LEAN-SIX YOUR LIFE

Welcome to Lean-Six Your Life. Our proven process leverages the Lean and Six Sigma business process improvement methodologies to accelerate success in achieving your personal goals. We will take your current potential and partner with you to achieve sustainable growth. By applying our tools, we will ensure focused effort, ensure you don't spread yourself too thin, and ensure you will have a higher probability of achieving those goals within a shorter period of time.

At the dawn of a new year, everyone excitingly jumps to conjure up all of these great resolutions to lose weight, finish a degree, get a new house, obtain a certification, and the list goes on and on. But the one thing that people fail to determine is understanding their foundation that exists to make this happen-determining key result areas and milestones to achieve the vision.

Have you ever asked yourself the following questions- "I can only do so much in a given period of time, in a day, a week, a month. How do I move the needle? How do I make it all happen? How do I eat the whole elephant? How do I avoid FOMO-fear of missing out?!" If so, we will assist you with all of these questions and more. Each month we will provide a key topic and key exercise to complete to help you accelerate your success in achieving goals.

January 2016

Key Topic: The Power of 3

Key Tool: Success Plan Template

The Power of 3 is the universal concept for focused effort which will ensure you have a higher probability of achieving goals in a shorter period of time. The Power of 3 is a universal truth that is all around us-the Earth is the 3^rd rock from the sun, the triangle with its three sides is the most stable shape used in the engineering of structures, military personnel are asked to triangulate their position to identify where they are to get themselves in and out of serious situations. Optimistic, average, and pessimistic forecasting is commonly used in financial modeling. And even major memories from our childhood include “Snap, Crackle, and Pop” from Rice crispies cereal or “See Spot Run”, and best of all-Goldilocks and the three bears where a decision must be made from three options, and finding the best decision is usually in the middle between the other two-its just right. This Power of 3 concept is used oftentimes in marketing because our brains have evolved to protect us from harm and as part of this protection system, we like to have choices. Our brains know that if we have too many choices, we will get confused. And conversely, with the opposite of having no choices, we may not find a way out of the situation. Having three allows us to select what is not too hot, too cold, but what is just right. So, having three choices inherently is just right for us as humans. The brain is best set up to recognize this: one, two, three… first, second, or third, …beginning, middle, and end. Just think about how in the English language we assign the first three places 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd-very unique endings, then for all other places which follow, they have the “th” ending. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are given for achievement. So, this is why ensuring an expressed focused on only three major goals/items at a time will help us to get there, to our end game, to move the needle. Applying this universal truth to focused effort will ensure you don’t spread yourself too thin, and you will have a higher probability of achieving those goals in a shorter period of time. When you achieve your goals with this focused effort, you will have a since of accomplishment versus a sense of anguish you would have in trying to achieve a list of ten and never being able to even scratch the surface with any because the finite amount of time you have is just not adequate. Now, use the Power of 3 to assess your list of resolutions, and complete the following:

Step 1: Define the three main focus areas and goals you should spend time on accomplishing in 2016. Remember to be specific and identify an objective measure. For example, your focus area can be "Healthier Heart" and the objective measure of the goal will be "to reduce my cholesterol level by 20% by the end of 2016"
Step 2: Write these down along the left side of the Success Plan Template. (See example below)
Step 3: Measure your current state towards your goal, etc. 205 lbs, $2000 in savings, cholesterol level of 235 mg/dl=L.
Step 4: Determine the incremental actions and milestones to be accomplished by each quarter of 2016. Write these down across the row of each focus area
Step 5: Identify an accountability partner to help you to keep track of your achievements for each quarter.
Step 6: Print and place a copy of this Success Plan prominently where you can view it every day and be inspired to work towards a better you!

For help with your success plan, please contact leansixyourlife@bulsardgroup.com