Be The CEO of Your Personal Life in 7 Simple Steps You can use the strategies of corporate leaders to take your power back and thrive in your personal life.
By Nancy Solari Edited by Micah Zimmerman
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Does life feel like something happening to you instead of for you? Are you under pressure to live the perfect life yet feel like a failure? It might help to think of yourself as the CEO of "You, Inc." As the decision-maker, you hold the keys to your destiny. There are tools in the toolkit that help these corporate leaders guide their teams to victory. What they know can help you get your power back. Here are seven steps to guide you in becoming the CEO of your personal life.
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Assess your goals
Company chiefs know how to step back and look at their organization from an outside point of view. They observe the workflow and take notes. Anything that doesn't line up with their company goals comes under scrutiny. As CEO of your life, start shaking things up by recognizing the changes you must make to live a fulfilling, purposeful life.
Think about the activities that give you satisfaction. What makes you happy? Start a dream board or begin journaling to uncover your deepest drives and goals. Pay attention to your hobbies and interests. Like a CEO gives his employees a vision for the company, you can develop a purpose for your life.
Make a plan
Take your dream board, journal or goals and begin drafting your plan. Create three plans: five-year, one-year, and three-month plans. You can represent this concept graphically using three circles going from largest to smallest. The outer circle would be the five-year goal, the middle circle is the one-year plan, and the smallest symbolizes the three-month goal. Begin with the big goals that take time. Where do you see yourself in five years? Do you want to finish a degree? Start a business? Change careers? Create a side business? What does that outer circle look like? Next, fill in the middle circle. What should you be doing in one year to make that happen? What can you do in the next three months?
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Manage your workflow
CEOs manage productivity by mapping staff hours and getting the most out of their employees during the workday. You can start with the simple act of purchasing a calendar to see your daily and monthly duties. You can also use software to track your jobs, logging time spent and date of accomplishment. Many software programs can manage workflow — in work teams or solo — to help you track your progress on any campaign, project, or life. You can research keywords such as "workflow software" or "workflow management." This type of software will allow you to visualize how your daily activities are tied to your goals — and alert you when they are not. Tracking your process as you move toward your benchmarks will keep you from wasting time on fruitless activities that don't serve your bottom line.
Build in motivation
Corporate Executives have learned that employees need to feel they are a part of the vision. They want to know the "why" of the work they do. Leaders often plan team-building experiences. It might be a retreat in a quiet, wooded area, a beach-side picnic, or a company fun day at an amusement park. Think of yourself as an employee of your organization needing reinforcement and motivation to keep the corporate fires burning. Try listening to a stimulating podcast to pick up new coaching tricks on how to be inspired. Take time to find peace. Treat yourself to a trip, even to a nearby town, to visit antique stores or go hiking. Acknowledge your accomplishments in big and small ways because every win deserves to be celebrated.
Related: 25 Ways to Lead, Inspire and Motivate Your Team to Greatness
Network, network... and network!
Business leaders encourage their employees to work productively in teams. You can take advantage of this strategy. Plan gatherings with those who share similar goals. Find business organizations that meet routinely and attend. Network with like-minded souls and bounce ideas off each other. Join online discussion groups or service organizations that hold similar values to yours. In the 21st Century, you are never truly alone. You have abundant resources and ways to make connections. Networking will enable you to walk away with new ideas, friendships and a sense of purpose and belonging.
Make room for mistakes and learn from them
If you're going to do anything at all in life, you're going to make mistakes. The only way to avoid them is to do absolutely nothing. If you're taking chances and trying something new, mistakes will increase. But that's okay! CEOs understand that most progress comes from trial and error. Learn to build in room for this experimental period.
Instead of overreacting, learn from things that don't go as planned. Talk it out with trusted friends or business associates, perhaps people from your networking groups. Making mistakes early in pursuit of a goal can help you attain it quickly, as you will eliminate the wrong moves sooner and make the right ones when it counts.
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You have the right to change your mind
There comes a time of reflection when corporate leaders read the data, listen to staff reports, consult with team leaders and make changes. Assessing what has worked and hasn't worked is essential in keeping the company vision front and center. You can set aside time to reflect on your progress. This might occur quarterly or once a year.
If you keep a dream board or journal and track your workflow with software, you will have a great deal of information to help you evaluate your status. Are you where you wanted to be in three months? One year? Five years? Do you need to change the way you do some things, or is the problem more systemic? Do you need to evaluate your goals? Since you are the CEO of "You, Incorporated," you are the person who can change the dynamic. You have the right to overhaul your process and your goals or even change your mind about where you want to go.
Final thoughts
It's easy to become overwhelmed with the sense that life is a series of events that we must constantly react to. However, this feeling stems from a lack of goal setting. We only get one chance to live the life we want. Learning how a CEO guides a company can offer valuable insight into strategies you can begin using today to reinvent and reimagine your life.
