Written goal sheet
Goals written down, in numbers, and kept where you see them every morning
One sheet of specific targets, numeric where possible and dated, kept somewhere you cannot avoid it: bedside table, fridge door, desk. The writing matters less than the daily look at it, which turns getting up into a decision to work on something. Swimmers write times. Other people write revenue, pages or reps.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Greg McKeownDoes it
Author · Essentialism
Underneath the direction pages he keeps five or six roles with one goal attached to each, plus the handful of relationships he counts as the ones that cannot go wrong. The binder travels with him everywhere.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #719 transcript - Michael PhelpsDoes it
Olympic swimmer · Most decorated Olympian in history
Kept a goal sheet of target times by his bed so the first thing he saw each morning was what he was getting up to work on. He and coach Bob Bowman also pinned up quotes and other swimmers' times at the pool, which he used as extra fuel on off days.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #494: Michael Phelps and Grant Hackett, transcript“So for me, every morning I got out of bed and I saw my goal sheet of the times I wanted to do that year or at the Olympics or whatever written down. So when I was getting out of bed, I was getting out of bed with a purpose.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #494: Michael Phelps and Grant Hackett, transcript (opens in a new tab) · 23 Jan 2021 - Tiago ForteDoes it
Productivity writer · Building a Second Brain
Twenty years of writing goals down with a target date attached, starting at 20 with one about a student government seat he was almost certain to win. Looking back, he says he cares less about which ones he hit than about who he became by aiming at them.
Source: fortelabs.com: What I've Learned From 20 Years of Goal-Setting
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under productivity or focus.
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Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
On record from 25 of 62 tracked people: 23 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
On record from 11 of 62 tracked people: 10 do it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily writing
Write something every day, published or not
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 8 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone-free first hour
No email, news or social media until you have done something of your own
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Margin notes
Writing in the margins while reading, especially where you disagree with the author
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Thinking retreats
Blocks of time cleared of the schedule to sit with one hard problem
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 has discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.