7

Rating ? Qualities ?
Applicable

Buy book or audiobook

Aligned Thinking
Make Every Moment Count
Jim Steffen • Berrett-Koehler © 2006 • 144 pages

Life Advice / Purpose

Take-Aways
• Take the time to figure out what you really want from life.
• Align all your actions with your personal, professional, physical and spiritual goals.
• Define the "necessary conditions" for fulfilling your goals.
• Throw out your "to-do" list! Instead keep a "holding pen" list. Choose your daily tasks from your holding
pen.
• Decide which tasks to do based on relevance to your goals. Do the task that is "most important now" or
"MIN."
• To avoid overplanning, estimate how long it will take you to accomplish each task
• Concentrate only on the task at hand.
• Relate chores and interruptions to your long-term goals; they may be necessary to get you where you’re
going.
• Build time into your schedule to review your goals regularly. Adjust as necessary.
• Your most valuable time is the present moment. Use it to fulfill your goals.

1 of 6

LoginContext[cu=8893973,ssoId=5055588,asp=7716,subs=8,free=0,lo=en,co=SG] 2024-01-04 05:24:45 CET

 Recommendation
To determine what you really want and work toward it, use the tools of "aligned thinking" - including the
"MIN" or "most important now" secret - to reframe your attitude about your work and personal life. Tying
your work to your long-term goals will make you more motivated to do things you once thought of as chores.
The secret of success, according to author Jim Steffen, is to make every moment part of your master plan. In
other words, "be here now." You have heard that advice before, but this book describes how to apply it. This
is a short book (and could have been shorter), but nonetheless, it imparts useful techniques for getting more
out of your time and life. Steffen takes you through a basic prioritizing and time management process to help
you clarify where you’re going in life, how to get there and how your daily tasks fit that goal. getAbstract
recommends this book to you if you’ve really never sat down before to figure out your deepest desires and
how to attain them.

Summary

Find the Target

Are you overwhelmed with stress and long to-do lists? Are your successes not quite as satisfying as they used
to be? For a cure, turn to "aligned thinking," a method for aligning every action you take every moment of
the day with your deepest purpose. Think of getting all four wheels on the track so you finally can make the
kind of progress you want without adding extra stress to your life.

“What can I expect from Aligned Thinking? Aligned Thinking will help you do what most
believe impossible: align every action with what you really want.”

Ray and Carol may be a lot like you: married, harried and buried beneath a mountain of tasks. While they
are running down the fast track, they wonder what happened to their dreams. Luckily, Carol and Ray can
spend time with Coach Eric, who has developed an effective time and life management method he calls
aligned thinking. He knows Carol and Ray need the secret of prioritizing, or "MIN," which means "most
important now."

“When you understand the three questions that impact everyone daily and discover the
MIN Secret, it will help you live your ideal professional and personal life, or better. You’ll
also be able to...achieve everything you plan each day.”

Coach Eric taught Carol and Ray how to relate their deepest desires to every task each day. At first, they
found it impossible to believe that anyone could make every moment count, but Coach Eric broke the
process down into bite-sized chunks, so it all seemed manageable. Ray and Carol learned to identify and
analyze their goals, and to apply that self-awareness and knowledge to their day-to-day tasks.

“Put on your priority list only those items that you can reasonably complete this day
or this week...plan to make yourself a successful person each day by making a list of
priorities that you can accomplish.”

www.getabstract.com
2 of 6

LoginContext[cu=8893973,ssoId=5055588,asp=7716,subs=8,free=0,lo=en,co=SG] 2024-01-04 05:24:45 CET

 By implementing the "MIN Secret," concentrating only on what’s most important now, you - like Ray and
Carol - can align your thinking to focus on actions that further your goals. It sounds simple, and it is. To use
and understand this secret, answer three important questions:

• What are your most cherished goals in life?

• In a world full of distractions, how can you remain focused on these goals?
• How can you use each moment to move you closer to accomplishing your goals?

“In the morning, be honest about how much you can actually accomplish in one day,
or be frustrated at the end of the day when you regularly plan too much and rarely get
everything done.”

Search within yourself for your purpose. One way to start answering that question is to create a eulogy for
yourself. At the end of your life, what do you want your time on earth to have meant? How would you like
your friends and family to remember you? Does your life reflect the values and desires that matter the most
to you?

“The best way to admit the truth is to actually guesstimate how long each priority
activity will take.”

Of course, the deeper question is, how do you even know what you really want? Begin to figure this out by
listing the things in life you like and value. Think about your needs and desires for the future. Are you most
interested in your career, your legacy, your home, or your family and friends? What about your physical
well-being? What about serving the community and achieving spiritual goals? Do you want to travel? Do you
want more time with your children? More time for a hobby? More time to relax? Now, narrow your list to
just one area, the one most important to you. Write down your key goal or goals in this crucial aspect of your
life. Think of aligned activities you can do to achieve what you really want.

“The way many people plan - especially people who use a to-do list - absolutely ensures
they’ll have to-do list frustration at day’s end.”

Now look at what remains on your list. Again, pick just one important area of your life, and again relate your
objectives to your activities. What are you doing to achieve what you want? Repeat this process until you
have clarified what you really desire from your life. By delving into these questions and relating your goals
to your activities, you are gaining important insight into your key values. Gather these thoughts and distill
them into a life purpose statement that you can use to help guide your decisions. Ask yourself not only what
you want, but why. Review your statement regularly, so that it remains a living, useful document. Adjust it as
you see fit in light of changes and accomplishments.

“Most people don’t make every moment count because they don’t know where to start.
Knowing exactly what you do and don’t control will show you where to start.”

Try to make each action you take at work relate to the primary professional goals you want to achieve.
When you re-evaluate your present activities in light of your true purpose, you may find that you have more
opportunities for living in alignment than you realized previously. By making that connection and finding

www.getabstract.com
3 of 6

LoginContext[cu=8893973,ssoId=5055588,asp=7716,subs=8,free=0,lo=en,co=SG] 2024-01-04 05:24:45 CET

 that your daily duties serve your purpose, you turn events that used to drain your energy into ones that
invigorate you.

Finding Freedom in Your Obligations

Sometimes it’s hard to see how the tasks you are obliged to do align with your larger purpose. To clarify
this, think about the relationship that each action on your to-do list has with your freedom to pursue your
goals. Define your "primary desire" and then identify the "necessary conditions" you must fulfill to reach
your goal. These are the conditions that support your true desire, but they may not always be fun to do. For
example, to get a raise (an example of a primary desire), you might have to work extra hours. Writing your
novel may mean spending fewer nights watching TV. When you relate your chores and obligations to your
goals, staying motivated becomes easier.

“You are an Aligned Thinker when...what you really want from life and work drives
every action, and...every action takes you step-by-step back to what you really want.”

As you define your situation, clarify your freedom to act in relation to the demands of your goals. This
enables you to cultivate a "freedom attitude" about everything you do. Once you see the necessary conditions
for reaching a goal in a realistic light, you can decide if these conditions are worth it to you. At this point,
maintaining your freedom might mean adjusting a primary goal. Alternatively, you can freely accept the
burdens imposed by the conditions surrounding your goal. When you freely choose the tasks that form your
necessary conditions, doing them generates new energy.

Staying Focused

How do you stay focused on your deepest goals in a world of distractions? The most important support
you can give yourself is to schedule time regularly to review your goals, so they stay uppermost in your
mind. Take time each week. Set aside five minutes every day and a few minutes more on the weekend to
focus on your goals. Every few months, perhaps quarterly, schedule a "fun day" to think about what you
have achieved and reassess your goals. Try to make this really recreational and fun; for instance, pick
a new place to go. Make this time feel rewarding. After reviewing your goals, adjust them if they have
changed. Give yourself the gift of your time and attention to take your goals seriously, and to celebrate your
accomplishments.

Avoid Distracting Mistakes

People make five common mistakes that keep them distracted from their primary goals. Surprisingly, the
biggest mistake is maintaining a to-do list. Despite long hours of trying to work down your list, ending each
day with a longer list than you had in the morning is frustrating and counterproductive. Instead, list tasks
that would normally go on your to-do list, and think of them as being in a "holding pen." Then, choose what
items to take out and focus on each day, after you’ve reviewed your life purpose statement. With your target
goals in mind, you can select daily tasks that support your progress.

“Activities that give life meaning also give ’here and now’ energy.”

www.getabstract.com
4 of 6

LoginContext[cu=8893973,ssoId=5055588,asp=7716,subs=8,free=0,lo=en,co=SG] 2024-01-04 05:24:45 CET

 Only try to tackle those tasks you reasonably can accomplish in a day or a week, or whatever the time period
you’ve set. Accomplishing your few tasks every day will give you much more satisfaction than finishing the
day with a long, growing list of unaccomplished jobs. Additionally, the few tasks you choose will be more in
alignment with your stated targets, giving you the additional feeling of satisfaction that comes from making
steady headway to your goals, and from aligning your time and your purpose.

“You need to experience the answers to the purpose, focus and now questions, and have
the freedom attitude to truly understand the MIN Secret and make it work for you.”

The other four common mistakes that could distract you from your purpose are:

1. Failing to give yourself regular periods of time each week to refocus your efforts.
2. Failing to review your purpose statement regularly.
3. Failing to include personal priorities as well as business tasks. Be comprehensive.
4. Failing to set realistic expectations about what you can accomplish. Estimate how long each task will take
to avoid overplanning.

“I like to think I select Aligned Thinking as my way of living because it is so rich in design
but still so very simple.”

Schedule daily and weekly periods of time to focus on your priorities. Review your professional and personal
goals, and your "holding pen." Schedule your day based on aligning your activities and you true goals.

Cultivating the Attitude of Freedom

A freely chosen goal can generate problems and challenges you may not want, and may not have anticipated.
Generally, you will com to realize that navigating these issues is necessary to achieving your goal.

“The process has to be repeatable. I want to teach it once and benefit from it for 20 to 30
years. The benefits need to be immediate and they need to last a lifetime!”

Following Coach Eric’s advice, Carol and Ray set aside time to analyze their life values and goals. They
agreed to figure out ways to help support each other in the areas of life where their goals diverged. They
started each day by reviewing their purpose and trying to schedule tasks related to their goals. Though it was
sometimes difficult, they began to see that even tasks they didn’t like to do formed part of the "necessary
conditions" for achieving future goals. However, they still had trouble seeing how they could make every
moment align with their goals.

To help them deal with this challenge, Coach Eric advised them to focus on the present, and not to look to
the past or the future for help. That just wastes the only resource you really control: the present moment.
Ask yourself, Coach Eric said, if the only thing I can control is the present, how could I make my actions
count the most right now? Doing only what you feel like or only what others wish you to do is not taking
control of your life and your moments. The secret to getting the most out of each moment is determining
what is most important now and using the MIN strategy.

www.getabstract.com
5 of 6

LoginContext[cu=8893973,ssoId=5055588,asp=7716,subs=8,free=0,lo=en,co=SG] 2024-01-04 05:24:45 CET

 Once you identify your most important current priority, think about how you want to accomplish it right
now. Do you want to make the minimum effort because you’re not that interested in it? Is your effort half-
hearted because you’re thinking about all the other things you have to do later? These attitudes are counter-
productive. Once you choose what is most important now, let the other tasks fade into the background so
you fully concentrate on your chosen MIN. You will derive the most satisfaction and do the best job when
you focus 100% of your attention and effort on the task at hand. Living "in the flow" is living in alignment.
When you focus totally on your chosen task, you make all your moments count.

As you begin a new activity, pause to consider it in relation to your most important goals. Once you find your
MIN, set aside all other tasks until you’ve accomplished that first task, your MIN task. Then move onto the
next task. By reviewing your purpose regularly and adjusting your focus daily, you constantly optimize your
effort.

Alignment in the Office

When you are at work, regard interruptions in light of your true goals. When they arise, remind yourself
that you are receiving new information. Take a moment to relate interruptions to your life purpose. Are
they part of the necessary conditions you must deal with to reach your desired goals? If so, embrace them as
opportunities.

The MIN secret is invaluable for motivating employees to remember the relationship between giving their
best effort at work and accomplishing their own primary goals. Ask your employees to define for themselves
what they most want from work. Ask them to consider what they want to give to the people who matter in
their lives. Finally, ask them to think about what they will give the company in exchange for what they want.
Explore for yourself the connection between your goals and what you give to those at work, including your
customers or clients.

Carry this line of thinking home so you remain aware of the connections between your actions and your
goals. Even children can benefit from the MIN secret. Share your goals with your children, and they just
might help you stay aligned.

By clarifying their goals and applying Coach Eric’s methods, Carol and Ray became less stressed, felt more
overall satisfaction in their accomplishments and made daily progress toward achieving their real goals.

About the Author

Jim Steffen, Ph.D., is a motivational speaker and consultant with many Fortune 500 clients. He holds
degrees in philosophy, theology and mathematics from the University of Notre Dame and a Doctorate in
Education from the University of Massachusetts, where he was the director of the Leadership Lab.

Did you like this summary?

Buy book or audiobook
http://getab.li/6375

This document is restricted to the personal use of Paween Boonnak (paween.boonnak@siemens.com)

getAbstract maintains complete editorial responsibility for all parts of this review. All rights reserved. No part of this review may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, photocopying or otherwise – without prior written permission of getAbstract AG (Switzerland).

6 of 6

LoginContext[cu=8893973,ssoId=5055588,asp=7716,subs=8,free=0,lo=en,co=SG] 2024-01-04 05:24:45 CET