How I changed my life in 334 days with Reverse Goal Setting

Summary

In this motivational video, Dr. Justin Sung shares his journey from dissatisfaction to fulfillment in just 334 days, using a unique method of goal setting and planning. He details a five-step process, starting with envisioning the ideal person who has achieved the goal, assessing current skills, identifying barriers and resources, and creating an actionable plan. Sung emphasizes the importance of understanding the goal and oneself, setting realistic timelines, and learning how to improve. His method has been adopted by thousands, and he offers additional tips for success.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker transformed their life in 334 days by using a method of goal setting and planning, which they now teach to students and professionals globally.
• 🎯 The method involves reverse goal setting, starting with envisioning the end goal and working backward to determine the skills and attributes needed to achieve it.
• 🚀 The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a detailed profile of the 'ideal person' who could achieve the goal effortlessly, rating various attributes on a scale of 1 to 10.
• 🔍 A force field analysis is suggested to identify both the barriers preventing progress and the resources that can be leveraged to overcome these obstacles.
• 📝 The process includes a self-assessment to rate one's current skills and attributes, comparing them to the ideal profile and identifying gaps.
• 🛠️ The speaker advises creating an actionable plan to incrementally improve and develop the necessary skills and attributes, using SMART goals or similar frameworks.
• 📚 Additional emphasis is placed on spending more time learning about the goal itself and understanding its nature to accurately identify the required attributes.
• 🤔 The importance of self-reflection and understanding one's own methods, skills, and techniques is highlighted for creating an effective personal development plan.
• ⏳ A realistic timeline is crucial, and the speaker suggests estimating the time required to improve each attribute and considering the feasibility of doing so within the desired timeframe.
• 🔄 The need to potentially reconsider goals if the time required to develop necessary skills exceeds the timeframe available is acknowledged, advocating for a pragmatic approach to goal setting.
• 💡 The speaker offers resources such as their learning program at icanstudy.com for further guidance on improving learning efficiency and creating a comprehensive development plan.

Q & A

What significant change did the speaker experience in their life within 334 days?

The speaker went from being lost and unhappy to feeling fulfilled and excited about life by using a method of goal setting and planning that altered their daily routine and gave them confidence in their future.

What is the speaker's professional background, and how does it relate to their current work?

The speaker is a former medical doctor who now works as a full-time learning coach, researcher, lecturer, and the head of learning at I Can Study. Their background in medicine informs their expertise in learning efficiency.

Why did the speaker feel unhappy and unfulfilled while working as a doctor?

The speaker felt a lack of control over their life, as their schedule was dictated by hospital administrators. They also felt disconnected from the impact of their work due to the inefficient system of clinical practice.

What is the term used by the speaker for the goal-setting method they teach and practice?

The speaker refers to the method as 'reverse goal setting,' which is also known as 'backwards goal setting.'

What is the first step in the reverse goal-setting method as described by the speaker?

The first step is to define the goal, which should be a long-term or medium-term goal, ideally at least six to nine months away.

How does the speaker suggest creating a profile of the ideal person to achieve the goal?

The speaker suggests imagining a hypothetical person who has already achieved the goal and identifying the skills, attributes, assets, and knowledge that this person possesses.

What is the purpose of the force field analysis in the reverse goal-setting method?

The force field analysis helps to identify barriers that prevent the development of necessary skills and attributes, as well as the resources that can be used to overcome these barriers and achieve the goal.

What are the three additional steps the speaker recommends to improve the chances of reaching goals?

The three additional steps are spending more time learning about the goal itself, learning more about oneself, and setting a realistic timeline for skill improvement.

Why is it important to understand the actual goal when using reverse goal setting?

Understanding the goal is crucial because it helps to accurately identify the necessary attributes and skills, which in turn affects the effectiveness of the plan and the likelihood of achieving the goal.

What is the significance of the speaker's personal experience in the context of the reverse goal-setting method?

The speaker's personal experience serves as a testament to the effectiveness of the reverse goal-setting method, demonstrating how it can be applied to transform one's life and achieve significant personal and professional goals.

How does the speaker define 'employability capitals' in the context of goal setting?

Employability capitals refer to the factors that contribute to and influence a person's ability to succeed, especially in their career. These include skills, attributes, knowledge, and assets that are essential for achieving career-related goals.

What is the role of SMART goals in the speaker's approach to goal setting?

SMART goals provide a framework for making goals more actionable, measurable, concrete, and thus more likely to be achieved. They can be used in conjunction with the reverse goal-setting method to create short-term goals that bring one closer to the long-term goal.

What advice does the speaker give regarding the improvement of skills and attributes?

The speaker advises focusing on improving two or three items at a time to avoid overload and ensure progress. They also note that improvement typically slows down as one approaches mastery, emphasizing the importance of patience and consistent effort.

What is the potential consequence of setting unrealistic short-term goals in the reverse goal-setting method?

Setting unrealistic short-term goals can lead to failure in achieving the goal and may also prevent the development of necessary skills for future success, effectively 'screwing oneself twice' by not meeting the immediate goal and neglecting long-term skill development.

How does the speaker suggest dealing with the realization that the time needed to achieve the desired attribute profile is longer than the time available to reach the goal?

The speaker suggests that if the time needed to achieve the desired attribute profile exceeds the time available, one may need to reconsider the goal, acknowledging that there may be an element of luck involved in trying to reach it.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Transformative Goal Setting Journey

The speaker, Dr. Justin Sung, recounts his personal transformation from dissatisfaction and confusion about his future to a state of fulfillment and excitement about life within 334 days. He attributes this change to a methodical approach to goal setting and planning that he now teaches globally. Dr. Sung shares his background as a medical doctor working grueling shifts while also running an education business, which he eventually left to pursue education full-time. He emphasizes the importance of feeling connected to one's work and the frustration he experienced due to a lack of control over his life and the inefficient healthcare system. This led him to develop and implement reverse goal setting to craft a future that aligned with his desires and values.

05:02

🎯 The Power of Reverse Goal Setting

Dr. Sung introduces the concept of reverse goal setting, which he contrasts with traditional goal setting. He suggests starting with envisioning the end goal and working backward to determine the skills, attributes, and knowledge required to achieve it. He shares his experience of creating a learning program used by thousands, which was the result of applying this method. He explains the steps involved in reverse goal setting, emphasizing the importance of understanding the goal deeply and creating a detailed profile of the ideal person who would inevitably achieve it. He also discusses the significance of employability capitals and how they contribute to a person's success in their career.

10:04

🔍 Identifying Gaps and Creating a Plan

In this paragraph, Dr. Sung discusses the process of identifying gaps in one's current skills and attributes compared to the ideal person envisioned for achieving the goal. He suggests conducting a force field analysis to identify barriers and drivers that could affect the development of necessary skills. The speaker then outlines the steps for creating a plan to overcome these barriers using available resources. He recommends setting short-term goals using frameworks like SMART goals to make them actionable and measurable, ultimately increasing the likelihood of achieving the long-term goal.

15:05

🛠️ Enhancing Goal Achievement Through Deeper Understanding

Dr. Sung emphasizes the importance of spending additional time to understand the goal and oneself better. He suggests that a deeper understanding of the goal can prevent wasted effort on unnecessary skills and ensure that the plan is well-informed. Similarly, self-awareness can help in accurately rating one's current abilities and formulating an effective plan. The speaker also advises on setting a realistic timeline for skill development, noting that improvement in certain skills may take longer than expected. He warns against the trap of setting intentions without a clear mechanism for improvement and suggests reconsidering the goal if the timeline to achieve the desired skills exceeds the time available to reach the goal.

20:06

🌟 Final Thoughts and Additional Resources

In the concluding paragraph, Dr. Sung offers additional thoughts on reconsidering goals and the difficulty of making such decisions. He provides recommendations for further learning on topics like learning efficiency, time management, and a step-by-step guide to improving various skills. The speaker invites viewers to check out his program at icanstudy.com for comprehensive coverage of the topics discussed in the video. He thanks the viewers for their support and looks forward to their continued engagement in future videos.

Keywords

💡Goal Setting

Goal setting is the process of identifying something that a person or group aspires to achieve. In the video, it is presented as a crucial step in personal development and is the foundation for the method the speaker teaches. The speaker emphasizes that goal setting is not just about feeling good but making a real difference in one's life, which is central to the video's theme of personal transformation.

💡Planning

Planning refers to the act of organizing and making decisions about a course of action to achieve a desired goal. In the context of the video, planning is highlighted as an essential component of the speaker's method, which involves creating a detailed structure of daily and weekly activities to progress towards one's goals. It is a key element in the speaker's journey from dissatisfaction to fulfillment.

💡Fulfillment

Fulfillment is a state of being satisfied and happy, often as a result of achieving one's goals or finding meaning in one's life. The video's theme revolves around the speaker's transition from a state of unhappiness and confusion to one of fulfillment and excitement about life, achieved through the method of goal setting and planning.

💡Confidence

Confidence is the belief in one's own abilities or qualities, especially to succeed in a particular context. In the script, the speaker mentions gaining confidence as a result of the goal setting and planning method, which allows them to know that every step taken contributes to crafting their desired future.

💡Reverse Goal Setting

Reverse goal setting, as introduced by the speaker, is a method where one starts by defining the end goal and then works backward to determine the skills, attributes, and knowledge required to achieve it. This concept is central to the video as it outlines a strategic approach to personal development that contrasts with traditional goal setting.

💡Attributes

Attributes in this context refer to the personal qualities or characteristics that contribute to the achievement of a goal. The speaker instructs the audience to envision the ideal person who has already achieved the goal and identify the attributes this person possesses. This is a key step in the reverse goal setting method described in the video.

💡Force Field Analysis

Force field analysis is a technique used to understand the dynamics of a particular situation by identifying the driving and restraining forces. In the video, the speaker uses this method to help identify barriers that prevent skill development and resources that can be leveraged to achieve the goal, which is a critical step in the planning process.

💡SMART Goals

SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These criteria are used to make goals more actionable and measurable. The speaker suggests using SMART goals or similar frameworks to create short-term, actionable steps towards achieving the long-term goal, which is part of the overall planning strategy.

💡Employability Capitals

Employability capitals are the factors that contribute to a person's ability to succeed, especially in their career. The speaker uses this concept to categorize different attributes that one should rate and score themselves on, as part of the reverse goal setting process. This concept helps in identifying areas of strength and areas that need improvement.

💡Personal Transformation

Personal transformation refers to a profound change in one's life, often involving shifts in mindset, behavior, and lifestyle. The video's narrative is a story of personal transformation where the speaker goes from being unhappy and unfulfilled to becoming excited and fulfilled about life, which is achieved through the method of goal setting and planning.

💡Uncertainty

Uncertainty is the state of being unsure or lacking information about what may happen in the future. The speaker acknowledges the common feelings of uncertainty and fear of failure that people experience when contemplating a change, which is a relatable aspect for many viewers considering their own goals and aspirations.

💡Learning Efficiency

Learning efficiency refers to the effectiveness and speed with which one can learn and acquire new knowledge or skills. The speaker, being a learning coach and researcher, emphasizes the importance of improving learning efficiency as part of the personal development process, which is a theme that runs through the video.

💡Time Management

Time management is the ability to organize and allocate time during the day to different activities effectively. The speaker mentions that time management is often overrated and suggests that understanding its true nature is important for setting and achieving goals, which is a concept discussed in the video.

💡Professional Development

Professional development refers to the process of acquiring new skills, knowledge, and experiences to improve one's professional competence. The speaker's journey from a medical doctor to an educator and learning coach exemplifies professional development, which is a key theme in the video.

Highlights

In 334 days, the speaker transformed from feeling lost and unhappy to becoming fulfilled and excited about life through a method of goal setting and planning.

The speaker teaches a unique method of goal setting and planning to thousands of students and professionals worldwide.

The method allows for a literal change in daily activities, providing confidence in moving towards a desired future.

Dr. Justin Sung, a former medical doctor, shares his personal journey from grueling hospital shifts to finding fulfillment in education.

The feeling of lack of control over one's life and the frustration with inefficient systems led to a career change for the speaker.

The speaker's transition from medicine to education was driven by a desire for more impact and control over his work.

Reverse goal setting is introduced as a method to create a plan and structure for daily activities to reach long-term goals.

The process begins by identifying a long-term goal and envisioning the ideal person who has already achieved it.

Attributes and skills of the ideal person are rated and described to understand what makes achieving the goal inevitable for them.

A force field analysis helps identify barriers and drivers for developing the necessary skills to achieve the goal.

Creating a plan involves using resources to overcome barriers and develop closer to the ideal person envisioned.

The importance of spending time learning about the goal and oneself to accurately identify necessary attributes and skills.

Observation of successful individuals can provide insights into unique strategies that may not be explicitly stated.

The speaker emphasizes the value of self-reflection and understanding personal methods and techniques for improvement.

Setting realistic timelines for improvement in skills and attributes is crucial for effective goal achievement.

If the time to develop necessary skills exceeds the goal timeline, reconsidering the goal may be necessary.

The speaker provides additional resources for improving learning efficiency, time management, and accessing a comprehensive program for skill development.

Transcripts

in 334 days I went from being lost and

confused about what type of future I

wanted for myself and generally not very

happy to being fulfilled and excited

about life and I did this not by just

changing how I felt about things I used

a method of goal setting and planning

that allowed me to literally change the

way that I spend each and every day

giving me the confidence to know that

every step that I'm taking is helping me

to craft the future that I want it's a

method of goal setting and planning that

I now teach and train to thousands of

students and professionals around the

world and I firmly believe that it is

one of the best ways of goal setting and

planning that allows you to make a real

difference in your lives rather than

just feeling good because you have set

goals so in this video I'm going to

break down those three methods step by

step and then at the end of the video

I'll give you three extra steps that you

can use to massively improve your

chances of reaching your goals if you

need to the channel welcome I'm Dr

Justin sung I'm a full-time learning

coach learning researcher a lecturer and

the head of learning at I can study I'm

also a former medical doctor and for the

last decade I have worked with tens of

thousands of Learners from around the

world helping them to learn more

efficiently in 2017 I started working as

a junior doctor actually that's my

stethoscope right here if you can see

that that's my adrenal doctor

stethoscope and I was at the time

working 60 to 70 hour shifts and it was

grueling these 10 hour shifts at a

hospital are so much more tiring than

any other 10 hours of work that I've

done in any other job it is so fast

paced and you're just under the pump all

the time but at that point in my life I

had already been running my non-profit

education business here in New Zealand

for four years so after work I then

spend an additional three to five hours

every evening just working on my

business and helping my students and to

be honest I actually liked it in this

weird like masochistic kind of way I

liked being pushed to my limit I I

learned a lot about myself I really feel

like I thrived in that kind of

environment but fast forward six months

and I was not at all having fun in that

job I started really hating work yes the

hours were long but the thing that

really started getting to me was that I

just did not feel like I had control

over my life if you are working as a

doctor or a nurse you're in the hospital

you probably know what I mean by this

your life is really dictated by like the

hospital administrators and this roster

and the schedule and you just don't feel

like you really have any control over

where your life is going anymore I was

working so hard and it felt like the

impact that I could make was just being

absolutely crushed by this hugely

inefficient system and I knew that my

work was important like technically but

I stopped feeling that it was important

and I think that's really important that

you feel connected with the work that

you're doing I really stopped feeling

that while I was working as a doctor so

I know that it's a little bit ironic in

a way to say that my work as a doctor

didn't seem fulfilling even though the

work of a doctor doctor is so impactful

but like working in that system just

took all of that human element out of it

for me at least personally and then it

was kind of this like double frustration

for me because I was also business

minded so I could see how the system

could be improved but then at the same

time I felt like even more frustrated

because I couldn't actually do anything

to change that so that really really

bugged me and I became very

disillusioned with the idea of clinical

practice and I felt like my soul and

energy was just being completely drained

like I remember that there would be

these times where I would wake up in the

morning and I would legitimately feel

like I wanted to be sick like I I wished

I was sick just so that I would have a

real reason not to go into work that day

or like I would hope that there would be

this natural disaster that occurs it

cuts off all the roads and access to the

hospital so it's like oh I really want

to come into work but there's no

possible way that I can get there I

guess I'll just have to stay home today

like I would legitimately feel these

things I would dread waking up going

into work and that's a terrible way to

feel and I know that that's the way that

a lot of people actually feel about

their jobs and so after months of

feeling this way I eventually decided to

leave full-time medicine and swap into

education full-time and that's been like

four years ago so on the 26th of May

2019 I worked my final day as a clinical

doctor actually technically not true

because like a year later I picked up a

Locum shift and I absolutely hated it

and then I just never picked up another

shift again but officially 26th of May

2019 that was my final day as a doctor

and when I talk about now I can talk

about it really objectively but at the

time I was really uncertain like can I

make it on my own can I be successful

doing this what type of Life am I even

gonna craft for myself what is it going

to look like what do I need to do to

make it work and this is when I use

reverse goal setting and by using this

method I was able to create a plan and a

structure of exactly how I would spend

every single day and every single week

to get to the goal that I wanted to get

to and then on the 24th of April 2020

exactly 3 134 days after my last day I

was able to create this map and this is

a map that eventually became the basis

for the I can study learning program

which is now used by thousands of people

around the world it's also at the same

time when I was working out of this

office which you may recognize as a

backdrop for my older videos since then

I have felt so much more control of my

life I wake up feeling energized I look

forward to working I feel like the way

that I'm spending my time is helping me

to build the future that I want I'm

excited about it I feel fulfilled more

fulfilled than when I was working as a

doctor especially you know some of the

messages and reviews that people and

emails that people are sending me about

the impact that it's had on their lives

reading these kinds of messages it makes

me feel like my impact is being

Amplified rather than being just like

smushed into nothing so although my

story is about leaving medicine I think

that the uncertainties are really the

same for anyone who's kind of unhappy

about their current situation and

wanting to know how to make a change the

questions like will things get better

can I even make it what if I fail what

am I even meant to do ultimately I think

the question is I feel bad about my

current situation what do I do about it

and this is where reverse go setting

would come in handy so here's how the

framework goes the idea with normal goal

setting is we say where are we now where

do we want to get to and then how do we

go from where we are now to where we

want to get to it's very logical and

there's nothing inherently wrong with

this but it can be complicated when your

goal is very long term or very complex

and it's actually unclear how you can

actually get to where you want to go

from where you are and these are the

types of situations where reverse goal

setting really shines now I've I call it

reverse goal setting I think it's also

called backwards goal setting I'm sure

lots of other people talk about this

topic I've been using this for such a

long time I actually don't remember if I

thought of this myself or if I read it

from somewhere so I'm sure this is not

going to be like a super original

concept but I think it's very helpful

regardless so let's go through the Steps

step one is to ask ourselves where do we

want to get to what is the goal and this

can be a long-term goal it can be a

medium-term goal I'd recommend choosing

something that's at least sort of six to

nine months away otherwise it's not

going to be as useful and there's some

issues with this that we're going to

cover at the end of this video if we

choose a time period that is too short

so this here is our goal and for me that

was for me to have my own business I

wanted to be in control of my hours and

my time and my energy and what I was

doing with my days I wanted to produce

an impact and help people in the realm

of Education where I used my expertise

and I wanted to do this at a massive

scale those were really important for me

so that was my goal and then what you do

is that you imagine the person who could

definitely already achieve this goal

this is like this hypothetical person

who is the perfect person that would a

hundred percent achieve this goal if no

one else in the world could achieve this

goal except for this person this is the

guy that's gonna do it or the girl and

you ask yourself for this perfect

hypothetical person what are the skills

and the attributes and the assets and

the knowledge that this person has that

makes this goal inevitable for them and

so by the end of this stage we've

created like this artificial person that

would be perfectly primed to have

achieved the scope here are a list of

some of the categories that I use for

thinking about all the different

attributes feel free to pause on the

screen and take a screenshot if you need

to each of these items is related to

Something in the research that's called

employability capitals which is a little

bit more recent in the research but it's

about looking at the factors that

contribute to and influence a person's

ability to succeed especially in their

career and what we're going to do is

we're going to work back from these so

for each of these items we actually want

to rate and score this hypothetical

person we've imagined out of 10. so you

don't have to do 10 out of 10 for

everything of course that's going to be

the best but it's not always going to be

necessary to achieve this goal like you

don't have to have the literal perfect

specimen of a human to achieve a goal

that is not you know like to become you

know like a crazy astronaut person

although if your goal that you're using

here is to become an astronaut maybe you

do need to have 10 out of 10 for

everything so by the end of this you're

going to have a list of all of these

ratings 7 out of 10 for some of them six

out of 10 for some 10 out of 10 for some

of them and you'll have this character

profile file of this ideal person that

you want to craft yourself into becoming

so that you can reach this goal for each

of these items as well as scoring them

also leave a little comment about what

that really looks like so that's

specific you want to be able to look at

this list in the future and be really

really clear about what particular

aspects this person is good at and what

they're bad at so when you know the item

says time management gives the rating

for time management but make a few

comments and remarks in terms of what

time management means for you or means

for this person and why they're so good

at it now in addition to this list of

items another thing that we know really

helps you to succeed and thrive in

whatever goal that you have planned is

to like this video And subscribe so

anyway for me when I did this I found

that I had some high priority gaps and

especially my business knowledge and

Acumen and my networks and some of my

qualifications so that formed part of

the plan for my next steps so step three

after we've done this is we're going to

look at our current state and use the

exact same items and do the same process

so how do we score ourselves on each of

these items and leave a few comments

rationalizing and explaining why once

we've done this we're ready for step

four which is to do a force field

analysis which is a type of analysis

that we can do that helps us to identify

the barriers and drivers to helping us

achieve our goals so on one side of this

force field you're going to draw the

barriers so these are the things that

would prevent you from developing your

skills and your attributes and your

knowledge and whatever you need to do to

grow into becoming this person what are

the things that stop you and prevent you

on the other side we put down our

resources when we think of resources we

can think of the physical resources

tangible things such as access to books

and and technology and the courses and

you know like literal physical things

that you can use and activate to help

you achieve these things as well as the

time we have available to invest the

money we have available to invest and

the people we have access to so you can

think about resources in these four

categories and then finally we're ready

for step five which is to then create

the plan and this is focused on the

immediate Next Step the idea is how do

we use the resources at our disposal to

overcome the barriers we have identified

and help us incrementally slightly

improve and develop closer to becoming

that ideal person that we have already

envisaged envisaged in envisaged

envisioned

um

thought off at this point when you're

making these really really short-term

goals like what can I do in the next day

or the next week that's going to get me

that one step closer you can use you

know smart goals or any other type of

goal setting framework here's an example

of smart goals that I just picked up off

indeed.com I'm not going to go over

smart goal setting here there is 100

million other videos that can explain

this it's a very well established

framework of goal setting you've

probably already heard of it yourself

using this type of goal setting can help

make your goals more actionable more

measurable more concrete and therefore

overall more likely for you to actually

reach it and achieve it so this is the

situation where you might use one of

those types of techniques and so this is

really the summary of reverse goal

setting and you can see why it's

reversed because we're starting with the

goal where we want to end up and then

we're thinking about what type of person

would be able to achieve that with

carrying that back in terms of what are

the attributes and the skills and the

knowledge and the assets that this

person has that allows them to so easily

achieve this goal and we're saying well

how can I become that person so that

achieving the goal becomes an

inevitability for us and then we can

take the immediate Next Step which is to

bring ourselves a little bit marginally

closer by using reverse goal setting

settings as a very process oriented very

actionable way that gives us the highest

chance of success for achieving our

goals but wait there's more there are

actually three more things that you can

be spending extra time doing we're

spending a little bit more time on these

three things will massively increase

your chances of being able to achieve

your goals the first one is in spending

more time to learn about the actual goal

itself

obviously in order to know what type of

person you need to be to achieve these

goals you actually need to know about

the nature of the goal so if you are

unable to accurately identify the

attributes and how good you need to have

those attributes then it affects

everything else with regards to your

plan and that can mean that you spend a

lot more time and energy either

developing skills that are actually

unnecessary or maybe neglecting skills

you didn't realize were really important

to develop so spend some extra time to

talk to people gain more information

about this do some reading and here's a

pro tip for you observation is often

better than Insight a lot of people

often don't actually know why and how

they were able to succeed and I see this

a lot especially in learning a lot of

top achieving Learners they're not

really aware of what it was that helped

them do well academically or in learning

they're not able to distinguish between

what methods were useful versus what

methods they used but actually it wasn't

that the method really helped but that

they were able to just make it work for

them because it was smart enough or

there were some other factors at play so

just observing what people that are

successful are doing that is unique to

them can actually be more helpful than

just taking what they say at face value

sometimes

likewise for number two I would really

recommend that you spend more time to

learn more about yourself again if

you're not able to correctly rate

yourself then your plan is going to be

wonky in all sorts of ways it's

worthwhile to spend the months or even

longer actually observing and reflecting

on the methods and the skills and the

techniques and knowledge and assets that

you use or have access to so you can

give yourself a proper rating when you

do this process you may actually realize

and and learn more about your methods

and techniques than you realize and that

in itself is actually going to be hugely

beneficial for you and because both

number one learning about the goal and

number two learning about yourself

affect every other part of the plan

moving forward spending that extra month

for example upfront pays off big time

and preventing wasted time and effort

especially if you've got a goal that is

going to take like one or two or three

or four or five years and finally number

three is to spend more time to like

these videos I mean uh spend more time

to play want a realistic timeline one

thing that I would strongly recommend

that you do is to look at each of your

items and think how long would it take

to improve each item by just one so if

you're a three out of ten right now but

you want to get to a seven out of ten

then how long will it take to get from

three to four then four to five and five

to six on and so forth until you hit

seven or whatever your goal is you then

want to think about how many items you

can realistically improve simultaneously

because you can't cover everything all

at once in my experience having done

this activity and taught this technique

to so many people now I can say as a

general rule of thumb that it's not easy

to improve on more than two or three

items at a time otherwise you end up

getting overloaded and you risk not

making good progress on anything and

there's another rule of thumb I've

generally observed that you can improve

each of these items by one out of ten

each month if you're diligent but then

it starts to slow down so it might take

you months to go from seven to an eight

and then seven more months to go from an

eight to a nine years to go from nine to

a ten and this is just the nature of

becoming an expert getting to 10 out of

10 for anything takes years not months

now when you do these three activities

especially the last one you will find

probably that in a lot of cases you may

not actually know how to improve in the

first place like you're three out of ten

now you need to get to seven out of ten

but you don't actually know how to go

from three to four in the first place if

that's the situation then the most

important thing for you moving forward

is your next step needs to be to learn

how to improve otherwise you really

can't plan for anything you're not going

to be able to make an estimate of how

long it's going to take you you'll only

be left with an intention and this is a

trap and a lot of people fall into when

they're goal setting is that they think

well I intend to get better but they

don't really have a mechanism for how

that Improvement is going to take place

time passing does nothing is what we do

in that time that matters and speaking

of time you may also find that when you

do this activity the time that it takes

for you to get to your desired attribute

profile is longer than the time that you

have available to reach that goal if

this is a situation you may need to

reconsider your goal and I know that

that can be really really challenging

but it's just the truth sometimes if you

leave things too late there's only so

much that you can do I'm not saying give

up on the go but at least you'll have to

acknowledge that there's going to be an

element of luck in trying to reach that

so in my example because I'd already

been doing the coaching and the learning

Consulting thing for years six or seven

years by the time I was doing this plan

for myself the specific knowledge around

learning science and the coaching

practice there wasn't a big gap there a

few things that I wanted to refine and

so it was realistic for me to try to

refine that within a year if that wasn't

the case and I'd only been doing this

for like one or two years then creating

a life transformative program for people

to use all around the world within one

year that wouldn't have been realistic

so I would have had to reconsider my

goal in the first place now a common

example of where I see this is with

people setting really short-term goals

for these exams and this is the reason

at the very beginning why I said use a

longer term goal a lot of people will

use an exam in like three or four months

and they're really deficient on a lot of

these attributes so it's not very

practical or realistic for all of those

things to improve the amount that they

need to in just three or four months in

that situation it may actually be wiser

to forego that exam and just accept that

you're not going to do very well in that

exam but then work on creating a plan to

develop each of these skills so that

next year if you can reset that exam you

absolutely crush it but then now you're

actually prepared for every exam and

every year that comes up after that

because your skills are fundamentally

higher whereas if you were to create a

plan that only optimizes for that

short-term goal then your plan may just

be like study study study study every

single day and then if you aren't able

to do well because you didn't have the

skills and the attributes now you've

actually failed at reaching your goal in

the first place and also you didn't

develop any other skills needed to

tackle it moving forward so you kind of

like screwed yourself twice there and

again it's really really really hard to

reconsider a goal I fully get that and

that's like a personal decision I'm

going to leave that up to you but just

some thoughts to think about now to make

this all a little bit easier for you let

me help you with some of those first few

steps if you want to learn a little bit

more about how you can improve your

learning efficiency and how to think

about that and what you can do to set up

a plan then I would recommend starting

with this video here around how you can

train your brain to become smarter if

you're wanting to learn a little bit

more about time management how you can

improve that then you might want to

start with this episode here where I

talk about why time management is a lot

of cases a little bit overrated and if

you want a step-by-step guide on how you

can improve almost all of these items in

the fastest possible way then you may be

interested in checking out my program at

icanstudy.com everything that I've

talked about in this video and a lot

more is covered in the earlier modules

of that program so you can check the

link in the description to watch more

otherwise thanks for watching appreciate

your support see you next time

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thank you

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