One of the most important lessons which Pyracore has taught us in our office is the power of writing things down. I’ve always been a fan of lists – I have a list for all sorts of things. My two most important list are for little jobs I need to remember to do and shopping. I’m a bit sporadic with the first one, much better at the second one because the whole family needs to be involved.
‘Mum, we’re out of pickle!’ –
‘Did you put it on the list? – Get it on the list!’
‘We could do with some…. We should get some…. I can’t find any….’
Always the same answer – ‘Put it on the list!’ The list is for everyone. It’s in the kitchen with a pen, where everyone walks past it daily.
It doesn’t mean it will arrive, it just means I’ve seen that someone wants it. The children have tried to put all sorts of sweet treats on the list, but I do filter. 😊
The fact remains, though, if it is on the list, I will at least think about it and the chance of getting something they want goes up exponentially.
My jobs list, as I say, is more haphazard. It depends on where I am when I think of it as to what piece of paper the job might appear on, or if the worst comes to the worst it might go on the list on my phone, where I can’t physically see it and it may not get reviewed for a while. The truth is though, making it onto a list hugely raises the possibility of it happening.
The same is true in business, which is why we have found the Pyracore so useful for making things happen. The very act of setting our priorities down in writing is the catalyst for commencing the journey. We put a lot of effort into making the Pyracore right. It needs to be balanced. It needs to accurately reflect the priorities. It needs to FEEL right. It needs to be realistic in its expectations. We need to be happy with it and feel positive about it. We do it every 4 months, which works for us, it gives us time to achieve. When we come to start again for the next quarter, we reflect on our previous Pyracore; recognizing our successes and our work still in progress.
Limiting ourselves to four items for each pyramid is key to getting the plan right. Essentially, we have to be concise. Each item has to earn its place on the list – we ask ourselves ‘How important is this? Is it top four in this area of our work? What else is more pressing? Will it be worth our time and energy?’
Immediately we have finalized the Pyracore, thoughts start to guide us in the right direction to get things moving.
‘What do I need to do first to progress this?’ for instance.
‘What small action can I take today to get the ball rolling?’
Firstly, it might just be sending an enquiry email or booking a meeting with a key stakeholder; phoning a contact; reviewing some details; seeking out a previous connection. Break down the tasks into smaller chunks and understand just what the next move might be – that small action that you can take today, right now, to start heading in the right direction.
It all starts with writing it down. When you write it down it becomes clearer in your mind. Any irrationality is highlighted and dismissed as you see it for what it is.
The act of writing it down means you are prepared to share it with others and when you share it with others, you are making a commitment to achieving that goal. Consequently, you become more emotionally attached to the plan and the positive motivation leads you to take action towards achieving it.
If you want to make one small change today – write down the things you want to achieve. Better still, head over to Create Your Pyramid | Pyracore | Cultural Development Model.
