Of the non-fiction books I read in 2016, here are a few stand-outs:
Your Brain at Work by David Rock
Insight Out by Tina Seelig
The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky (there’s a free 3-week online course based on the book)
Three Secrets of Effective Time Investment by Elizabeth Grace Saunders
Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
My Year in Books at Goodreads
I came across a BIG idea recently. In the book “The Code of the Extraordinary Mind,” Vishen Lakhiani talks about the difference between means goals and end goals.
Means goals vs End goals
A means goal is motivated by the thought that it will lead to something else in the end. It is the means to how you get something else. A means goal can be one of many possible paths to reach an end goal. For example, a means goal might be saving money so that you can go to college. In the video below, Vishen uses the example of pursuing a college degree. If the motivation is the benefits once it is completed, it is a means goal. If the motivation is that you love education and want to learn, it is a end goal.
End goals speak to our hearts, and are more meaningful. (a little ironically) When we pursue a means goal, we believe “If only I had this [fill in the blank] I would be happy.” With means goals we are seeking future benefits, sometimes to the detriment of present happiness, and based on guesswork about what will make us happy that can often be wrong. With end goals we directly experience happiness as we pursue something that we love. Setting end goals leads to a journey that makes you happy.
“Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” -Alfred D Sousa
“The point is not the end of the journey…Remember to sing and dance along the way.” –Alan Watts
Set End Goals
To set end goals, consider The Three Most Important Questions from Vishen Lakhiani.
Setting End Goals is a huge shift! Suddenly, goals are about what you CREATE, not about what you HAVE! End goals still need to be attainable, but making this shift is empowering and you have a lot more fun on the journey. You can’t buy happiness, but you can create it when you follow the BE MEASURING practices and set meaningful end goals.
Vishen Lakhiani on the difference between means goals and end goals…
When you know how you want to contribute, you know the right direction to go. There may be many possible paths to take, different means goals to achieve the end goals. The biggest obstacle to a meaningful journey is not knowing how you want to contribute. Discover how to Uncover Hidden Talents and create a value statement that pinpoints what you do and why.
In the following video, “Why Happiness is the New Productivity,” Vishen talks about the Four Different States of Mind. He calls these: 1. The Negative Spiral, 2. The Current Reality Trap, 3. Stress & Anxiety, and 4. Bending Reality. To Bend Reality, combine happiness in the present with a vision for the future to find flow. Make shift happen by creating something now while moving forward, compelled by a vision for the future.
With these tools, you can set some goals, make resolutions, and track your progress. I made these to add to my Planner binder in 2017, but they still work well! Don’t forget to grab a copy of the printables at An Annual Review too!
GOALS for the year
Download the Annual Goals Master List
INSTRUCTIONS
Resolutions
Download Resolutions on a one page printable, with a visual cue for different areas. Make your resolutions SMART with ideas for metrics to track at An Annual Review.
HABIT SCORECARD
With this Habit Scorecard, you can track 6 daily habits at a time.
I am planning to make some amazing shift happen! How about you? Review How to Set Goals, find ideas for goals at the Goal Plans tab, or consider getting my ebook, “Get Goaling: the simple guide to set and achieve your goals.”
These movies based on books will be in theaters in 2017. Read the books before they hit the big screen!
Check out movie trailers at the Internet Movie Database:
Follow the Screen and Page at Goodreads or on Facebook for more ideas and news about book to movie adaptations.
Brain Facts: The human brain weighs about 3 pounds and is 75% water. It uses about 20% of the oxygen in the body. The brain is very complex, but a few Brain regions at Brainfacts.org include the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for executive functions, and the amygdala, where the fight or flight response takes place. There are five kinds of brain waves, and the brain is influenced by chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Amazon affiliate links to books in the post below provide a small commission to help support the Daily PlanIt.
How to optimize your brain:
• Make and listen to music. https://liveinnovation.org/music-neuroscience-magical-evidences-ted-talks/
• Add exercise. Wendy Suzuki Big Think videos: Workout routine (3:48), 10 minute brain reset (18:11). (see book & TED talk below) Harvard School of Medicine says so too.
• Select healthy food. Drew Ramsey Optimize your brain Big Think video (7:02). Try a Mediterranean or MIND diet, https://www.brainhealthkitchen.com/recipe-grid/, and add a bit of dark chocolate! Psychology Today says so.
• Try deep breathing.
• Explore meditation. 7 ways meditation can change the brain from Forbes.
• Rest and reduce stress. Lisa Genova Protect Your Brain Big Think video (9:15)
• Include self-care.
• Novelty and challenge, notice small wins. David Eagleman TED interview Best thing you can do for your brain (2:27) Nicole Vignola Reclaim your brain Big Think video (6:25)
• Grow social connections. Matthew Lieberman book and TED talk, below.
Maybe try some brain games.
Scientific American debates the effectiveness at brain games at Brain Games: do they really work. See one man’s experience at Training my Aging Brain from Discover magazine. But if you’d like to try a few just in case, there are some free online brain games at this Pinterest Board.
Books and TED talks:
More Resources:
GREAT Skills are a) in demand in the workplace b) rarely taught, and c) very helpful in all areas of life! The GREAT Skills Trading Cards provide key information from experts for learning these skills. The links below lead to posts at The Daily PlanIt with more resources. This set on the brain and motivation is available for download at slideshare.
The brain and motivation set includes:
You may also be interested in weekly activities for a Year of Personal Growth and resources to develop the top 10 skills employers want. Find more tools the Personal Development Toolkit, including more GREAT Skills Trading Card sets that cover skills you probably didn’t learn in high school (and wish you had).
I’ve devoted this year to reading books that have been adapted into movies, and then watching the movies. It’s been an interesting year! This is a great way to run a book group, because there are lots of resources to help, and if you don’t have time to read the book, you can still watch the movie and participate. (although without comparing the book to the movie!) At the Screen and Page on Goodreads, I tried to find both “Theater Reads” (currently in theaters) and “Watch at Home Reads” (available on DVD or to stream) options. I found that at times there weren’t too many options for theater reads that might lead to good discussions. I stuck to options for adults, and some of them are rated R.
I started out with Manhattan Night, based on the book “Manhattan Nocturene” by Colin Harrison. If you like dark and twisty, you might like them, I quite enjoyed both.
Next up was the Oscar winning “Room” by Emma Donoghue. Some of these titles were outside of what I usually might read or watch, and led to some pleasant surprises.
“Me Before You” by JoJo Moyes was another pleasant surprise. I bought the book and shared it with several friends. We planned to go to the movie for ages, but it was hard to get our schedules on the same page! We finally got to see the movie recently, enjoyed it a lot, and felt it closely followed the book.
I liked the book “The Light Between Oceans” by M.L. Stedman. Haven’t had a chance to see the movie yet, but it’s on my list.
Another dark and twisty one: “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins. Loved both the book and the movie!
“The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak is one that’s been around for awhile that I had not gotten around to. I struggled a bit at first with the book, but I’m glad that I read it before watching the movie. Brilliantly filmed, with great characters, and it’s in part about the power of books and reading.
“The Dressmaker” by Rosalie Ham was another pleasant surprise that was a stretch beyond what I normally read. I enjoyed the book, and hope to see the movie soon.
Along the way, I watched some book-to-movie adaptations without getting the book read.
It’s about a wrap for the year 2016. I enjoyed this so much I intend to keep it up in 2017!
One productivity tool that I use is a Binder with tabs for the four elements of time management: System, Plan and Review, Routine, Focus, plus one for Projects. Some of my favorite forms are behind each tab.
The binder has five dividers with pockets:
 Weekly Plan binder version (pdf) |
 Daily Plan binder version (pdf) |
Find more possibilities at Free Tools or the Productivity Pinterest Board.
2. Plan and Review Tab:
3. Routine Tab:
4. Focus Tab: (I have separate binders for goals and branding. I use the Goal Shift Chart at Choosing Goals. More options are at the Goal Toolkit and the Brand and Purpose Toolkit.
5. Projects:
This planner (which is separate from the Household Binder) is helpful for planning and reviews. There are lots more options for forms you might like at the Resources page, including Productivity Tools for a System & Routine, Goal Tools for Review, Brand & Purpose Tools for Focus. This planner binder is a helpful tool for An Annual Review.
Plan goals with The Goal Worksheet, and use it as a goal master list to keep goals visual and visible.
Download the Goal Worksheet pdf
Learn more about goals at How to Set Goals, or consider getting my ebook, “Get Goaling: the simple guide to set and achieve your goals.”
How can libraries create excitement about coming into the library to check out books or other items on a regular basis? I’m thinking a monthly drawing with really neat (but not too expensive) book related prizes. When patrons check out (at least) once a month, they get a monthly punch on a Reading Record Punch Card, and can enter their name for the monthly drawing. If they get a punch each month they can enter their card for the annual grand prize drawing. This is aimed at adults only, no kids allowed! (why should they be the only ones having fun?!) Actually, school librarians could modify the idea a little and have fun with it too.
You could even set up a selfie photo booth. A word bubble could say “Check me out! I checked this out at the library!” with a checkerboard background.
There are so many great possibilities for prizes. There are a lot of book lovers out there! Here are some of the prize ideas I’ve come up with so far.
See lots of ideas at this Pinterest Board. 
Where the Wild Things Are Tote at shopPBS.org
I looked for things that might appeal to anyone, and most cost around $10 or $15. It would take a little bit of a marketing budget to pull off. This idea might also work for bookstores looking for a way to encourage customers to return on a regular basis. And those in search of great gifts for book lovers, of course these things would totally work. Which ones do you like the best? What should be used for the annual grand prize? Let me know your thoughts at the Daily Planit Facebook page.
Here is a Reading Record version of the punch card:
How to Be a Black Belt Goal Setter
There are many skills involved in the art of goal setting. Learn how to move from the white belt level to become a black belt goal setter with a free printable Goal Mastery Levels. (pdf)
Purpose: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” –Lewis Carroll
Choosing: There are so many options! Learn how to make decisions and choose top priority goals.
Planning: Know where to start with a game plan.
SMART goals: Know the rules of goals based on science. Goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time sensitive.
Visible & Visual: Remind yourself of where you want to go and why. Life is full of distractions to take you off course!
Inspiration: Get inspired with Audio & Video, Quotes & Books
Motivation: Give yourself a motivation boost when you seem to have lost it somewhere.
Discipline: Self-control and grit are key to the ability to power through when the going gets tough. The ability to delay gratification is also important.
Persistence: It can take a lot of determination to solve problems and keep going. Learn more at The Economy of Goals.
Time Management: Make time for your goals with effective time use.
Acting: “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” -Will Rogers
Reviewing: Monitor progress with weekly reviews, monthly reviews, and an annual review.
Learn more about setting and achieving goals with a free tutorial and the eBook “Get Goaling: A simple guide to set and achieve your goals”
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