{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "I plan my life in 5 year segments. Long enough to hold most projects. Short enough to be real.",
  "path": "/articles/5-years/",
  "publishedAt": "2012-03-26T08:25:00.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:jznynyzgerlqmdbbj33o7wfs/site.standard.publication/3mnll3icujb2z",
  "tags": [
    "Business Operations"
  ],
  "textContent": "I’ve started thinking about my life in 5-year stretches.\n\n \n\nFlying back from a convention a few years ago, I wrote down my goals for the year and I realized that thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in 1-year segments was too narrow. I wanted to take a longer term view for two reasons:\n\nLife Variance — a lot can happen in a year. Relationships can end, you can move to another city, you can quit a job, etc. A single year can feature a lot of variance (“I’m up!” “I’m down!”), but over 5 years, that variance smooths out and you see the effects of small, consistent, compounded improvement.\nProject Length — Larger projects can take a longer time. The projects that I’m most excited about (building up my consulting agency, traveling, learning new skills) can be multi-year projects. By thinking about my life in 5-year segments, I can see how the arc of a project stretches across multiple years, and then backwards plan to the specific goals and actions I should be focusing on now to set myself up for success in Year 5.\nPeople over estimate what they can do in a year. They under estimate what they can do in five. Let’s pile on a bit more and get a bit more done by working in year year segments.\n\nFor (mostly) personal reference, here’s how I’m breaking down the 5-year segments:\n\n5-Year Plan\n\nThese are more a framework on how/where to focus than the specific type of work I want to do.",
  "title": "Five Year Plans"
}