Have you written your goals down for 2013? I haven’t yet but it is on my to-do list. Although, yet again time is slipping through my fingers like sand on a beach. I even have a to-do list for the to-do list! And somehow, every time I cross off one chore two new magically appears. The to-do list always seems to get longer rather than shorter. Talk about spinning that hamster wheel!
A great author, Dan Miller, who also has a blog called “48 Days” and that has written some great books points out that we have exactly the same amount of time like highly productive people. It’s 24 hours in a day and we all have the same amount of hours like everyone else. The way to get more productive is to have your goals written down, break them down into smaller pieces, have a deadline and then schedule time blocks when you work on that particular goal so that it doesn’t seem so overwhelming time-wise. According to Dan Miller all it takes to achieve that goal and move forward (like trying to write blogs more often than every two weeks) is to block off 15 minutes a day and work on it. It makes sense but it’s about getting in a habit of doing that. I’m still working on that habit. I often think of it as I’m getting ready to close the day and then I say, I’ll work on a blog or other tomorrow. Well, in order to move forward on this blog and website I need to get better at blocking off time. So tomorrow I will for sure add that to the to-do list 🙂
Jokingly aside, having your goals written down makes them more real and in your face. Another crucial aspect is to have a deadline set to that goal. Let’s say you decide you are going to run a marathon in 2013. Well, if you just say, “I’m going to run a marathon in 2013” then will that happen? It could but it would be more likely to happen if you say, “I registered to run this marathon in August of 2013.” Then you would be more inclined to make a plan on how to train and be ready for that marathon in August. Without a plan you are more likely to wake up one morning and realize it’s August and you haven’t trained or registered for a marathon. By having that date when you want to have a particular goal accomplished (from going to school, building a house, retirement, vacation etc) it is much easier to create a plan and stick to it. Of course, it won’t happen unless you write down those goals, make a plan and block of time. Not always easy but that’s what I’m striving at getting better at. After all, I have the same amount of hours like everyone else and it’s up to me how I use them…so tomorrow is the day to get started!
