The 6 Method to Plan 2018

During each New Year’s Eve, I became aware of two feelings hunting me:

• A feeling of underachieving: When the midnight approaches, I start to picture all the missed goals, and all the wrong choices that didn’t result in a better me.
• A feeling of emptiness: A New Year is approaching, with many opportunities, and I was still not in control of my life to know what I really want out of it.

To try and change it for good, this year during Christmas I started a New Year review. I started by stating how my year went, how I improved, and how there is still room for improvement – in a simple blank sheet of paper, since you can’t have clearer thinking than simply brain dumping your thoughts with pen and paper.

When I was doing this review, I ended up thinking about one core principle I learnt this year, which shaped me as a professional and as a person: Minimalism.

With this principle, in mind, I started to brainstorm what could be a minimalist roadmap for the upcoming year. I armed myself with another sheet of paper, and started writing.

I came up with a minimalist method helpful to guide me through 2018 and the years to come. Here’s the 6 method:

Start by drawing one vertical line and two horizontal lines, resulting in six even boxes. In each box, have the following sections:

1. Values: List your 6 core values. The ones you believe should guide you, and you deeply value as a human being.

Why?

During this year I got a first draft of my values. Having written values allow you to shape your personality and start a legacy. Values also result in clearer decision-making and consistency in your actions.

Examples:

• Minimalism.
• Honesty.
• Curiosity.

2. Habits: List 6 habits you want to maintain or start in 2018.

Why?

Habits are the routine of the self. If before the new year’s eve you already have a set of habits defined, there’s no going wrong with what you want to commit. What you repeatedly do results in who you are. Remember Aristotle – We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.

Examples:

• Meditate 5 minutes daily.
• Run 3 days per week.
• Drinking 2 litres of water daily.

3. Goals: List 6 goals you wish to accomplish during 2018.

Why?

Goals make life challenging and passionate. It also makes our subconscious mind have targets to work in the background. Listing the goals in the beginning of the year will give you commitments for the year ahead. Commitment triggers accountability, key to achieving anything in life.

Examples:

• Finish a PhD.
• Visit Asia.
• Start a side-project selling something online.

4. Aspirations: List 6 Aspirations you have for yourself during 2018.

Why?

Aspirations and goals are different to me. When I set a goal is something tangible I plan to achieve during the year. When I list an aspiration is about who I want to become. It will not end in 2018, but it will force me to work towards it.

Examples:

• Become a thought leader in a given industry.
• Become a networker in a given circle.
• Become a highly successful investor.

5. References: List 6 Personalities you look up to.

Why?

Role-models are key to guide you through decision making, and a powerfulsource of inspiration. Role-models could be celebrities, thought-leaders, family, friends, and even fictional characters. The list should allow you to have the mental-model of asking yourself “What would my reference do in this situation?”. This question, although a creative exercise, provides a different perspective and thinking hat anytime.

Examples:

• Gary Vaynerchuck.
• Tim Ferris.
• Mark Cuban.

6. Control: List 6 ways of ensuring you can track what you listed in each box.

Why?

Without control, we cannot know if our plan was successful or not. I felt like each method to be more disciplined or productive usually failed in this section. Since I was building my own framework, and was aware of this flaw, I had to include a dedicated section. It’s easy to set goals, but how easy is it to be self-aware to where we’re at to accomplish them?

Examples/Suggestions:

• Values: Weekly check-ins against each value in a notebook.
• Habits: Using the X effect app.
• Goals: Monthly check-ins with audio recording.
• Aspirations: Monthly check-ins with audio recording.
• References: When I use a “What would x do?” track it in a digital list in my phone.
• Control: Do a monthly review of the control ways you are using.

As soon as I finished writing down this list, which took me less than 30 minutes, I had a feeling of being in control for the year ahead.

Being better prepared for the year ahead is the outcome I want you to have giving a try to this method.

Why only 6 items per box?

I like the number 6. And it is also the key number of the minimalist technique I use for Daily Planning, the Ivy Lee Method. You could argue that 6 is too much or too few... What I aim here is Focus. Our brain can work on 60.000 ideas at a same time. Getting down to 6 values, habits, goals, aspirations, references and control methods, is focus in action.