The Action Board

The questions I heard at an IM event last night made me realize someone on WF might benefit from a device known as the Action Board. It's a simple - but very effective - goal achieving aid.

Take any flat surface (piece of plywood, blackboard, a door) and a stack of index cards. Put your goal (starting a blog) on a card and put it at the top. Then break the goal down into each and every component part. Now create an index card for each of them. Put them (each individual thing you must do) on the board in the order of how they must be accomplished. The first thing to do at the bottom (pick a name) - then the next (see if it's available) - then next (register the name with a host) - etc. etc.

Put every little detail on its own card. You'll get better at it as you get into it. Eventually you'll have - essentially - a map leading to your goal. It's a very effective & powerful visual aid in moving forward toward any goal. At every moment you can see exactly where you are in the process - and what the next step is. And you just follow the map - till the goal is achieved.

It's a little overwhelming at first - but when you finally get to the end, the sense of accomplishment, and personal power, is transformative. I know this seems ridiculously simple - but it really works.
Hope that helps someone.