What could you do differently on “your” projects to produce better results in the next 12 months?

The keyword is “your” here. Your projects are those that you have chosen to embark on without external pressure for you to engage with them. Writing a book, starting and maintaining a yoga routine are a couple of examples.

Answer: Focus on STIR.

STIR = Short-term Invisible Results

Most people understand short-term and results. But “Invisible”???

Let me explain.

If the project you are embarking is significant enough, it is wise to assume that you will need to put in significant time, energy, mindshare and in some cases money. If the project is significant enough, you and I know that there is no concept of “overnight success.”

As you embark on the project, you will see intermediate results but rarely will those intermediate results be publicly visible. You can probably notice them but not the world – in other words, these are “invisible” results.

So, what you will see are “short-term invisible results” (STIR)

A series of such short-term invisible results is what will lead to real long-term results.

The formula is:

Long-Term Results = STIR + STIR + STIR + ….+ STIR

Take writing a book for example. The visible long-term result is a published book. But there has to be series of “short-term invisible results” throughout the project such as:

• researching
• writing drafts
• editing
• creating illustrations
• completing the layout
• planning for marketing
• building your platform
• building relationships with the ecosystem

and so on.

As you plan your projects, get very comfortable with STIR. There is nothing to show to the world but if you don’t chug along creating STIR along the way, you won’t have anything to show to the world ever.

All the best!