a month is overwhelming but writing 1,667 words every day is extremely manageable. The key to finishing that novel is exceeding your daily goal. The same is true of your business goal. Whatever you decide to conquer in a month, break it down to the parts that will make you successful. It’s much more difficult to procrastinate if you know what’s expected each day to keep you on track.
The point in chunking a goal is to get it done. This is not the time to wonder why or edit your work. Know that whatever goal you’re undertaking will be flawed. The point is to complete it so you can take it to the next stage of development. Don’t waste your time being critical at this stage. Finishing is what matters.
Visual representations of progress can be extremely motivating. Just look at most weight-loss sites. They illustrate progress on a graph in pounds lost. It’s a lot more inspiring to see the downward hill than just staring at a bunch of numbers. The same is true of your big, hairy, audacious business goal. Chart out the steps and cross them off as you achieve them or track your progress on a graph.
If you’ve followed the chunking advice so far, you’ve set mini daily goals. Don’t assume it’s okay to take a day off from pursuing your goal. It’s not. You only have 30 of them in this case. Meet your daily goal because as much as you may not be “feeling it” today, tomorrow will take double the motivation because you’ll need to make up for today’s slack. Compounding numbers grow pretty quickly and discouragement rises like flood waters. Get it done each and every day, whether you feel like it or not.
Is there a big audacious goal that has been nipping at your heals this year? Then it’s the perfect time to tackle it. The end of 2017 is just around the corner. What do you have to show for it? Chunk a business goal next month and the answer will be plenty.