Craft Your Life Created by Tracy Durnell

Transcription

1 219 Craft Your Life Created by Tracy Durnell cascadiainspired.com The Craft Your Life Planner is focused on building habits and systems to help you achieve your goals and craft a fulfilling, healthy life. Work through the exercises at the start of this planner during December or January. The questions are designed to make you reflect on what you d like your life to look like, and to help you find balance between all aspects of your life. Get stuck on one of the exercises? Skip ahead and come back to it later. You can also find books and blogs to read for deeper information about each exercise on the next page. Each month, you ll check back in on the priorities and goals you identify through this practice to figure out how you can make adjustments.

2 Further Reading Books and blogs that informed the design and philosophy of this guide: Hotspots ff Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett ff The Renaissance Soul by Margaret Lobenstine ff J.D. Meier - gettingresults.com Habits ff Essential Zen Habits by Leo Baubata ff The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg ff Zen Habits - zenhabits.net Prioritization / Choosing Your Work ff Extreme Productivity by Robert C. Pozen ff Deep Work by Cal Newport ff Born for This by Chris Guillebeau ff Essentialism by Greg McKeown Process Goals ff The Twelve Week Year by Brian P. Moran ff James Clear - jamesclear.com Incremental Improvement ff Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin ff James Clear - jamesclear.com ff Zen Habits - zenhabits.net Theme words ff Chris Brogan - chrisbrogan.com Productivity Techniques ff The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey ff Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey ff Getting Things Done by David Allen Self Improvement ff David Cain - raptitude.com ff The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Personal Reviews f f Chris Guillebeau - chrisguillebeau.com/ how-to-conduct-your-own-annualreview/ Find examples and tips at cascadiainspired.com/ craftyourlife

3 Exploring Success Mark where you currently fall on these spectra to see how things are going. Then brainstorm ideas for improvement. Be as specific or vague, tangible or conceptual as you want. These ideas can inform your later goal-setting, but just because you write something here doesn t mean you have to do it, so don t hold back on brainstorming.

4 Life satisfaction Overall, How do you feel about your life right now? Life is great Pretty good It s fine Could be worse Not good Frankly, bad what would Make Your Life 1% Better? How satisfied are you with how your life is going now? Don t change a thing Pretty satisfied On a good track Things are...ok Want to make big changes What do You Want to do more of This Year? What do You Want to stop doing or do less This Year? How balanced does your life feel right now? Wellbalanced Mostly balanced Some things out of balance Unbalanced, but on purpose Totally unbalanced How could you better balance your life?

5 A Rich, Fulfilling Life Does your life give you opportunities for meaning? My life is very meaningful Some aspects of my life are meaningful Some, but I d like more Not really My life isn t meaningful at all what activities Would add Meaning to your life? How often do you feel happy? Almost all the time Pretty often Sometimes Occasionally Not very often Almost never what Activities Make you Happy? What else could you try? How could you do the things that make you happy more often? does Your Life challenge and Engage You? Too much - I m overwhelmed I feel challenged (in a good way) A mix, but overall I m engaged Kind of bored / stagnant I m totally checked out How Could You Challenge Yourself This Year?

6 Making + Doing making What do You Want to make This Year? How much time + energy are you able and want to spend making? Every day Weekly Once or twice a month A few times a year Next to none Learning What do You Want to Learn, Try or Practice This Year? How much time + energy are you able and want to spend learning? Every day Weekly Once or twice a month A few times a year Next to none Travel / Experiences What do You Want to experience or see This Year? How much time + money can you commit to adventure this year? I ll do whatever it takes Have a budget / able to save up I can spare a little Tight budget or schedule Next to none

7 Simplify + Self Care How do you feel about your Schedule / commitments? Great! Pretty good It s doable Life feels a little hectic Way, way too busy How could you Reduce your commitments? How often do you feel Anxious or stressed? Almost all the time Pretty often Sometimes Occasionally Not very often Almost never what Activities help you relax? What else could you try? How could you do things that help you relax more often? How often do you celebrate success? Consistently It depends Sometimes Not very often Almost never How could you reward yourself or celebrate small successes?

8 Picture A Perfect Day What would a perfect day look like for you? Write out a dream schedule, hour by hour, of what you d like to be doing. Some things to consider: what time you d get up and go to bed, when and what you re eating, who you re spending time with, what you re working on, and where you are. 12 am 1 am 2 am 3 am 4 am 5 am 6 am 7 am 8 am 9 am 1 am 11 am 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm 1 pm Weekend Mark items that are substantially different from your current routine. How can you get closer to your ideal? Brainstorm both baby steps and bigger or long-term ideas. 11 pm

9 Picture A Perfect Day 12 am 1 am 2 am 3 am 4 am 5 am 6 am 7 am 8 am 9 am 1 am 11 am 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm 1 pm Weekday Mark items that are substantially different from your current routine. How can you get closer to your ideal? For example, if you want to spend less time commuting, you could ask your boss about telecommuting one day a week or changing your start time to avoid traffic. Or you could look for a carpool buddy or try taking the bus so you could make use of your commute time. 11 pm

10 Life hotspots Take a holistic look at all aspects of your life, divided into seven hotspots.

11 seven Life Hotspots Work Body Many people struggle with their bodies and feel guilt for not meeting their own expectations. Use this hotspot to address your professional and / or personal or nontraditional work. Play Our culture values productivity so much that it can be hard to make time to simply have fun. Mind Modern life can be fast-paced and overscheduled, triggering stress. Work may come to mind first when you re setting goals, but there are many aspects of your life to plan and balance. You ll evaluate how you re doing in these seven hotspots. Finances Healthy finances support your lifestyle and offer you a safety net. Relationships Healthy relationships can enrich your life. Lifestyle Use this big-picture hotspot to fill in the gaps of your personal work and commitments.

12 Work Professional Some elements of your life that might fit here: ff ff Career ff Creative work work ff Side gigs ff Hobbies ff Volunteering ff Projects what is your focus / what are your commitments in this area? Rate this Hotspot Circle what best describes your current status. Pick what you feel, not what you think you should feel. How are You Feeling about Your Work Right Now? Rockin it! Pretty darn good Fine Not so hot I don t want to talk about it 4 How Important is this to your life right Now? A top priority Pretty important Valuable but not main focus Meh / I feel like I should care... Totally irrelevant How much work do you want to Put In here this year? Drop everything else! I want to put in some real work Give it some attention The bare minimum Is none an option? How much time + energy can you commit here this year? I m all in A fair bit Some Very little Next to none Score this Hotspot Add the points for a score from -16. Transfer this score to the hotspot prioritization page. Feeling Importance Work Time + energy score =

13 play Some elements of your life that might fit here: ff Entertainment ff Travel ff Activities ff Art ff Hobbies ff Classes ff Sports ff Games what is your focus / what are your commitments in this area? Rate this Hotspot Circle what best describes your current status. Pick what you feel, not what you think you should feel. How are You Feeling about Your play Right Now? Rockin it! Pretty darn good Fine Not so hot I don t want to talk about it 4 How Important is this to your life right Now? A top priority Pretty important Valuable but not main focus Meh / I feel like I should care... Totally irrelevant How much work do you want to Put In here this year? Drop everything else! I want to put in some real work Give it some attention The bare minimum Is none an option? How much time + energy can you commit here this year? I m all in A fair bit Some Very little Next to none Score this Hotspot Add the points for a score from -16. Transfer this score to the hotspot prioritization page. Feeling Importance Work Time + energy score =

14 body Some elements of your life that might fit here: ff Heart health ff Strength ff Flexibility ff Wellness ff Eating habits ff Sleep habits ff Appearance ff Dental care what is your focus / what are your commitments in this area? Rate this Hotspot Circle what best describes your current status. Pick what you feel, not what you think you should feel. How are You Feeling about Your body Right Now? Rockin it! Pretty darn good Fine Not so hot I don t want to talk about it 4 How Important is this to your life right Now? A top priority Pretty important Valuable but not main focus Meh / I feel like I should care... Totally irrelevant How much work do you want to Put In here this year? Drop everything else! I want to put in some real work Give it some attention The bare minimum Is none an option? How much time + energy can you commit here this year? I m all in A fair bit Some Very little Next to none Score this Hotspot Add the points for a score from -16. Transfer this score to the hotspot prioritization page. Feeling Importance Work Time + energy score =

15 mind Some elements of your life that might fit here: ff Mindfullness ff Spirituality ff Stress ff Anxiety ff Mood ff Self-care ff Personal growth what is your focus / what are your commitments in this area? Rate this Hotspot Circle what best describes your current status. Pick what you feel, not what you think you should feel. How are You Feeling about Your mind Right Now? Rockin it! Pretty darn good Fine Not so hot I don t want to talk about it 4 How Important is this to your life right Now? A top priority Pretty important Valuable but not main focus Meh / I feel like I should care... Totally irrelevant How much work do you want to Put In here this year? Drop everything else! I want to put in some real work Give it some attention The bare minimum Is none an option? How much time + energy can you commit here this year? I m all in A fair bit Some Very little Next to none Score this Hotspot Add the points for a score from -16. Transfer this score to the hotspot prioritization page. Feeling Importance Work Time + energy score =

16 Finances Some elements of your life that might fit here: ff Spending ff ff Debt Income ff Retirement ff Budgeting ff Savings what is your focus / what are your commitments in this area? Rate this Hotspot Circle what best describes your current status. Pick what you feel, not what you think you should feel. How are You Feeling about Your Finances Right Now? Rockin it! Pretty darn good Fine Not so hot I don t want to talk about it 4 How Important is this to your life right Now? A top priority Pretty important Valuable but not main focus Meh / I feel like I should care... Totally irrelevant How much work do you want to Put In here this year? Drop everything else! I want to put in some real work Give it some attention The bare minimum Is none an option? How much time + energy can you commit here this year? I m all in A fair bit Some Very little Next to none Score this Hotspot Add the points for a score from -16. Transfer this score to the hotspot prioritization page. Feeling Importance Work Time + energy score =

17 Lifestyle Some elements of your life that might fit here: ff Household upkeep ff Commute ff Work-life balance ff Pets ff Entertaining ff Eating out what is your focus / what are your commitments in this area? Rate this Hotspot Circle what best describes your current status. Pick what you feel, not what you think you should feel. How are You Feeling about Your Lifestyle Right Now? Rockin it! Pretty darn good Fine Not so hot I don t want to talk about it 4 How Important is this to your life right Now? A top priority Pretty important Valuable but not main focus Meh / I feel like I should care... Totally irrelevant How much work do you want to Put In here this year? Drop everything else! I want to put in some real work Give it some attention The bare minimum Is none an option? How much time + energy can you commit here this year? I m all in A fair bit Some Very little Next to none Score this Hotspot Add the points for a score from -16. Transfer this score to the hotspot prioritization page. Feeling Importance Work Time + energy score =

18 relationships ff Family Some elements of your life that might fit here: ff Romantic relationships ff Friends ff Communities what is your focus / what are your commitments in this area? Rate this Hotspot Circle what best describes your current status. Pick what you feel, not what you think you should feel. How are You Feeling about Your relationships Right Now? Rockin it! Pretty darn good Fine Not so hot I don t want to talk about it 4 How Important is this to your life right Now? A top priority Pretty important Valuable but not main focus Meh / I feel like I should care... Totally irrelevant How much work do you want to Put In here this year? Drop everything else! I want to put in some real work Give it some attention The bare minimum Is none an option? How much time + energy can you commit here this year? I m all in A fair bit Some Very little Next to none Score this Hotspot Add the points for a score from -16. Transfer this score to the hotspot prioritization page. Feeling Importance Work Time + energy score =

19 Pick Top Hotspots Use this page to remind yourself how you want to spend your energy and time. Enter the score you gave each hotspot in these circles. Work Play Body Mind Finances Lifestyle Relationships identify Your Top Hotspots You ll focus on your top three hotspots. Write your top ranked hotspot in the highest circle, then the next two highest ranked hotspots in the tier below. The points are designed to help you set priorities, but If these top three hotspots or the order doesn t feel quite right, adjust the ranking.

20 Forget should. What s right for you?

21 Goal Setting Identify outcome goals and process goals or habits that will help you accomplish them. You ll identify six process goals or habits to consider incorporating into your life. You ll start by building one habit, then add others through the year.

22 #1 HOTSPOT: Define Success How do You Want to Describe This Area of Your Life? Choose one or two adjectives you want to describe this hotspot. Think of them as thematic goals. what is Your Long-Term Vision for this Hotspot? what Would Success here Look / feel Like at Year s End? Refine Outcome Goals What do you want to accomplish in this area this year? Brainstorm outcomes that you might like to accomplish by the end of the year. Deepen Your Priority Outcome Goals Which of those outcomes closest matches your vision of success? Choose the top two outcomes. Outcome Goal 1 Why is this one of your top goals? Outcome Goal 2 Why is this one of your top goals? What will you count as success? What will you count as success?

23 Tighten Your Goals Outcome Goal 1 Rewrite your outcome goal, being specific, measurable, and achievable. If you d like to achieve the goal before the end of the year, identify your timeline. What are some signposts of this outcome? Are there steps along the way towards accomplishing your outcome goal? What smaller wins are the signposts along the way to help you keep track of your progress towards your outcome goal? What is the Three Month Version of this outcome goal? What could you realistically accomplish in three months? What would feel like measurable progress towards your outcome goal? Make your goal specific, measurable, and achievable. Outcome Goal 2 Rewrite your outcome goal, being specific, measurable, and achievable. If you d like to achieve the goal before the end of the year, identify your timeline. What are some signposts of this outcome? Are there steps along the way towards accomplishing your outcome goal? What smaller wins are the signposts along the way to help you keep track of your progress towards your outcome goal? What is the Three Month Version of this outcome goal? What could you realistically accomplish in three months? What would feel like measurable progress towards your outcome goal? Make your goal specific, measurable, and achievable.

24 #2 HOTSPOT: Define Success How do You Want to Describe This Area of Your Life? Choose one or two adjectives you want to describe this hotspot. Think of them as thematic goals. what is Your Long-Term Vision for this Hotspot? what Would Success here Look / feel Like at Year s End? Refine Outcome Goals What do you want to accomplish in this area this year? Brainstorm outcomes that you might like to accomplish by the end of the year. Deepen Your Priority Outcome Goals Which of those outcomes closest matches your vision of success? Choose the top two outcomes. Outcome Goal 1 Why is this one of your top goals? Outcome Goal 2 Why is this one of your top goals? What will you count as success? What will you count as success?

25 Tighten Your Goals Outcome Goal 1 Rewrite your outcome goal, being specific, measurable, and achievable. If you d like to achieve the goal before the end of the year, identify your timeline. What are some signposts of this outcome? Are there steps along the way towards accomplishing your outcome goal? What smaller wins are the signposts along the way to help you keep track of your progress towards your outcome goal? What is the Three Month Version of this outcome goal? What could you realistically accomplish in three months? What would feel like measurable progress towards your outcome goal? Make your goal specific, measurable, and achievable. Outcome Goal 2 Rewrite your outcome goal, being specific, measurable, and achievable. If you d like to achieve the goal before the end of the year, identify your timeline. What are some signposts of this outcome? Are there steps along the way towards accomplishing your outcome goal? What smaller wins are the signposts along the way to help you keep track of your progress towards your outcome goal? What is the Three Month Version of this outcome goal? What could you realistically accomplish in three months? What would feel like measurable progress towards your outcome goal? Make your goal specific, measurable, and achievable.

26 #3 HOTSPOT: Define Success How do You Want to Describe This Area of Your Life? Choose one or two adjectives you want to describe this hotspot. Think of them as thematic goals. what is Your Long-Term Vision for this Hotspot? what Would Success here Look / feel Like at Year s End? Refine Outcome Goals What do you want to accomplish in this area this year? Brainstorm outcomes that you might like to accomplish by the end of the year. Deepen Your Priority Outcome Goals Which of those outcomes closest matches your vision of success? Choose the top two outcomes. Outcome Goal 1 Why is this one of your top goals? Outcome Goal 2 Why is this one of your top goals? What will you count as success? What will you count as success?

27 Tighten Your Goals Outcome Goal 1 Rewrite your outcome goal, being specific, measurable, and achievable. If you d like to achieve the goal before the end of the year, identify your timeline. What are some signposts of this outcome? Are there steps along the way towards accomplishing your outcome goal? What smaller wins are the signposts along the way to help you keep track of your progress towards your outcome goal? What is the Three Month Version of this outcome goal? What could you realistically accomplish in three months? What would feel like measurable progress towards your outcome goal? Make your goal specific, measurable, and achievable. Outcome Goal 2 Rewrite your outcome goal, being specific, measurable, and achievable. If you d like to achieve the goal before the end of the year, identify your timeline. What are some signposts of this outcome? Are there steps along the way towards accomplishing your outcome goal? What smaller wins are the signposts along the way to help you keep track of your progress towards your outcome goal? What is the Three Month Version of this outcome goal? What could you realistically accomplish in three months? What would feel like measurable progress towards your outcome goal? Make your goal specific, measurable, and achievable.

28 Practice makes better

29 Action Plan Identify the actions you re going to take to start the year.

30 Decide where to start Recap Outcome Goals Hotspot #1: Outcome goal 1 Deadline Difficulty (rank 1-6) Importance (rank 1-6) Outcome Goal 2 Hotspot #2: Outcome goal 1 Outcome Goal 2 Hotspot #3: Outcome goal 1 Outcome Goal 2 Choose a starting Outcome Goal Based on the timeline, challenge level, and value of each outcome goal, choose one to work towards first. Circle or star the one you ll start working towards during the first quarter of the year. You ll revisit these each quarter to make sure you re still on track. Anticipate success How will you celebrate or reward yourself when you accomplish your outcome goal?

31 Plan for Success Brainstorm habits + process goals What habits do you already have that support this goal? Current Habit Does it work? Yes / No / OK Yes / No / OK Yes / No / OK How could you adjust existing habits to meet this goal? What consistent action will help you reach your goal? Often, our outcome goals are not fully within our control, like whether we get a book published or whether our product is picked up by a retailer. They are also often long-term goals that will require many steps to reach. Process goals are actions we can take that help us fulfill the aspects of our goal that are within our control, not a gatekeeper s, and build towards long-term goals. What activities could you do regularly to make progress towards your goal? Brainstorm actions that could help you accomplish this outcome goal. Focus on the core action here, and you ll define qualitative aspects next. For example, if your outcome goal is to write a novel, a daily writing habit would be a good process goal. If your outcome goal is to lose five pounds, a daily exercise habit would be a good process goal. If your outcome goal is to feel less anxious, a daily meditation habit might be a good place to start. Choose one of the process goals you identified above to refine and start working on during the first quarter of the year. Building one habit at a time will allow you to refine and solidify your practice so you don t You ll start with the simplest version of the process goal, and once you can consistently follow the process you can increase the difficulty.

32 Craft Process Goal Define Your Process Goal What habit or practice would you like to build? What s the simplest, easiest form this practice could take? When will you do it? Day(s): Time / trigger: Reminder / cue: How will you do it? Where: Tools: With who? How will you hold yourself accountable to follow through? Anticipate Challenges How likely are you to follow this plan for a month? 1% 75% 5% 25% % What do you think will be your stumbling blocks? How can you avoid / Plan for these stumbling blocks? Revise the specifics of your process goal as appropriate to avoid stumbling blocks. When will you do it? Day(s): Time / trigger: Reminder / cue: How will you do it? Where: Tools: With who? Re-evaluate: how likely are you to follow this plan for a month? 1% 75% 5% 25% %

33 Get set for success Get ready to start your Process goal You ll practice the process goal you identified to progress towards your outcome goal for a month, then decide whether you need to refine it, are ready to increase the difficulty, or start working on another goal. prepare to Start your Process Goal Set any alarms or alerts from your action plan. Acquire any needed tools that you don t already have. Check in with partners you ll be working with. Set up your accountability measures. Identify Easy Wins List quick + affordable one-time changes Think back on the answers you gave when you were exploring success. What are one-time changes you could make for less than $1 and less than 2 hours of work that would make your life 1% better? Pick one of these to complete during the first quarter of the year. List easy tweaks to existing habits Think back on the answers you gave when you were developing your process habit. What are easy tweaks you could make to make your existing habits work better? Pick one of these to try out during the first quarter of the year. Baby Steps towards a better schedule Look back on the ideas you had for taking baby steps towards a better schedule. Which of those actions is the easiest, and can you do or incorporate with minimal effort?

34 PLan a Typical Day Plan what a typical day will look like for the first quarter of the year. Block in time for your process goal. If you want to shift your sleep schedule, start with a shift of just 15 minutes, and once you regularly go to bed or wake up at the new time, you can shift another 15 minutes. 12 am Weekday 12 am Weekend 1 am 2 am 3 am 4 am 5 am 6 am 7 am 8 am 9 am 1 am 11 am 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm 1 pm 11 pm 1 am 2 am 3 am 4 am 5 am 6 am 7 am 8 am 9 am 1 am 11 am 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm 1 pm 11 pm

35 Guiding words Think big picture and make connections between your goals.

36 Three Guiding words Choose three words that can guide you through the year. These can serve as a cue when you re trying to prioritize or make choices, or can serve as a reminder to push you to do things that you want to but that might not come naturally. Your words could be aspirational or reminders, tangible or philosophical whatever is most useful to you. Use the blank space of this page to brainstorm ideas, then write your three words in the circles. Questions to consider Are there any patterns that connect your outcome goals? Do you have long-term or overarching priorities? Are there any qualities you re trying to build in yourself? Are there hurdles you re trying to overcome? What values do you want to prioritize or embody?

37 Theme for the year Considering your goals and guiding words, is there a theme that unities or connects what you re trying to accomplish in the coming year? A theme can help encapsulate and unify broader goals. 219 is the year of

38 you can do the thing