Target Triage

An Awesome Arrow for the Aimless

What is it?

The Target Triage is a quick exercise designed to help clear your mind, focus your energies and boost your optimism. It is the single most powerful tool I’ve found to combat overwhelm.

Simple. Fast. Effective.

Deceptively simple; all it takes is a few minutes and effort. This exhilarating exercise creates an intense sense of momentum in its first step, but it is far more flexible than it seems. It can be done at the most bare-bones level, or stacked atop itself to create a robust enough starting system for any set of targets. Whether you’re a professional goal-setter or a freaking TOBIAS, you can make this system work in whatever way suits you best.

In a Nutshell:

Storm

A 3-minute braindump to clear the mind fully

Sift

Group, Consolidate, Organize.

Select

Pretty much self-explanatory

Step 1: Storm

You’ll need:

Pen and Paper

Countless studies show the benefits of longhand over typing, at least when it comes to the connection between mind and body. Typing works well for when a flood of information needs to flow with relatively little input from the mind. However, for our purposes we’re going to have to go straight to the source, which means that every little bit of help in strengthening the connection between mind and body is going to be crucial.

have you ever thought about the fact that there is literally no way to define time without using some form of time in the definition? that’s wack yo

A Countdown Timer

This can come in the form of a physical device, or an app on your phone or computer. If finding a timer proves difficult, an alarm can work as well.

If you have a rooster, then I don’t know. Program it?

Any way you can think of to alert yourself when a total of three minutes has passed.

Solitude

Both your conscious and subconscious mind have to be completely and totally free from even the most remote possibility of distraction. Ideally you’d have a space that is as quiet as possible. Clean and clear as well, since clutter adds to the confusion.

The 3 Simple Steps to Stormin’

1: Prep

Take a few moments to think about a few things you’ve been wanting to do. Don’t write anything down yet, just sort of get the gears turning. This can be long-term goals, once-in-a-lifetime adventures, or even just some chore you’ve been putting off like washing the dishes you said you were gonna do last night TOBIAS

2: Set

Set a 3-minute countdown timer. Ideally with a startling sound at the end. That’s always fun.

3: STORM.

Don't stop writing until your time is up.

GO GO GO

Write down every last tiny thing rattling around in your mind. No judgment. Include any and all goals or ideas for goals you already have in mind.

Get down as many targets as possible. Any other random things too.

Aim for 30 items; if that's too easy, aim for 50.

Your page should be absolutely chaotic. It should scare you a little.

Some Quick Tips:

Don't hold back. Empty your mind. Make mistakes.

No Filters, No Judging, No Shame allowed.

Abbreviations can speed you up.

Symbols too if that’s yer jam.

Quantity, not Quality.

Trust yourself.

Alright STOP.

Time’s up.

What you have in front of you is a sheet of pure, unfiltered chaos.

In a very real sense, this is a snapshot of your mind right before you started this exercise.

Before we continue, take a moment to notice how you feel.

Does your mind feel lighter?

Cool.

Time to inject some order into the chaos.

BUT FIRST, A CHOICE.

There are basically two ways you can go about this; keep it as simple as possible, or add a little bit of structure to it. Either way works, and it all comes down to the way your mind works and your current situation.

Pick the route that resonates right now, in this moment.

For those who want an expanded version of the exercise, click the button below.

If you want to get this over with, don’t click the button. Just keep reading.

Go Deeper

Step 2: Sift

Simple Edition

1: PREP

Go through what you wrote and try to find things that could be grouped together. Are there any common themes? Check if there are any items that you want to get rid of as well; you might have some things that would occur automatically as a result of accomplishing another goal, or you might realize there are things you already did, or don’t really want to do all that much compared to others.

2: SET

On a fresh sheet of paper (or the other side of the same one), make three columns.

3: SIFT

Place each of the items you’ve Stormed into the column that most fits.
An easy way to think about this is in terms of difficulty. Another is in terms of duration, or how long it will take.
What’s important here is not 100% conceptual accuracy.

JUST GET IT DONE.™*

*just kidding please dont sue me

The Columns:

IMMEDIATE

The Now. The Eternal Present. More practically, this column could work well for stuff that doesn’t require a lot of upfront preparation and planning. Things you’ve been putting off could easily fall under this category. Also things you haven’t really realized you wanted to do, like get a massage or going to the beach. Calling someone you’ve been meaning to call, that sort of thing.

INTERMEDIATE

Skills you’d like to learn, short-term goals that will require some effort, and quests that will ask a little more from you than a simple boost of motivation. Or maybe the extension of something you’re already doing. Is there something you think you might want to take to the next level? That’s not as hard (easy?) as getting started, but it’s still up there.

ULTIMATE

This is the GOOD STUFF. If for every goal you picked, you had to eliminate three others from your list of potential candidates, which ones would you keep? Or maybe it’s this; these are the things you would gladly trade your LIFE for.

Too much?

Too much. sorry

Step 3

Now that you have set of 3 columns, go through them one by one. Prioritize the items by numbering each one in order of to what excites you the most. Some will simply feel more right than others. Rank them in order of importance, impact, or intensity.

Here are some questions that might help with this process:

Which of these items would radically change my life for the better?

Which of these items would radically alter items in the other columns?

Which of these items are more standalone?

By labeling and organizing all of them this way, we create a more holistic view of all our aspirations and dreams.

BONUS BIT:

Once you have the prioritized grouping, you can make a list out of the top three. Add a description for each, fleshing out any details that come to mind.

EPILOGUE

yes, in the middle of the book

Congrats for finishing!

I hope this little exercise has helped you in some way. If not, feel free to drop us some hate mail by clicking the button below this sweet bird photo.

just kidding we don't do that here