Goals & Planning

Every so often I take the time to review and update my goals. Things have been somewhat up in the air for us of late and I was starting to feel rather ... well. like I didn't really know where I was going or why.

So the other day I took several hours and did a goals review and update. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes when you get clear about where you want to go and why.

You can find ideas from lots of sources, but when it comes to goals most programs will suggest taking a look at a number of life categories. Here's a list of some to consider.

• work/career/business/professional
• social/community
• marriage/family
• spiritual
• financial
• recreation/rest/fun
• environment
• health
• education/intellectual

Sometime back I boiled those down to about 4-5 that I considered essential for my life. So feel free to choose the ones that really matter to you and work with those.

Then in each of those areas think about what it is you really want. Write that down. Once you've completed that, choose the top 3-5 at most - the ones that are most important to you at this time in your life. Now go into deeper detail about what you want in those areas.

From there, turn those wants and desires into specific goals.

Organizing for Achievement Goals

I’ve been reading a lot of organizing books lately to see what ideas others have come up with. It’s interesting to find some neat tidbit of organizing that I can put to use (and that I suspect some of you may find useful as well).

One book I read recently is called "Confessions of an Organized Homemaker" by Deniece Schofield. While this book deals primarily with home and household stuff, she had some good ideas for any kind of organizing.

She noted that it is important to not just do daily maintenance items – whether that is at home or at work – but to also include what she called achievement goals as well.

Looking at this from a work perspective, these are the important, but often not urgent goals that we should work on because they will give us results in the longer term. They’re also the goals we most frequently set aside because of all the urgent daily stuff that we deal with.

So as you are planning your Daily List, consider these questions from her book:

1. What (achievement) goal can I work on today?
2. What dates, deadlines or appointments to I have to meet or advance today?
3. Is there anything on my running to-do list (master list) that I can or should do today?
4. What needs to be done around the house (office)?

(Note: Parentheses are mine)

Goals, Dreams and Purpose

How do you most effectively plan your Daily things-to-do?

We've talked in the past several posts about Master Lists, Daily Lists, and Priorities. Those are all important steps in the process of planning your daily tasks.

But what criteria do you use for choosing your priorities?

I think one key component of that is to have a clear sense of your own dreams and goals. What do you want to accomplish with your life? What is your purpose in life?

I've sometimes heard the phrase "you can do anything you want". No, I don't think so. We all have a finite amount of time to work with. I've sometimes said to people that if there were twenty of me, there still wouldn't be enough to do all the things I would like to do.

So it becomes important to get clear about what you do really want for your life. What matters most to you? What do you really value? What do you want to leave as your legacy?

I won't get into the how-to's of figuring those things out here, but once you are clear about your purpose, your dreams and your goals, then it becomes much easier to plan your days.

Then part of what will end up on your Master List will be the projects and goals that will lead you toward your dreams.

The thing is that sometimes these things won't be the "urgent" things that can so easily fill up your time and your days. But if you are clear about what you really want, then you will find ways to include those steps and actions in your daily planning too.

Knowing what you want also makes it easier to say no to the things that don't fit for you. You don't have to make excuses or explain to others who have their own agendas for your time and energy. Sometimes you just need to politely and firmly say No, I already have something else scheduled for that time.

If you don't already have a written statement of your life purpose and your dreams and goals, I'd like to encourage you to take the time to do that soon. Even if it's just to get started thinking about it. It can be amazing what a difference that can make to your productivity, effectiveness and to your life in general.

Eat That Frog

I recently read an interesting book by Brian Tracy called "Eat That Frog!  21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time".

Thought I would share a couple of ideas from the book that might be a help with your organizing.

One of the first steps to becoming more productive is to create Clarity.

Clarity means that you need to decide exactly what you want to achieve in each area of your life. If you are fuzzy-minded about what you want, you will struggle with procrastinating, feeling confused, and generally not being very motivated.

Something to think about - he commented that only 3% of adults have clear written goals - but yet they achieve 5-10 times as much as those who don’t. Kind of makes you rethink this goals thing, doesn't it?

Want a formula for setting and achieving goals? Here's what he suggests:

1. decide exactly what you want
2. write it down – think on paper
3. set a deadline on your goal (with sub-deadlines if needed)
4. make a list of everything you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal
5. organize the list into a plan
6. take action on your plan immediately
7. resolve to do something every single day that moves you toward your major goals