Yvonne Root on Getting Results the Agile Way

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Yvonne Root on her experience adopting Agile Results as a simple system for meaningful results.

Yvonne is one of the team members behind Journal in a Box, which helps you grow yourself, your interests, and your business, through the power of journaling.

Productivity is a personal thing and we all have to figure out our own system that works for us. For some of us, we get things done by brute force. For some of us, we prefer a more like Zen-like approach. For some of us, productivity is a random thing. And, for others, productivity is a balance between flowing with the river, and chasing our goals. At the end of the day, an effective productivity system is one where you enjoy the journey and your results.

I’m a fan of real people, and real stories.

This is Yvonne’s story.

Here’s Yvonne…

I must admit, when I first began looking at the information JD Meier included in his book, Getting Results the Agile Way, I was a skeptic.

One more system for being more productive.

One more method to get things done.

One more thing to try.

From the Beginning

Let me step back a minute to the time when I first discovered JD Meier and his work.

I honestly can’t remember why I first looked at the website, Sources of Insight.

More than likely, someone had recommended it to me.

At any rate, I spent some time moving about in the site. I was a bit intimidated.

There was a lot to read. And, if you’ve read his stuff, then you know JD moves like a fast flowing river.

Many folks who write about productivity or getting things done, allow the information to drop as if from a leaky spigot.

And, I was rather used to that pattern, not at all unhappy with catching a drip here and there.

Then along came this flooding roar of information from JD which had me jumping back up on the bank, wide eyed and seeking safety from the raging waters below.

Strolling Along the Bank

Still, there was the part about that flow of refreshing water nearby which had me wanting go see more. I strolled along the bank thinking about how to safely get in.

Then I noticed a quiet pool of water at the river’s edge where I could step in and become acclimated to the water before making the big dive.

JD said to begin Agile Results with 3 easy steps.

And he began with this: “NOTE – The simplest way to get started is to write down on paper Three Wins you want for today. Yes, it’s that simple! By figuring out the three results you want today, you set the stage for the day.”

I purchased Getting Results the Agile Way.

Being the obstinate greying hippy I am, I skipped a few of the steps and went right to the 3 results I wanted for the month of December.

And, come to find out, being agile about using the system is OK.

What Happened in the Quiet Pool

My thinking went along this line. The year is almost over. I’ll put this information to the test in a small way and just try to get through what is for me a very enjoyable yet hectic month.

If this works, then I’ll begin using more of the information in the coming year.

I wrote the 3 outcomes I would like to see by the end of December.

A couple of those outcomes had to do with my business and the third was purely personal.

What it said was, “I want an extraordinary and memorable Christmas celebration for my grandkids.”

Then, it was easy for me to conceptualize and move toward that outcome with my 3 wins for each week and each day.

What Happened Next

Did every day go well?

Nope.

There were days when things got muddied and completely off track.

There were times when my plans had to be refocused. There were moments when I questioned my sanity.

Yet, at the end of the month, days after the big Christmas celebration took place I was able to look back at the month and evaluate the outcome.

Oh My Gosh, my grandkids were discussing the days leading up to as well as the day of celebration with enthusiasm and animation.

By looking back at my journal and reading what had actually happened compared to what I desired to happen, I found there had been many more wins than losses.

By continually focusing on the outcome, by taking each day as a new opportunity to create an extraordinary and memorable Christmas celebration for my grandkids, I had reached the end of December with a big win in my pocket.

Now that I’ve gotten wet, I’ve found it much easier to jump into the river.

And, come to find out, the river isn’t nearly as intimidating as I first thought.

Yes, it still flows right along and yes there are still more things for me to learn, yet I’m quite happy with the experiences I’m having, with the results I’m getting and the opportunities I see ahead.

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