How To Stay In The Game For The Long Haul By Working In Success Cycles

My mentor taught me that by working in success cycles, you will stay in the game for the long haul. Just like nature works in seasons, there are also success cycles. There is a time to learn, a time to produce, a time to harvest and reap the rewards, and a time to rest. Most people live busy lives and try to squeeze in as many activities in the day as possible. We start the day working on one project, and then we get side tracked to do something else. A few hours later, we jump back into the same project we started with, but somehow lose the momentum and rhythm to do it. We try to multitask as much as possible. I'm not saying that we should stop multi-tasking, but sometimes we need to step back and perhaps focus on one thing at a time. We should learn how to work in success cycles.

You can get better results and quality output if you just focus on one activity and stay with it for a sustained period of time. This is like athletes who reach peak performance and stay 'œin the zone' for quite a long time. They do so by creating a success cycle. My mentor suggested to structure goals around a 90 day time frame. Within those 90 days, break it down into three 30 day cycles.

Here is one success cycle example '“ let's say your main goal is to become more proficient in social media marketingin the next 90 days. Break that success cycle down by focusing on each of three platforms of social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In. You could spend the first 30 days mastering the basics of Facebook marketing. Spend the next 30 days learning Twitter and how to properly use that tool for marketing. Finally, spend the last 30 days understanding how to use Linked In. Try not to get distracted by learning all three platforms at the same time. You will lose concentration, feel overwhelmed, and risk burning out. However, by focusing on one platform within a 30 day block, you will feel less overwhelmed and master the concepts more quickly. Mastery of the basics and how to use each medium well will lead to better results in the long run.

Once you achieve your quarterly goal through focused effort, make sure to complete the success cycle by including a rest period before you start with pursuing your next quarterly goal. The human body can only push for so long without breaking down or burning out. While some of us think we can work like a machine, we do not have super hero powers, so we start to wear down and became mentally and emotionally exhausted. You cannot keep such an intense focus for long periods of time without proper recovery.