At some point in all of my experiments and adjustments of my personal system for productivity and setting goals, I landed on a concept that stuck.

Most people that know me are familiar with a phrase I use to start sentences when I have an idea or imagine something different about the world.. “Wouldn’t it be cool if…”  

For a while, I’d jot those things down on a notepad, or in my phone, or on the computer somewhere. Now, I have dedicated a “vision board” where those things go.  I have them grouped by the larger area they relate to and that’s largely become the reference point for how I’m spending my time. Twice per year, I do a large scale review and try to pick the items I’ll be spending time working towards throughout the next 6 months - on my birthday (July 3rd), and my half-birthday (January 3rd). In between, I constantly add, review, prioritize, and shuffle around, but mostly, I’m trying to spend as much of my time as possible taking something FROM my Vision Board and adding it TO my Accomplishments Board. I’ve learned that most of the things I want to accomplish in life can be preceded by that phrase - “Wouldn’t it be cool if..?”

Until now that’s been a completely private part of my workflow, but in line with my 2017 annual focus (“Share more with others”), I’ve decided to try another experiment to make it public.

Why? For starters, because I have a bad habit of only ever thinking about how to add more things to that list of Accomplishments, and I really suck at remembering to take time to celebrate those wins along the way. Second, I think knowing it’s public may keep me more accountable. I want to keep adding things to that board because of my intrinsic desire to create and do things, but a little external motivation never hurts, and knowing the whole world could look and see me being a slacker is enough to make me want to keep these columns full! Last, and perhaps most important, is that I hope it may inspire someone to go out and chase a dream, to add something to their own list of Accomplishments. I am an absolutely average human, full of flaws and without any major differentiating qualities or attributes. I’m just like you - if I can do it, so can you.

All it takes is figuring out what’s most important - what you really want to do in life - and then some intention and some discipline to invest a little of your time every day to get there. Spend even  a *little* time, every day, and you’ll be amazed at what you can add to your own Accomplishments Board.