“If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.” — Unknown
I want to share my philosophy and foundation for my Agile Results productivity system.
I think if you understand the philosophy behind Agile Results you can better understand the system and make the most of it.
A guiding philosophy that I used as I created Agile Result is Bruce Lee’s epic quote:
“Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.” — Bruce Lee
I also baked my values of adventures, excellence and empowerment into the backbone of Agile Results.
And I designed Agile Results to be “stretch to fit”. I wanted a flexible, adaptable productivity system that would adapt with me for life, and that would grow as I grow, and help me realize my potential. I wanted Agile Results to work for individuals, teams, and leaders of all shapes and sizes.
I wanted it to be simple, pragmatic, and meaningful, and to forever change the game of productivity in business and in life.
With that in mind, here are some the fundamental ideas and concepts behind Agile Results…
Cornerstone Concepts Behind Agile Results
Agile Results is a productivity system that emphasizes the importance of better energy, fresh starts, and individualized approaches to productivity.
It focuses on achieving value and purpose-driven results while playing to one’s strengths and embracing diversity for collaborative productivity.
The system includes techniques such as setting boundaries, continuous learning, and bias for action, while embracing the rhythm of results and the power of storytelling.
Here are some of the fundamental ideas and cornerstone concepts that form the foundation for Agile Results:
- Better Energy, Better Results
- Fresh Starts
- Productivity is Personal
- Value-Driven Productivity
- Purpose-Driven Productivity
- Realize Your Potential
- Strengths-Focused for Better Productivity
- Embrace Diversity for Inclusive and Collaborative Productivity
- Your Differences are Your Strengths
- Enjoy Your Journey and Your Destination
- Story-Driven Results
- Boundaries for Sustainable Productivity
- Continuous Learning
- Fix Time, Flex Scope
- Fall Down, Get Up Again
- Bias for Action
- The Rhythm of Results
- Techniques Change the Game of Productivity
Let’s walk through each one…
Better Energy, Better Results
Use your best energy for your best results. Rechard and renew with skill.
Spend less time but achieve more meaningful results by leveraging your energy, not just time.
Use your Power Hours for tasks that require focus and your Creative Hours for tasks that need creative thinking.
Agile Results helps you prioritize your values and strengths, enhance your energy, passion, and productivity.
By using effective techniques like timeboxing, you can fully engage in your work and achieve better results with less effort. Play to your strengths, prioritize your tasks, and achieve maximum impact with minimal effort.
Fresh Starts
Imagine if each day or each week or each month was a fresh start. Feel light and strong as you win your day the Agile way.
The idea of fresh starts in Agile Results is based on the concept that every moment is an opportunity for a fresh start.
It’s not just about starting fresh every day or week but also about taking advantage of the present moment to make a change or a new commitment.
This concept is important because it allows you to move past any setbacks or failures and focus on what you can do now to make progress towards your goals.
By embracing fresh starts, you can approach your productivity with renewed energy and motivation, and continually improve your results.
Productivity is Personal
All productivity is personal. I designed Agile Results to play well with others and to mash up teams of individuals, while bringing out their best.
Productivity being personal means that each individual’s productivity approach will be unique to them.
Personal productivity takes into account an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, goals, values, and work style, among other things.
It recognizes that one-size-fits-all productivity solutions may not work for everyone and that a personalized approach is necessary to maximize productivity and achieve success.
It emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and continuous learning to continually refine and improve productivity strategies.
Value-Driven Productivity
Value-Driven Productivity is the concept in Agile Results that suggests productivity should be measured not just by the amount of tasks completed, but by the value that those tasks bring.
In other words, the focus should be on doing the most important and impactful tasks, rather than just trying to get through as many tasks as possible.
This approach helps individuals and teams prioritize their work and achieve more meaningful results.
Purpose-Driven Productivity
In Agile Results, purpose-driven productivity refers to aligning your daily actions and goals with your larger purpose or mission in life.
It involves setting goals and taking actions that are in alignment with your personal values, beliefs, and aspirations, rather than just focusing on completing tasks or meeting deadlines.
This approach helps you stay motivated, engaged, and fulfilled in your work and personal life, while also achieving meaningful results.
Realize Your Potential
“Realizing your potential” means unlocking your personal strengths and abilities to achieve your goals and aspirations.
Agile Results helps you do this by providing a system that focuses on living your values, setting boundaries, and working on your strengths.
With Agile Results, you can create a personalized plan for your life that allows you to achieve meaningful results and fulfill your potential.
By implementing the core components of Agile Results, such as 3 Wins, Monday Vision, Daily Wins, Friday Reflection Habits, and Life Hot Spots Framework, you can improve your energy, focus, and productivity, ultimately leading to greater success and fulfillment in all areas of your life.
Strengths-Focused for Better Productivity
Strengths-based productivity is the practice of focusing on your strengths and leveraging them to achieve your goals and improve your productivity.
This approach recognizes that everyone has unique strengths and abilities that can be used to their advantage.
By identifying and understanding your strengths, you can use them to overcome challenges and achieve success more easily.
It also involves recognizing and celebrating the strengths of others, and leveraging them to create a more effective and productive team.
In agile results, strengths-based productivity is one of the key principles that helps individuals and teams to achieve their goals and work towards a more fulfilling and satisfying work experience.
Embrace Diversity for Inclusive and Collaborative Productivity
In the context of Agile Results, “Embrace Diversity” means that each person has unique strengths and weaknesses, and those differences should be embraced and leveraged in order to achieve better results.
This principle recognizes that diverse perspectives and approaches can lead to more creative and effective solutions.
In terms of productivity, this means that individuals and teams should identify and leverage their unique strengths and talents to achieve better results.
For example, if one team member is great at brainstorming and generating ideas, while another is skilled at organizing and planning, they can work together to tackle a project in a way that maximizes their strengths.
Additionally, this principle emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and creating an environment where everyone feels valued and supported.
By embracing diversity and recognizing the strengths of each individual, teams can create a more collaborative and productive work environment.
Your Differences are Your Strengths
In the context of Agile Results, “your differences are your strengths” means that instead of trying to conform to a certain ideal or mold, individuals should embrace their unique qualities and use them to their advantage.
This includes differences in personality, strengths, weaknesses, experiences, and perspectives.
By focusing on individual strengths and differences, teams can become more diverse and inclusive, leading to greater creativity and innovation. This can result in more effective problem-solving and a higher quality of work.
In Agile Results, this idea is applied by encouraging individuals to identify and utilize their personal strengths, as well as recognizing and valuing the strengths of others.
This can lead to a more collaborative and supportive work environment, where everyone is empowered to contribute their unique skills and abilities.
Enjoy Your Journey and Your Destination
Create better experiences and enjoy your journey as you go.
In the context of Agile Results, “It’s the Journey and the Destination” means that the process of achieving your goals is just as important as the goals themselves.
Instead of focusing solely on the end result, Agile Results emphasizes enjoying the journey, learning and growing along the way, and continuously improving your approach.
This mindset helps you stay motivated and engaged in your work, and it also allows you to appreciate the progress you make, even if you haven’t yet reached your final destination.
By focusing on both the journey and the destination, you can create a more fulfilling and sustainable approach to personal productivity.
Story-Driven Results
Instead of focusing on tasks, use storytelling to motivate and guide your productivity.
Start by identifying the three most compelling results you want to achieve for the day, week, month, and year.
For example, “kill them with kindness,” “draft my raving review,” or “have the time of my life with my wife.”
This approach helps you create a narrative around your goals, making them more meaningful and memorable.
Boundaries for Sustainable Productivity
The idea of “Boundaries for Sustainable Productivity” in Agile Results is all about setting limits to avoid burnout and maintain a healthy balance between work and other areas of your life.
By setting boundaries, you can ensure that you don’t overwork yourself or spend too much energy on one area at the expense of others.
This can include setting limits on the amount of time or energy you spend on certain tasks or activities, taking regular breaks throughout the day, or scheduling time for personal activities that help you recharge.
The goal is to establish sustainable productivity habits that can be maintained over the long term, rather than pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion or neglecting other areas of your life.
Continuous Learning
The world isn’t static. Neither should your thinking or approach be.
Continuous learning means understanding that the world and your skills are constantly changing, and making learning a priority.
This involves taking action, seeking feedback, and adjusting your approach.
It’s about personalizing your learning journey and continuously refining it to meet your goals.
Through weekly reflection, you can identify your strengths, weaknesses, passions, and bottlenecks, and improve both your results and the way you produce them.
Ultimately, this leads to greater fulfillment and enjoyment in all aspects of your work.
Fix Time, Flex Scope
Fixing time means creating a schedule that allows you to be more productive.
This includes setting a fixed time for important activities such as eating, sleeping, and working out.
You can also apply this to your work schedule by setting a fixed number of hours and breaking them down into specific timeboxes for tasks such as administration, execution, thinking, and communication.
The key is to avoid flexing your time and instead learn to manage your workload effectively within the time constraints you have set for yourself.
Fall Down, Get Up Again
It’s easy to jump back on to Agile Results if you fall off.
If you fall off, just ask yourself:
“What 3 Wins do I want to achieve today?”
That’s it! You’re back on track.
Bias for Action
Action speaks louder than words.
Be proactive and take action instead of getting bogged down in analysis paralysis or committing to a detailed plan upfront.
Continuously test and evaluate your actions against real-world feedback to uncover risks and surprises earlier on.
Use this feedback to improve your approach in a continuous learning loop.
Remember to “do it, review it, improve it,” and don’t wait for inspiration to strike before starting, as action can often lead to inspiration. Keep testing yourself and your results to achieve continuous improvement.
The Rhythm of Results
The Rhythm of Results is all about breaking down your goals into smaller, achievable chunks that can be accomplished daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.
It’s like catching a train – you can miss one, but you can always catch the next one.
By thinking in terms of this rhythm, you can iterate on your results and make them work for you, flowing value incrementally.
Keep your trains leaving the station and get better about catching the right trains.
Techniques Change the Game of Productivity
The statement “Techniques Change the Game of Productivity” means that productivity is not just about working harder or longer, but rather using effective techniques to achieve more with less effort.
The focus should be on optimizing your time and energy to achieve maximum results.
By mastering techniques and strategies for productivity, individuals can achieve more and improve their overall performance.
It’s not just about putting in more time, but about working smarter and more efficiently.
Absorb What is Useful, Discard What is Not, Add What is Your Own
Agile Results is more than just a productivity system, it’s a philosophy that empowers individuals, teams, and leaders to achieve their full potential.
It’s about realizing that productivity is personal and that focusing on strengths, embracing diversity, and continuous learning are key to sustainable and fulfilling results.
With a bias for action, value-driven and purpose-driven productivity, and a focus on story-driven and meaningful results, Agile Results provides a systematic and adaptable way to achieve short- and long-term goals while fostering resilience, balance, and joy in work and life.
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