By now, you have probably heard of the phrase, “Begin with the End in Mind”. Stephen Covey was right when he stressed the importance of knowing where you want to end up before you get started. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen. However, the reverse is just as important.
An episode of the podcast, “The Accidental Creative” with Todd Henry discussed this habit as one of the 5 non-obvious habits. It is where I take inspiration for this week’s post. The idea is that while it is important to have a clear vision of where you are heading, it is also crucial to pause and look at where you need to begin.
At the end of each day, make sure to know exactly how you want to begin each day. Take the time to pause and consider where you will pick back up next time. One of the greatest causes of procrastination is lack of clear direction or seeing the mountain ahead of you. If you define what your next actions are at the end of each day, you are setting yourself up for success.
[tweetthis]“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin[/tweetthis]
When faced with a big goal, you may look at the mountain as though it is out of reach. By ending the day with the beginning in mind you are determining what your next steps are. This way, you don’t focus on the mountain but the next steps that you need to take to take you to the top.
“A plan is a list of actions arranged in whatever sequence is thought likely to achieve an objective.” – John Argenti
How do you end each day? Before you leave at the end of the day, do you have the first part of your next day already planned out?