NCW34 | 🎯 Are your goals ambitious enough?
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NCW34 | 🎯 Are your goals ambitious enough?
Welcome to Issue #34 of Notion Creators Weekly, where I share 1 Big Idea & 3 Updates to help you work with more focus and intention. And thank you all for bringing us past 2,800 subscribers
Summary
Big Idea: Goals are meant to drive progress. Welcome to BHAGs. 👇🏼
Notion Consultant Bootcamp waitlist just passed 100 signups!
Cool Tools: Readwise + Reader
How LLMs Work: A fascinating introduction to AI
Notion Update: There’s an easier way to select dates 📆
🎯 Why you need at least one BHAG
We talk a lot about goal setting as creators and business owners, and with good reason.
Goals frame what we decide to work on, what to prioritize, and allow us to track where and how we’re making progress.
But not all goals are created equal.
I’ve noticed that, more often than not, both creators and companies tend to play it too safe with goals. Safe goals will yield minimal results. You may see gains, but safe goals don’t fundamentally challenge your work, methods, or strategies.
We know how much we made in the past quarter. we know how many projects we completed. We know how many blog posts we wrote. So, we set goals with this data in mind.
The problem is this can keep us stuck in a cycle of incremental gains, without pushing us to think of fundamentally new ways of working more creatively or efficiently.
This is where BHAGs come in.
If you’ve never heard of the BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals), the term comes from "Built to Last" by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. Collins describes it as a goal that's "clear and compelling, serves as a unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a catalyst for team spirit." It's more than a target; it's a catalyst for innovation, a motivator for collaboration, and a North Star for progress.
Understanding BHAGs
A BHAG's power lies in its ability to bring a team together around a shared aspiration.
Efficiency: A BHAG channels energy towards a clear objective. As Collins stated in "Good to Great," "The right BHAG is a clear and compelling target that serves as a unifying focal point of effort."
Collaboration: It's more than a goal; it's a group effort that fosters teamwork. A BHAG ensures everyone is working together towards a common vision. It helps to break down silos, encouraging collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation.
Education: The journey towards a BHAG educates the team on how to strive for excellence, overcome challenges, and embrace innovative solutions. It's a learning process that instills a growth mindset, transforming challenges into opportunities for improvement.
Innovation: A BHAG promotes creativity by pushing the team to think outside the box. As Verne Harnish emphasized in "Scaling Up," "Big Goals get people's attention and stimulate creativity."
How to Create a BHAG
Creating a BHAG requires thoughtfulness and alignment. Jot down whatever BHAGs come to mind for your work, then choose one or two before defining them with these key areas:
Align with Mission: Your BHAG must resonate with your core mission and vision. It should embody what you stand for and where you want to go.
Think Big: A BHAG should be make you uncomfortable! But it should also inspire and challenge you to do better.
Make it Tangible: Balance ambition with realism. As Collins advises, BHAGs whould force you to bend, not break.
Communicate and Collaborate: Define how and where you’ll need to collaborate with others. If you’re a solo creator, outline where you can seek out external support or mentorship.
A BHAG is more than a goal; it's an essential part of growth, both for solo creators and bigger teams.
Exploring setting goals in Notion? Check out this Intro to Setting Goals in Notion tutorial from a few months back.
🧑🏫 We just passed 100 waitlist signups for The Notion Consultant Bootcamp!
Enrollment Opens: September 15 | Course Starts: October 16
It’s super exciting to see the interest in our first cohort. If you’re curious what we’re covering, or just want to get useful tips and strategies for your own business, definitely sign up, and you’ll be the first to know when the course launches!
🛠️ Great Reads: Unpacking Learning Language Models
For those of us who are not AI Engineers
Curious how learning language models (the magic behind AI) work without getting lost in technical jargon or mathematical equations? This comprehensive primer co-authored by journalist Tim Lee and cognitive scientist Sean Trott sheds light on how large language models (LLMs) have become an integral part of our digital landscape. It’s a fascinating read, and is the first introductory article that has actually made sense (for me at least). 😅
Large language models, explained with a minimum of math and jargon
By Timothy B Lee and Sean Trott
🛠️ Tool(s) of the Week: Readwise + Reader
Organize Everything You Find on the Internet? Yes, please. 😍
I’ve been using ReadWise for a few years now, and it’s been the best and easiest way to reconnect with notes, highlights, and quotes I’ve collected over the years.
ReadWise consolidates your highlights across various platforms, helping you reinforce understanding and draw connections between insights. You can tailor reminders to only show certain highlights, and organize highlights easily with tags. And of course, it syncs beautifully with Notion.
ReadWise Reader: This is the first read-it-later app since Reeder (RIP) that I’ve actually stuck with long-term. From web highlighting to RSS reading, YouTube transcripts to PDFs, ReadWise Reader centralizes everything. The best part: it rarely (if ever) has trouble extracting text from any type of source. My favorite part by far is automatically bringing in – and being able to highlight – transcripts from YouTube videos. Game changer!
Learn More About Reader and ReadWise
(not an affiliate, just a huge fan 😉)
📰 New Feature Alert!
There’s an easier way to select start and end dates!
Shout out to Sev Estil for pointing out this low-key update. Now, you can quickly add an End Date (even if End Date is toggled off) by holding shift and selecting a second date. If you typically track start and end dates for projects or tasks, this is a huge time saver!
🙌🏼 That’s it for this week!
I’d love to hear what you think. What content resonates? What do you want to see more or less of? Just hit reply to let me know!
And if you’re loving Notion Creators Weekly, I’d love it if you helped spread the word! 😀