Last Monday I talked about figuring out your dream or vision for your life. Once you do that, start writing down your goals to get there. It is weird how when you write your goals down and start focusing on them, it starts coming together! I am a very goal driven, type A person. I do so much better if I have goals set before me. Goals energize, challenge me. You can do anything if you put your mind to it!
Write down your goals on paper
Put them where you can see them every day. You can make a whole list of goals, but start out focusing on no more than three at a time. A book that has helped me so much with this is “The Power of Less” by Leo Babauta. It is about setting goals, reaching them, focusing and simplifying your life. He talks about figuring out what your goals are and saying “No” to activities that are not in alignment with your goals. This has been a constant struggle for me; I have a hard time saying no! I want to be involved in everything and I want people to like me. I don’t like to be left out. I want to be Super Mom, wife and business owner. But I am learning in order to be effective I cannot spread myself too thin. Babauta’s book also talks about time management and how to be more streamlined in your day. I highly recommend it.
Once you set your goals then break them down into projects and tasks to get there. Your goals must be measurable, not just broad statements. For example, don’t say, “I want to lose weight this year or exercise more, say “I am going to be at this weight by this date and this is the way I am going to do it”. Goals seem overwhelming at first, but if you break them down with a timeline and into projects made up of tasks, it is doable. If you have too many goals or make them too difficult, you will give up easily. I read an article in the business section of the Tulsa paper back in January by Harvay Mackay. He talked about goal setting and said “Setting goals is all about taking charge of a situation.” What is it that you really want to accomplish? You have to really want it!
Harvay Mackay cited an example about a company setting a difficult production quota goal. There were 2 different test groups. They both had to reach the goal in 12 weeks. The first group was just told to reach it in 12 weeks, the second group was given weekly goals to reach that same difficult goal at the end. The first group only reached 66% of the goal, the second group exceeded their goal. That is why it is so important to break down your long term goals into monthly, weekly, daily goals.
I love this quote by Harvay Mackay “Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end.”
I have divided my goals into different areas-home, business and fitness. I will share them with you over the next few Mondays.
What goals do you want to set?
Jeretta Nord says
Hi–So great to meet you at Spark & Hustle and at Tory’s dinner. Great blog. Hope to get to know you better. Jeretta
Debbie says
So great to meet you too Jeretta! It was fun spending time with you. I loved listening to you speak! I really enjoyed your story about getting your books into Barnes and Noble. You also had great ideas for entrepeneurs! thanks and let’s stay in touch!
Pam Langston says
Thanks Debbie for the good and practical information and advice. That all makes perfect sense and makes me feel like my goals are more attainable now instead of just “pipe dreams”. Looking forward to more on this topic!
Debbie says
Thanks Pam. I am enjoying writing this goal setting series. Now that I have started blogging, I am taking pictures everywhere and thinking of new things to write about. Thanks for always being there for me, I look to you as a good friend and mentor!
Pam Langston says
This is some of the best goal setting advice I’ve ever gotten! I’ve started working on my list of goals and breaking them down into practical and manageable projects and tasks. Instead of just saying “I want to lose weight this year” as I do every year, I have outlined a timeline of weight goals (my projects) and also listed the specific daily and weekly steps (my tasks) to get me there. I feel better about it already. Just seeing my overall goal broken down into specific, smaller pieces makes it seem so much more attainable. Wish me luck!
Debbie says
Good luck Pam! You can do it! I am in the middle of writing my blog about health and fitness goals right now, stay tuned, will have part 1 on this Monday!
GODFREY NYAKIA says
I pleased with an idea of goal setting by breaking them into simple an achivable including having few goals instead of many goals.