Are you tapping into momentum?

Are you tapping into momentum?

Welcome to the Self-Performance-Strategies (S-P-S) Newsletter 

Estimated read time 3-minutes:

“Momentum solves 80% of your problems.” 

– John C. Maxwell

Momentum is more important than results.

Why?

With momentum, you and constantly creating and completing.

You focus on what needs to be done.

You focus on what feels right to you.

You flow towards your goals.

When you focus on results, you produce work purely to get results.

This puts you in a state of chasing.

You are attaching to a certain outcome.

This doesn’t create momentum.

Momentum will create the results you want.

Results don’t create momentum.

How I struggled with momentum

For a long time, many of my habits and projects were stop-start.

I wasn’t building momentum in my life.

I would set those big goals at the start of the year or around my birthday in June.

I have always loved having a birthday halfway through the year.

It always gave me a chance to reset.

The thing is, once I set those goals at those milestones during the year, 

I would rarely stick with the process of achieving them.

I have always found creating goals or thinking about big plans fun.

But I have always struggled to complete things.

I noticed this as far back as school and university.

Very good coming up with plans.

Very bad and getting sh* done.

Finally, in my early thirties, when I started to want more from life, I asked.

Why am I like this?

Now the answer didn’t fall out of the sky and instantly hit me.

I had to go looking for answers.

Or at least keep my mind open while reading books and completing programs.

General habit and productivity books teach you how to set goals and discuss systems.

However, I always found them too simplistic.

They talked about SMART goals or getting better each day by 1%.

That’s cool, but why did I still struggle to maintain momentum?

I finally came across two models or ideas that created a mental breakthrough.

I was finally able to see why momentum would come and go. 

The 1st is Micro and Marco Targets.

(I may have made this model up by myself 🥸)

One of the reasons I struggled with momentum was that I focused too much on the Macro.

Big ideas, big thinking, big targets but with no Micro targets that lead to daily and weekly actions.

I realized you need to have the ability to zoom in on your deep work and daily habits.

But on the same day or week, zoom out and gain perspective on your big vision.

You work in a balance between the Micro and Macro, creating a ton of momentum.

The 2nd model that created a breakthrough for me was Crossing the Chasm By Geoffrey Moore.

I always wondered why my momentum would drop off after a few weeks of a new habit.

Well, with all behaviour changes in life or business, old patterns tend to take over as soon as any friction happens.

I have heard this called habit gravity.

Your old ways pull you back as you hit this dip or chasm.

Meaning your new habits, systems, or processes don’t become a way of life. 

This model, in particular, has helped me immensely.

Why?

I now prepare for the dip or chasm.

I think about it happening.

I assess if a new project is still too big

Or if a new habit is too much too soon.

Think of New Year’s Resolution and trying to go to the gym at 5 am each day after not going there for years.

Yes, you might do it for a few days or a week.

But by Jan 7th, you have fallen into the chasm and stopped going to the gym entirely.

Instead of going to the gym daily at 5 am, you would choose the Micro target of going to the gym once a week at 5 am and then build from there. 

If you can balance the Micro goals and Macro vision while preparing yourself to cross the chasm, you will tap into limitless momentum and crush your goals.

The 6 essential frameworks for creating limitless momentum daily.

As I have mentioned, I struggled with the Micro actions.

To help myself succeed, I got super Micro and thought about how I could build momentum daily.

This went beyond having targets and goals.

I got deep into the structure of my days and how energy management helps unlock momentum.

I asked: How can I shift my behaviour in the Micro so that eventually I will achieve my Macro goals?

I developed 6 frameworks that work for me, and they now work for all my 1-1 coaching clients.

Let’s dive into them:

High-value and high-$$$ work 1st:

My days always flow with momentum when I put my most meaningful and impactful work 1st.

Starting your days off with notifications, news, or emails is a momentum killer.

If you want to tap into momentum daily, this is your 1st step.

Momentum triggers:

I use two key triggers to jump-start momentum.

 Music and time of day.

I use several different playlists to help me focus, one in particular I only listen to during deep work.

I do deep work in the morning and creative work in the afternoon. 

Consistency:

Consistency is a weekly strategy I use.

You must hit activities at consistent intervals, whether it’s a project, habit, or hobby.

It could be daily, but ideally, hitting these areas a few times a week is the minimum.

This removes the stop-start feeling in life.

90-minute sprints:

I aim to get 4 hours of deep work done a day.

I do this in 3 sprints that can last between 60-90 minutes.

In between these sprints, it’s best to recharge yourself.

I go for dog walks or chill out drinking a coffee.

By lunchtime, you have accomplished a lot.

Morning solitude:

My favourite momentum strategy.

I am up a few hours each morning before the rest of the house.

In this time period, I get at least one, if not two, of my momentum sprints, done.

The time alone allows you to ignore the noise of the day and focus on your goals.

Just do it:

Let’s be honest; we are not robots.

Some days we don’t feel like it.

But you need to keep up your momentum.

You must show up each day, even if you don’t feel inspired.

Build your get-it-done muscle, even if it’s just one sprint on one habit or project. 

To recap, these are your 6 essential frameworks for creating limitless daily momentum:

• High-value and high-$$$ work 1st

• Momentum triggers

• Consistency

• 90-minute sprints

• Morning solitude

• Just do it

Tap into these, and you will create a ton of momentum.

Big love.

Make it a great one,

Stephen