Dependencies

“Dependencies” is a word you’ll hear in a lot on the project management world a lot. One particular thing cannot happen until something else happens first. You can’t move on to step two until step one is complete…etc. You get the picture.

I was recently coaching someone who wanted to lose weight. He told me he would make going to the gym a regular habit and asked that I hold him accountable to that in our next meeting. When I saw him a week later, I asked if he had been going to the gym. He quickly responded with, “no, I can’t.” When I asked why he couldn’t, he didn’t list excuses, he listed dependencies. He was between paychecks and could afford to purchase a gym membership and new tennis shoes. Did his goal change? No, his timeline just didn’t account for that dependency.

When setting a goal, make sure you uncover as many dependencies as possible in your planning. This helps you set realistic timelines and often gives your quick, actionable items. Here a few examples.

Goal: Go on cruise.
Possible dependencies: save money to purchase ticket, get vacation time approved at work, find dog sitter…etc.

Goal: Finish college degree.
Possible dependencies: Secure student loan or get a part-time job to save and pay cash, enroll for classes, find childcare for evening classes.

Goal: Get a new job
Possible dependencies: have a computer to use to write resume, know where to apply, network…etc.

These all seem pretty common sense but you’d be surprised at how many people fail to account for dependencies when setting goals. When these sorts of things come up, they are demotivating and can derail us from achieving our desired outcome. It important to write down your goals but also make sure you write down, in order, everything you need to achieve them!