How I Use P.A.I.R. To Accomplish My Goals

It's safe to say that most of us have a running list of things we want to accomplish, places we want to go, fitness targets we want to hit and it just goes on and on. We initiate with a sense of excitement and do as much as we can. However, we soon become overwhelmed, juggling a long list of partially executed action plans. I want to share with you a tool to simplify the chaos a list of goals can bring and focus on what would make the most impact while implementing effective results-driven actions.

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I have learned over the years to reflect every once in a while and check in with myself to see what I have done and what I want to do next. These thoughts ranges from where and how I want to travel, what types of home and where I envision myself to be in the future, how and when I want to retire, what my fitness journey looks like, what my relationship status is going to be, to the nitty gritty of what I need to do to get there. If you need to take a breather from what I just mentioned, I can only imagine how you would feel if you saw a detailed list of how I plan to get there.

I would then take actions on what I think is appropriate at the time and even with good intentions, eventually get lost with nothing fully accomplished. And with life happening, I would be swept back and forth into the motions and the cycle continues to repeat itself over and over again. What I have done lately is to simplify my own thoughts of what I really want, what actions I need to implement first and adjust as I go.

P.A.I.R. is a tool I condensed learning from different personal growth coaches and is short for Prioritize, Analyze, Implement, and Re-evaluate. Our brain is always processing a huge amount of information everyday and that alone can overwhelm us or distract us. With this tool, it can minimize the mental load, clarify your goals and actions so you can stay focused on implementation and learn to modify as you go.

P - Prioritize

Of all the things you want on your list, what would create the most impact or give you the most sense of urgency to take action? You may find some to be important, but may not have a sense of urgency to act upon it consistently. Another is that some goals may sound enticing, but ultimately it's okay not to achieve them. Generally I narrow down my goals to ones that make the most financial, physical fitness, and personal relationship impact.

An exercise that can help the thinking process is, "What is easier? Getting a promotion, adding another job or side hustle or getting a new job with a higher pay or progressive growth of salary? How about whether quick results of strict dieting, long term sustainable lifestyle changes, or sticking to one type of exercise is better to help you achieve your goal. And finally whether you expect people to change, or personally learn how to be better communicators yourself or take time to work on your mental health and everything in between."

A - Analyze Action Plan

After you prioritize and identify which ones help you reach your goals the most efficient, analyze the action plan needed to get you there. Maybe if you are looking for a new job position, you need to see if you have a resume or cover letter prepared. If not, how would you find a solution to solve this situation? Every step of the way can be an obstacle that stops you from reaching your goal, but as long as you can create a stepping stone get there, you can learn to overcome them.

Let's visualize how this might look like for a new job. Do you have a resume? If not, can you learn how to create one or ask a friend? Do you have the skills for that position? If not, can you learn or study so you have the adequate skills for the job? Are you prepared for an interview? If not can you practice or ask a friend? Finally, where would you apply? If you don't know, maybe reach out to people who have experience in this. Know that it's okay to ask for help. Once you can map out how to close the gap from point A, where you are at with point B, where you wan to go, possibilities will naturally unfold. You can then apply the same with fitness goals as well as personal goals.

I - Implement Action Plan

I personally like to do a check list and write it out everyday of what I need to get done. It's easy to write out an action plan and when we get distracted we lose focus and put our energy towards something else. It's might be easier for you to put on an alert on your phone. But the most important thing is to carve out a time from your schedule to start and go through the process. We all have the same 24 hours, some may be more restrictive than others, however if we don't make a change it will always be the same. If we just put a little time to make a difference, it will add up till it overcome the threshold. You do not need to make a leap if you're not ready, but you can take a small step forward.

Getting back to the example for a new career path, one added detail is setting the right expectation. If you are dipping into a new territory, know that it can take some time at the beginning and it can be challenging. I know putting out a resume can take some time and go through a learning process. When I was able to go from a basic word format to now something I never thought I was capable of, I was proud of myself for being able to do so. So while you can set the expectation that it may be a little wishy washy at first, don't underestimate what you are capable of achieving. Keep implementing until you succeed.

R - Re-evaluate

Maybe we did all we can do at the moment. And that is totally fine because you did all you have the ability of doing at that time. Once we can see that, we can adjust. Again using the resume example, I was only able to create a basic word document. But then I decided to learn from YouTube how to create ones that fit myself and the industry need. And I go back to implementing again.

While you can re-evaluate and adjust your skills, you can also do the same for the time needed to accomplish them. You might have a turn of an event and realizw you need to go back to a standard education which will have a suggested time frame to reach that goal. Another is if you are applying to a job and only applying to 1 a day, the new career opportunity may appear slower than if you do 5 a day. That can be a transition for you do to more if you become comfortable with doing one and it's something you can add upon the workload. While you reflect on how you are progressing through the first three steps, you may discover some alternatives that can help you get there faster.

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I hope this can offer some sense of clarity for people who can relate with wanting to achieve their goals but feeling a bit stuck. I also want to provide resource that can be applicable in real life that you can use not only professionally, but also for physical fitness and personal growth. As this is something that is working well for me, feel free to alter it and customize it to your own style that works best for you. You are not obligated to follow a strict path, but have the ability to choose how you want to approach it.

If you find this useful, please give it a like. If you know other people who can benefit from this, please also share it. If you have any questions, welcome to find me on IG: @amomentwithq

Cheers,

Q