ThreadPath

Introducing ThreadPath

Vision: Performance improves with clear understanding of what an individual or institution intends to become.
Collaboration: Systems like SMART fail to recognize the importance of other people - mentors, partners, bosses, family members - in achieving goals. They reflect a toxic form of individualism that suggests greatness involves “going it alone” and sows frustration when solo efforts fall short.
Stretching: Multiple studies have resolved the debate over “achievable” versus “ambitious” goals. People are more motivated by ambitious or stretch goals, especially when they understand the other key elements of change and growth.
Game Theory: Highly individualistic goals also fall short when they fail to take into account others’ decisions. We each live in a context bigger than us. Good goals take this into account by choosing objectives that have many possible paths. Even ambitious goals are attainable when we have many roads to achieve them. In many games, the statistical winner over many iterations of a game is the one who maintains the most paths to success.

Overmeasurement: People - especially organizations that perform for shareholders - tend to use measurement to obtain surety or security in their direction. But small measures can lead to performative behaviors that don’t achieve the goal.
Rigidity: Plans matter. One would never try to build a building without them. But their analogical relevance to our vision of who we become is limited - and what we should do today. In individual and organizational growth, overly prescriptive plans can become boundaries that prevent us from adjusting as we learn.

Keeps your vision up front.
Empowers us to assess each of our goals in light of the four factors (Pathways, Agreements with Stakeholders, Ties to the Vision, and Hunger or Ambition.)
Keeps a running list of activities with explicit references to our goals.
Helps us assess our daily activities in terms of two things: what we can do today and what we plan to do in the future.
Identifies which of those tasks should be repeated or habitual (by reloading them after they are completed).
Keeps a journal of completed tasks and a log of our reflections on those tasks each day.
Invites us to schedule revisions of our goals over varying periods, taking into account our progress and reflections.

To Start: Start by uploading a brief mission statement or vision of what you would like to become.
Identify elements of that vision that can be goals. Assess each one based on the PATH rubric. Set dates for reviewing each goal.
At the Start of Each Day: Each day, start by pondering what is most important to achieve the goal. Move those goals to “Today.”
For things you want to remember but cannot do today, move them to “Future.” Use “Future” to track things you don’t want to forget but can’t focus on today.
During Each Day: Check off goals as you complete them.
Revisit the vision page and look at your task list to stay focused.
At the End of Each Day: “Record Completed” to move completed tasks to the journal. Add a reflection, emphasizing things you are grateful for, things that went well, and things that need adjusting.
At Review Time: Review your journal entries and your progress towards each goal.
Output your journal to text using the share button, and archive it.
Identify new goals, goals that should be adjusted or abandoned, and changes in the PATH factors, and adapt them.
Set the dates of your next review.