Win your Monday and get momentum.
But first, what actually is momentum? Here’s a quick bit of physics:
Quick bit of physics*. Momentum is literally “mass in motion”, and is calculated as mass x velocity. So the more momentum an object has, the more difficult it is to stop.
E.g. A cargo ship at full speed (lots of momentum) takes about 6.5km to come to a stop!!
Ok ok, enough theory what does it mean for you?
What it means for you. Once you have momentum it’s much easier to keep going, so if you can win your Monday, you’re setting yourself up to carry momentum into rest of the week. And you're more difficult to stop!Win your mornings and you carry momentum through the rest of the day. Start slow, and it's much much harder to get momentum going!!
Try this for size. It’s quick (I Iike that), simple (I like that even more), and it’s effective so...
- Get a post-it note
- Write on it three things you want to accomplish this week
- Share it with someone else or your team (take a photo, put in on a wall)
- Start today
3 important success keys:
1) Not to-dos! These are not things “to do” they are things “to accomplish”. They sound the same but they are very different.
- Set time aside for reading vs. Read two chapters.
- Meet with project team vs. Present project status and next steps to the executive team.
- Meet with Tom vs. Have a development plan for Tom mapped out for the next quarter.
- Plan training for the next quarter - have a list of the top 10 items for training, and who to conduct them for Q1 this year.
2) No formal reviews. They are not going to be reviewed or discussed in a meeting at the end of the week (takes too long).
These are a simple declaration of your intentions for the week. You’ll soon get better and my guess is that your team will likely follow when they see your results.
3) Consistency is crucial. Like many things this will only work if you commit to doing it every week.
Give it a shot, and I’d love to hear how you get on.
* credit Sir Isaac Newton
