Use the AgileResults System to Achieve Short and Long-Term Goals

Which productivity method you need depends largely on what kind of person you are. Some methods are adaptable , open to interpretation, and flexible, which is good if you just need a little guidance. Others, however, are detailed and rule-based, which is great if you need to be told exactly what to do and when to do it. Agile Results, a system developed by J.D. Meyer , falls into the second category.

With AgileResults, you plan and schedule all your goals, from short-term to long-term, to ensure everything gets accomplished, even the biggest tasks. Here’s how it works.

What are Agile deliverables?

Meyer describes AgileResults as “a results-oriented system that helps you find meaning, momentum, and mastery in all areas of your life.” It’s an optimistic slogan—essentially, it boils down to taking a more serious approach to goal setting and planning.

You’ll focus on “three wins” at every level, from daily to annual. (“Wins” is actually another word for your goals.) First, set three “wins” as goals for the entire year. This could be the first of the new year or any other time as long as you are looking ahead a full 365 days and your goals are designed to be achieved within that time period. Obviously, these are your biggest and most overarching goals.

Then set quarterly goals. These are big goals that will grow into yearly goals and can be set on the first day of the quarter if you start on January 1st, or every three months if you start at a different time.

From here, set monthly goals. In general, it’s best to start this method at the beginning of the month, just to give it a structure that’s easy to follow, but again, you can do this whenever you want – as long as the goals you list here are the kinds that doable within approximately four weeks.

From there, set weekly goals every Monday and daily goals every morning, minimizing the size of each goal until you create a system of daily building blocks leading to weekly wins, weekly challenges leading to monthly wins, monthly wins. goals leading to quarterly victories, etc.

Spend 10 minutes each morning setting daily goals, and on days when you have to structure your weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals, spend 15-20 minutes. Keep in mind that they need to be structured and organized, so you should rely on a planner or an easily accessible document to complete them. I recommend using Google Sheets and dedicating a separate sheet for each set of goals in one workbook. Using cloud-based software instead of Excel or similar will make it easy to achieve your goals no matter where you are.

Reviewing is the Key to Agile Results

It’s important to set aside time every morning to write down your goals, but it’s also important to set aside time every day to review your progress. Every day, reflect on how you did against your daily goals. Every Friday, expand your reflection time to include your weekly goals; At the end of each month, be sure to review your monthly goals as well. Keep it up until the end of the year, when you can look back and see how far you’ve come in achieving your annual “wins.”

Meyer suggests writing down three things that are going well and three things that need improvement on Fridays. This reflection is key to helping you create your next set of daily and weekly “wins.” Giving yourself time to focus on successes rather than just identifying problem areas will also keep you motivated, so be sure to write down your reflections somewhere in your planner or document.