Once Again

Now that I’ve concluded my 2016 in Review, it’s time to think about the year to come.

In 2016, I used Google’s OKR approach which I documented key lessons here. The OKR framework was challenging, forcing me to think through long-term outcomes and break them down into shorter-term initiatives and milestones.

For 2017, I’ve decided to experiment with a new approach. I’ve decided to mix concepts from Lean Manufacturing such as batch size, just-in-time, kanban, and cycle times into my goal setting methodology.

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Goal Setting through Ages

Every year I go through alternating “divergence <> convergence” cycles. In 2014, I focused on a few things. In 2015, I explored many. In 2016, I once again narrowed the scope. Now in 2017, the goal is to widen the scope of possibilities.

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2017 Resolution

Goal for the year: Exploration

The goal for the year is to run many experiments, each challenging me to do something I’ve never done before.

Some experiments will be ‘short-term’, pushing the boundaries of discipline and perseverance.

Some will be long-term, pursuing milestones that build a foundation upon which to create future success.

The themes I’ll be working on this year remain the same: Health, Tribe, Fun, Craft, Wealth. 

This year’s Kanban Board looks something like this:

You can view and track my progress on my Kanban board here.

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The Spirit of 2017

The spirit of this year includes:

• Value > Waste. Maximize value creation by continuously removing waste.

• Limit WIP. Maximize focus on the tasks at hand by limiting parallel work.

• Reduce Batch Size. Scope experiments to challenges that are doable within a 2 to 3 week period.

• Reduce Cycle Time. Accelerate learning through smaller & faster experimentation cycles.

• Kaizen. Build momentum through consistency, hard work and dedication; one day at a time.

• Ship. Perfect Is The Enemy Of Done. Hustle. Finish. Next.

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In Conclusion

As you can see, this is the year of the “Anti-Resolution”. There’s no 365 day project. There’s no cuota or target. The only goal is continuous improvement through experimentation and accelerated learning.

I wish you all the best in the coming year and highly recommend you continuously experiment and try out new ways for gaining focus and making the most of the new year.

Cheers to 2017!