This is a review about a new app that I just love. Before I get to the app itself, I need to share a personal story about why this app means so much to me.
Making goals is hard work. Making realistic goals is also hard work. Sticking to and fulfilling those goals is even harder. But it is so worth it. I read a book a while ago called "Write it Down, Make it Happen". The premise of this book is that if you write something down, it can happen. I took that advice in 2002, and wrote down some goals for the next 9 years. I didn't know about Zig Ziglar's Wheel of Life, yet, and so I did my own modified version, which included the following:
- Mental - Complete Master's degree program
- Spiritual - attend the temple monthly
- Career - be a school principal
- Financial - make at least $70K (I'm in education, so that was lofty!) and be out of debt (except for my personal goal).
- Personal - Own a home
- Family - Have four kids (and be done having kids)
Now, I know a lot of my friends had much more lofty goals than I did. I will be honest, these were big goals for me. I had just returned from my mission to Russia. I was starting my second year of college (after I had failed a class before Russia), I was taking out a bunch of student loans, hadn't met my wife, yet, and I was making $6.03 an hour, working 20 hours a week.
I wrote all these goals down in my journal, and reviewed them regularly. They guided my life for the following nine years. Even though I did stray from them a couple times in that time period, they were still what kept me grounded. I kept coming back to them time and time again.
I met every goal by my deadline (except for the debt one, which was a couple months late). I believe we can do anything when we put our minds to it.
5 Things
5 Things rests on the belief that you can be successful if you focus on five areas of your life. It is simpler than Zig Zigler's Wheel of Life, which I really like. The idea is that you review your five goals daily, and make a note when you accomplish something. You create short term, medium term, and long term goals in 5 areas.
The 5 areas of growth.
Now, I can review my goals daily and stay focused on what I need to do to become. I can also jot notes about things that I did that contributed to success on that goal. When the pentagon under the goals is full, you have done something in each of those areas.
You can jot simple notes, like "Sat quietly for 15 minutes", or you can be more in-depth and record longer entries like a journal.
The app is beautifully simple, and is a modern-day way for me to track the goals that I need keep focused on.
The app is available on iOS App Store for $4.99. One dollar per goal that you are much more likely to accomplish is well worth it! Actually, it is free right now, so buy it before it is out!