Hey Reader,

As we kick off a new year full of promise and potential, I wanted to take this moment to thank you for being here and a part of this journey with us. We have big plans for 2023 and are excited to move them forward.

I intentionally used the word “plans” above because it’s that time of year that social media is littered with New Year’s resolutions that likely won’t last into next month. Not due to a lack of desire or will power, but because in order for our dreams to become reality we need to give them direction.

New Year’s resolutions often fall into one of two categories:

1. Habits or routines that don’t connect with our personal values and priorities
2. Ideas or outcomes without clear action steps

If you’re struggling to create or keep consistent with a new habit or routine, identify why it’s important to you. When a goal is meaningful we’re more likely to work towards it. Once you have clarity on your why, you can use our habit tracker to keep track of your progress.

If you fall into the second category — that is, you know the outcome you’re aiming for, but are not sure where to start — identify the discrete elements that make up the project. Chunking your projects down into manageable parts is a critical step in moving from idea to done. Once you are able to break things down you’ll be able to do the linking and sequencing to build out a plan.

You’re not going to make a year’s worth of progress immediately. Progress happens in the day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month. Read on for a daily practice I use to build momentum.

🏃‍♂️ Build Momentum With the 10/15 Split

​The 10/15 Split is a quick check-in and check-out process — 10 minutes at the start of your day and 15 minutes at the end.

I talk about this in Start Finishing because it’s a big key in accomplishing your goal step-by-step, day-by-day.

I’ll start with the check-out since that is the real key to the process – at the end of the day you’ll know more about what you did and didn’t do, and have a good idea of the next steps needed to keep the ball rolling. Here’s how it works:

🕒 15-Minute Check-Out Questions

The 15-Minute Check-Out consists of three main questions:

1. What did you accomplish? — Celebrate!
2. Is there anything you need to do right now to be able to disengage?
3. When do you need to do the things you didn’t get done today?

Start the 10/15 Split with the 15-Minute check-out, and you’ve done most of the hard work.

All you do tomorrow morning is:

• Show up.
• Respond to the next set of questions below.
• Do what you said you would do.

🕑 10-Minute Check-In Questions

The 10-Minute Check-In also consists of three main questions:

1. Has anything significant changed between now and the last check-out?
2. What did you plan for today?
3. What is one thing you are going to start on right now?

When you apply the 10/15 split, you are consistently setting your intention and directing your focus.

📝 Your Assignment This Week

Take time each day to apply the 10/15 split.

By next week you will have learned to focus your attention each day. Next time you hear from me, I’ll show you how to structure the day to take action on your intention.

Go ahead, take a minute to write down your responses to one of the sets of 3 questions above. If you're at the start or middle of your day take a moment to check-in. Or if you're nearing the end of your day make a point to do a check-out before you close up.

Start from where you are and build momentum from there.

👏 Build Your Team Habits

Our days are where we can really move projects forward step-by-step — because the daily time horizon is the one most in our control. In a team setting daily planning can sometimes feel challenging, for instance, when a teammate comes to you with an emergent (often urgent) item that requires you to change your plans.

Help your teammates build better planning and prioritization habits by introducing them to the 10/15 Split. As a practice it can not only help everyone get back on track when those emergent tasks pop up, but over time encourages the team to set intentions and a focus for the day, which may actually reduce the number of emergent events and amount of project sliding.

Interested in learning more about strong team habits? Sign up to receive more information about my upcoming book Team Habits coming out this August.

Stand Tall,

Charlie

Other News & Features:

📱 Are you a Momentum app user? Join us this Thursday, January 5, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. PST for a live webinar: Plan Your January: Turn Your Goals for the New Year into Projects. Our Momentum Skills Coach, Maghan, will walk you through the monthly planning process in Momentum to set yourself up for success in the new year. Register here.

📞 Join us on the Monthly Momentum Call next Monday, January 9, 2023 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. PST. Get your burning questions answered, share what you’re working on, and connect with the wonderful PF community. We look forward to seeing you there!

👨‍🏫 We'll be doing quarterly review and planning sessions in the Productive Flourishing Academy on January 11, 2023 (for entrepreneurs) and January 18, 2023 (for leaders). This is a great opportunity to break your annual goals and priorities down into a roadmap for the first quarter of 2023, if you haven't done so — or update your plan based on what's bubbled up in the last few weeks. If you'd like to join us, apply to join the Academy here.

🎙️ I’m proud to be part of a lineup of mentors on Jonathan Fields’ SPARKED podcast, which explores how to find and do work that makes you come alive. We’re on the lookout for special guests and “wisdom-seekers” to share on the moment they’re living through, and to pose questions to Jonathan and the Sparked Braintrust, to be answered “on air.” To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be featured on the show, click here.