The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months

Chapter 5

One Week at a Time

Long-term results are created by the actions you take every day. Sir William Osler, founder of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said that the secret of his success was living his life in “day-tight compartments.” What he found was that, while we plan for the future, we act in the day. To be truly effective, your daily activity must align with your long-term vision, strategies, and tactics.

In the end, you have greater control over your actions than you do your results. Your results are created by your actions. That’s why it is so important to construct plans that are not only numbers-based, but also identify specific, critical activity.

“The greatest predictor of your future are your daily actions.”

The physical universe will not respond to your desires, no matter how passionate or intense they are. The one thing that moves the universe is action. As we discussed earlier, vision matters in that it defines the end game and the overall direction you want to go. Vision also provides the motivation to act, but vision without action is just a dream. It is the consistent action that turns a dream into reality.

This is where progress most often breaks down. Most of us aspire to improve some area of our lives. Whether you want to earn more money, find a new job, meet the right mate, lose a few pounds, improve a relationship, or be a better golfer, parent, or person, desire alone is not enough.

It’s not enough to have the intention of changing; you have ...