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Making that “New Leaf” Real

Maybe you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution, maybe it’s a less formal fresh start after a holiday break, maybe you’re turning that calendar page.

I have a few changes to make for 2025. And one of them is very familiar. This is not the first time I’ve vowed to bring order to my office…and make it stick. (Maybe you can relate. Change doesn’t always come easily, does it?)

Here’s a tool that can help us both.

It’s the Outcome Model from Neuro-linguistic Programming and it’s a huge help for making plans and making them happen. You’ll want to write down the answers to these questions.

1. What do you want?

State it in positive terms – it’s what you want, not what you don’t want. I don’t want my desk to be such mess, and that’s not the way to frame my desired outcome.

Make sure it’s something you control.  I want more hours in a day every day. And the passage of time is not something I control.

Develop a specific, sensory-based description. I can picture the top of my desk (not that I’ve seen it lately!) with only what I need for today’s work visible and everything else filed away. With stapler and paperclips and pens in plain sight. There’s no sound associated with it. But I can feel the grain of the wood that’s mostly covered right now. And a sense of spaciousness in my office.

2. How will you know when you have it?

What evidence do you need that you’re achieving your goal? If it’s an income goal, sales might be the evidence or maybe your bank balance. For a wellness goal you might measure blood pressure or weight; consistent numbers would prove you’d really met your objective.

Clean-desk-wise, I’d be happy to see the piles diminishing. But I’d need to see a clear space for some weeks before I could feel confident I’d conquered the chaos.

3. Where, when, and with whom do you want your outcome?

Put it in context. If your goal is to have more sales conversations, who will you talk to? On the phone or in person? Where will you meet?  When will you schedule these talks? Get very specific.

4. What impact will your desired outcome have on your life?  What will it do for you?

This is big. Knowing the impact gives a goal some juice.

What would a clear desk do for me? I’d save a ton of time looking for what I need if it were filed in some orderly fashion.  Follow-up would be easier. Searching is stressful, especially when I’m in a time-crunch – what a relief to be rid of that! And I’m embarrassed about this mess; it’s a constraint keeping the office door closed. Lots of benefit from a neater desk.

What about you? What’s the outcome you want, and what will it do for you when you have it?

5. Is there any potential downside to having what you say you want?

Your instant answer to this question may be, “No, of course there’s no downside. Don’t be ridiculous.” Which leads to the follow-up question …

6. What stops you from already having what you want?

Chances are pretty good that if you didn’t see some downside to having what you say you want, you’d already have it.

Let’s say you want to reach a healthy, natural weight. All good, right? What possible downside could there be?

Well, you might have to eat less of some things you really like. You might have friendships built around eating that would be in jeopardy if you changed. You might fret about the cost of a new wardrobe. All those worries stop you from already having what you want.

A business example: You want more clients and you’re pretty sure that means more sales conversations. What’s the potential downside?

The more people you talk to, the more you’ll hear “no.” You might worry they’ll think you’re pushy or money-grubbing. You might have some unconscious income limit, a notion of how much you’re supposed to make. It would feel wrong to bring in bigger bucks, maybe out-earning someone who’s important to you.

Maybe you don’t love what you do, so even if you say you want more clients the reality of doing more client work is not appealing.

So, these two questions – what’s the downside and what stops you – are important. Sit with them awhile and see what comes up. Sometimes it helps to imagine that you already have your outcome and notice how you think other people will react to it.

Our downside often lies in the perception that somebody important to us won’t like it if we have/do/be what we want.

7. What resources do you already have to help you get your desired outcome?

Count your internal resources – what you know, talents you have, even your temperament may be an advantage.

And pay attention to your external resources – people who support you, money you can access, classes you’re taking or books you’re reading.

In the quest for clients, you’re already good at what you do, so you have the skills in place to serve more people at a higher level. And your current clients are a resource; they could refer you to friends who need the same kind of service.

8. What additional resources do you need to get what you want?

It might be a trip to The Container Store for me. Or an organizer to help me clear the clutter and create a system to keep it cleared. Maybe I need a small-chunks-plan like 15 minutes a day filing, tossing, or shredding.

Whatever your outcome is, maybe there’s a skill you need to learn or perfect to make it happen. Maybe there’s a professional who can help you get there. A course to take or a certification that would help.

9. Okay, how are you going to get your outcome?

You’ve laid the groundwork with the answers to these questions. This is where you map out your plan.

Make sure the first step is sensory-specific and achievable. That means you can see it, hear it and feel it. And it’s something you really can do.

If your goal is to ask for more referrals, you can see the people you’re going to approach, hear the conversations you’re going to have, feel the phone in your hand. And as you think about the additional clients or customers coming your way, you know how that will feel too.

You might consider whether there’s more than one way to get to your desired outcome. You’re picturing the path to your goal. If the path is blocked along the way, what do you do next? Plan for it now so you come to a detour and not a full stop.

Okay, I’m ready to get to work on this desk. And you? Let me know what your outcome is. What do you want? And if you’d like to share your plan for getting what you want, I’d love to hear it. Leave a comment below.