by Lynette Seawall
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” -Henry Ford
What are your goals and objectives? There”s the whole concept of vision, mission, and purpose. These are broad statements of what”s important to you in your lives. Then there are the more long term / strategic goals that you want to accomplish. Breaking down these strategic goals even further into short term objectives help you get where you”re going and will contribute to your vision, mission, and purpose. These are all important things to know to be able to stay on track.
Case study
In a recent sample, only 40% of people surveyed were satisfied with the progress they were making toward accomplishing their goals. The major reason for not progressing was that they didn”t know where they were going. It”s especially difficult to make progress in getting to where you”re going is you don”t know where that is.
Steps:
1. Figure out where you”re going
Ahh, this is always an interesting question. In fact, even more interesting, to figure out where you”re going you have to know where you are now. How would you describe where you are now? Are you in harmony with your world? Do you have supportive relationships within your environment? What is most important to you in your life? Take a few moments to ponder this. Write down whatever comes to mind. As you list these concepts you will find that there is most likely a common theme. What is it that”s key to your being? What is at your core? If you had to pick one thing that is most important to your vision what would that be?
Once you”ve figured out what that is, the other ideas you”ve written down seem to fall into place. As you tie them into your theme, you will find that some of these goals are part of a larger objective.
Exercise:
Take a few moments to reflect upon what”s really important in your life. What is your legacy? How do you want others to remember you?
Fill in the your answers to the following:
a. Vision:
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b. Mission
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c. Purpose
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d. Strategic goals (3 to 5 years)
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e. Objectives
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2. Use a hub that is always with you
Whatever you choose must fit who you are. Do you prefer to use a journal, a portfolio, a planner, a pda (personal digital assistant), or a laptop? These are all common options for people in today”s fast-paced world. Do you like to jot down your ideas as they arise? Perhaps you like to doodle when you talk to people. Your free-form notes may take the form of a mind map.
3. Organize your to-do lists by type of action that you need to take.
When you have a few free moments or you”re in your car, it”s a great time to make phone calls – that is – if you have a call list. Have you ever noticed that whatever the type of activity, things move very quickly “when you”re on a roll.” Other kinds of groupings might include reading, writing, research on the internet, key info into your computer, meetings, errands, and the waiting list. It can be a great sense of accomplishment when a to-do item shifts from one list to another, especially now that “the ball”s in the other person”s court.” The item has moved off your list to someone else”s. It doesn”t mean that you totally drop it form your list; it just means you shift it from one “active” list to onethat”s more passive. You still need to check on it, at whatever interval you deem is appropriate for your expectations. There”s also that list of things to do that would be nice to do, but aren”t high on the priority list; this is the “someday / maybe” list.
4. Work on projects when your energy is high
Are you a morning person and begin to fade at 3 in the afternoon? Perhaps you”re someone who just gets into gear mid-to-late-afternoon or even later. Whatever your body clock is, work with it. If you”re a morning personal, mid-afternoon would not be the time to take on a new project. Conversely, if you get into gear later in the day, early morning meetings and deliverables can really present a challenge. When you”re part of a team, working with your teammates at your peak performance time is not always possible. Perhaps your contributions to the team can be done when you”re at your best; the timing may not matter depending upon how you structure the project itself and how individuals contribute to the team.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but these will get you off to a good start.
Lynette Seawall is a productivity expert and helps business owners operate with less stress and more free time. She assists them in leaving behind their comfortable messes and familiar yet unproductive daily routines.
Clients give Lynette rave reviews for getting past the obstacle, “change is hard.” They appreciate her patient but persevering approach to help them get where there going – faster than they would on their own.
Look forward to her book, “Find Peace of Mind: 7 Steps to Organizing Your Life and Conquering Information Overload” to be released later this year. Take the personal productivity survey yourself, at http://tinyurl.com/z6qmq For additional information, contact Info%40PerformancePlusConsulting.com or check out the web.