The Core of Success - Goal Setting

Goal setting. For some, achieving goals is natural and comes very easily. For some of us, however, the idea of reaching goals can actually bring on a sense of anxiety, because in a world where there is always a need for more time, adding more to your plate can seem difficult. The answer is so simple however, taking very little time and actually making the little time you do have more productive.

Goal setting is as simple as stating what you want and writing it on paper. Don't worry about how you'll get there. Just get it on paper! That alone is the most important step you can take. Some people prescribe the "SMART" acronym for achieving goals, which stands for Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Bound. Though this works for some, I say setting a goal works all this out on its own, so no need to worry about making it complicated. If it is important to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you will come up with excuses. Let me show you how easy setting goals are.

Once you write down what you want to achieve, it's time to make a list. ALWAYS make a list. In this case, our goal is to become a world renown football player. As you can imagine, this is not simple, measurable, or necessarily even relevant. But let's get started on that list of things we can do. It's this simple:

• Research how one becomes a football player and come up with a plan.
• Go to college
• Find an agent
• Work Out
• Practice Practice Practice

Now ask, is all this worth it? If you can say yes, then congrats! You've taken a simple, but huge step.

As you can see, we have 5 great goals now. It's time to plan for college. Make a list!

• Research the best colleges for football players to attend and come up with 5 of them.
• Take the SAT
• Apply to college
• Research how to get college financing.

Don't worry, goals can change. This is just to help you get started. In the end, you'll never run out of things to add to your lists, however, you are doing something many people never do and that is keeping yourself what I call a "road map to success." This is why it is important to review your list every day.

Each day, I go through my list so I know what I need to be working on when I am free. This helps me tune out distractions a bit easier. Each week, go through your list, review what you've accomplished, and focus on what new goals need to be added.

There are some things that need to happen daily, weekly, or monthly that don't always make good goals. These are called habits. In the example above, this would be something like working out three times a week. In this case, my goal could be to achieve a specific body-mass index and a weekly goal, or habit, of working out three times a week. I will then sit down each week to determine if I successfully completed what I set out to do that week.

For my own goal setting, I assign a point system to all my habits. A 10 minute work out could be worth a point. Reading 20 minutes could be a point. At the end of each week, I count how many points I received and give myself a percentage grade, effectively competing against myself, allowing me to see my time management and performance effectiveness from week to week.

Another advanced trick, since I have a bit more time, is to fill out a questionnaire, writing down each habit I did not achieve and asking myself what actions I can take next week to more easily achieve what I am setting out to do. Sometimes weekly habits become pointless, in which I then simply delete them off the list and devote time to better serving habits or goals.

There you have it! Goal setting is easy and can be tailored to fit your own schedule. A little research here, a task there, and maybe a few minutes between life's busy activities and you too can be a master of productivity. Good luck!

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