Hello ! I hope you are settling well into this new winter season. Last week, I led a bootcamp to wrap up a 6-month program with 20 digital health startups. It was a nationally-funded program aimed at making Switzerland a leading player in digital health. I've realized, once again, that goal setting and maintaining focus are common challenges for these entrepreneurs (and for me, to be honest π±). So here, I'll share what has worked for me, developed over the past 5 years through trial and error, to become more focused. And it's not thanks to goals, but systems (I'll explain what this means). Whether you're an employee in a large corporation or a freelancer - this might help you (or at least I hope so - let me know! ). β "The direction you are heading in matters more than how fast you move.
β
Picking the right direction for every decision is far more important than how much hard work you apply.ββ
β Naval Ravikant
β Get comfortable for your 5 minutes of sparks to hack. β β β¨ Sparkβ My journey has been the following: from goals (my only focus as an employee for 15 years) to habits (I tried to change the way I worked and prioritized when starting Bambooster in 2018) to systems (yes, finally π!!). Let me explain. β β Gaols are not enoughβ Goal setting without habits failed me for many years. I am still doing my quarterly goals (OKRs), and review them once a month. But this is not actionable enough for me and, to be honest, it is not what brings me the most impact. So, in the long run, the best way is to acquire habits that help you β β No good habits - no focusβ So I used to try to develop habits to be efficient and focused. With small daily habits, we can achieve big accomplishments. We "just" need discipline. β
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." Jim Rohn: β β β But the real question is: Are your current habits leading you toward your desired goal? Habits are weak: they are challenging to establish and often easy to deviate from (remember the last time you said you would run during your lunch break or stop eating chocolate ;)). So, it would help if you focused your time and energy on something else: the system. β β Why do systems matter more than habits?β In "Atomic Habits," James Clear refers to "systems" as the collection of daily habits that lead to achieving your overall goal. Here's the lowdown:
β For me, the system helps me like this frame to hold my habits and stick them together. In essence, a good system removes the need for constant willpower or motivation because it becomes part of your daily life, almost like auto-pilot π« . And that is how you can be focused in the long run : Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. β β¨ Hackβ So what is this frame (aka my system) composed of at Bambooster?
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." James Clear Here are 3 components that are helping me develop the habits I want as a solopreneur. β β System of my IT tools Let me give two examples from Bambooster:
So for you, what is the most important habit to reach your goals by the end of this year, and what is the one IT application that could help you?" β β System of my roles: the Hatslots techniqueβ This is the best way to ensure I'm working ON my business and not just IN my business. This could help you to work ON your career and not just IN your employee role, or to work ON a project and not just IN a project π. How does it work? You have to identify all your roles and block time slots in your calendar. For me:
β You can even combine this with accountability partners - the 6 freelancers I work with help me to keep these 'Hatslots' alive. β β System for regular self-reflectionβ
However having a comprehensive system and daily habits is insufficient to reduce the time between discovering technologies or ideas, and making significant investments, and getting your first paying customers. You must also:
β Why wait until spring to be the best? ;) β
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Hi, I'm AurΓ©lie, a professional coach and facilitator, specialized in innovation in healthcare and sustainability. I enable team and organization leaders in healthcare to increase the speed between an ideas discovery and significant investments. I bring creativity and disciplined methods with contagious energy and a smile as well as a team and system coaching approach. I have a No BlaBla, No Bulshit, and no Blingbling values. I am a entrepreneur / working Mum aware that I only have one life, so I want to make the most of it!
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