Productivity hacks that pay dividends for years.
Like anything worthwhile, an upfront investment of time is required. However, I’ve found that goal setting and reflection lead to ongoing high performance and increased productivity.
It seems at this time of year at least for me, the world blinks. It doesn’t stop moving but it blinks or pauses.
This works for me due to my inability to sit still for very long.
Years ago I began a tradition. During the week between Christmas and New Years, I pause and reflect.
I think of goals I had set for that year.
- What goals did I crush?
- Which goals didn’t even get a fighting chance because I never started?
- Did my goals challenge me? Were they big enough? Did I really have to stretch?
Next question: What was the big time sucks this past year?
One year I identified how much time I had used to find the login credentials for the many subscriptions, training, and courses I bought.
My savior turned out to be LastPass. A secure website that stores every website that requires you to log in with a username and password. Not only does this simple FREE tool improve my productivity, but it is easier on the brain having to only remember one password.
So each year create this list of time sucks and distractions and try and identify the one-time waster that I believe will give me the highest ROI for the coming year. When evaluating the tasks that affect my productivity, I look for repetitive tasks that I can delegate to one of my team, something that can be automated or done better by an app, program, or software.
As this week and year have wound down, here’s where I’m at;
- I’ve got my list of time sucks, distractions, and time wasters for 2017 that I will be eliminating.
- My new resolutions heading into 2018 tomorrow.
- I’ve begun my goal setting with a few new goals (some of which are the next step to goals set in 2017). I still have more work on this and actually set goals all through the year.
I break down my personal goal setting and resolutions into the various areas of my life.
- Faith
- Family
- Fitness
- Fun
- Work
How about you?
Do you invest more time planning and reviewing goals during the Christmas New Year’s holidays than other times during the year?
- Share a goal or your goal setting tips
- Share a resolution
- Share a time suck, distraction, or time waster that you’ve eliminated or plan to in 2018
Post your response in the comments below.
doug morneau
Most "AI consultants" have never run a $800K/week ad campaign. Doug has. Most haven't reverse-engineered the systems inside businesses doing 9-figures in revenue. Doug does it for breakfast.
For 40+ years, he's been the Fractional CMO and systems architect behind businesses that don't just grow—they compound. Marketing automation that turns leads into customers while you sleep. AI-powered workflows that eliminate bottlenecks before they choke growth. Media strategies that scale profitably, not just loudly.
Here's how Doug works: He audits your existing systems, identifies the revenue leaks and efficiency gaps, then delivers a detailed plan with projected ROI and investment required. No fluff. No 50-slide decks full of theory. Just a roadmap to implementation with numbers attached.
He's an active investor, international best-selling author, and podcast host who's built and sold businesses using these exact systems. Between client work and grandkids, he's at the gym throwing around Olympic weights. Because high performance—in business and life—requires intelligent systems, not heroic effort.
Minimum engagement: $10K. Maximum ROI: Depends on how broken your systems are.
