It is good to set goals that challenge you, but if you can never reach the goal, you will not do yourself any favors. You need to think realistically about your dedication to a balanced life. It will come with some sacrifices in certain areas, but it will reap many benefits in your life – health, relationships and happiness to name a few. Are you effectively managing those set goals in your life? Has your life and goals seemed to become unbalanced? Is there a balance between your work, family, and personal goals? I have included 10 ways to assist you in effectively managing your set goals… Make a ‘To Do’ List – Then put these items in order, starting with the most critical. If you could only get one thing done today, what would be the most important? Cross the items off the list as you complete them, and don’t be distracted. Stay focused! Since we all have interruptions, be sure that, if you don’t accomplish the items toward the bottom of your list on that day, you add them to your list the next day so you don’t drop them. Use a daily planner if that makes things easier. Don’t Waste Time – Use your spare minutes well. If you are going to take a break during the day and there is someone you have to see, stop by their office and grab them to go for coffee, then talk about the issue and resolve it while you are walking out in the sunshine and enjoying your java. You’ll feel like you took a break AND got something accomplished at the same time. Just Say ‘No’ - If your boss wants you to work late and you have a family engagement; but you could work late the next night or come early in the morning, suggest alternatives and see if those will work. Don’t be so quick to accept the command without probing to find out if there is another way to handle it. If a co-worker asks you to lunch and you MUST finish a project or task by 3:00, politely decline the invitation and suggest dinner or coffee later instead. That way you don’t have to give up the pleasurable experience, but you won’t be stressed out and working until 9:00 p.m. Just speak up! You will find that others will understand, if you explain and then follow-up as promised. Know Your Brain – Do you know what the Circadian Clock is? It’s that little clock in your brain that controls when you feel the most wide awake and when you want to go to sleep. If you are a morning person, attack the most difficult problems in the morning when your brain is the sharpest. That way you won’t have to rework the problem the next day when you discover that ‘afternoon you’ made the wrong decision. Also, get enough sleep! Your brain can operate on a short nap for a day, but if you are not sleeping enough, you will not think well or process information and you’ll make mistakes and end up staying late to fix them. Advertise Your Schedule - If you hate getting phone calls first thing in the morning before you get your day organized and have your first cup of coffee, then let your calls go to voicemail until you feel ready to take the calls. You will be more focused and get more accomplished, instead of having to say, “I’ll have to get back to you on that” after hearing a ten minute explanation of the latest crisis. Let others know when you will be available to respond to their calls. Be Your Own Boss – Sit down with a pencil and paper or a calendar and figure out how much free time you have. Schedule and plan your work activities, personal and family obligations on the calendar. Treat these personal obligations with the same respect you would treat a business meeting. Don’t cancel personal appointments unless it is a real work emergency and in the case where you MUST cancel, reschedule immediately and apologize to your friend or family member. Explain what is happening so they don’t think they are unimportant to you. Be sure to keep the appointment you make with them the next time! Don’t Procrastinate or Worry – Don’t spend time during a family dinner worrying about tomorrow. Put your mind back where it belongs. Worrying never helped anyone accomplish a goal. If you are prepared, just do it. If you aren’t prepared, it is doubtful that you will be prepared by the morning. Don’t procrastinate because you don’t like a particular activity. FIRST do those things you dislike the most, and then reward yourself by doing the things you most like to do. Put things on the calendar and stick to the dates – don’t talk yourself into waiting or you will just have more to do tomorrow! Train and Delegate – Don’t tell yourself you don’t have the time to show someone else how to do a job that you REALLY don’t have to do. Take the time to teach them and soon you will have a well-oiled team machine going, with everyone doing what they are capable of doing. When you don’t have to do ALL the work yourself, you will find a lot more time to get those other tasks! Your family will greatly appreciate having your attention on a dedicated basis for a few days of much-needed bonding. Get Organized – It is impossible to manage your schedule if you can’t find things or if you have to recreate work or reinvent something because you lost it. Take that Action List to heart and, starting today, put a task at the top of the list to organize files, or to rearrange the store or inventory so it is easier to stock or to find things. Once you have things organized, don’t let them get out of control again. The only way to justify the work involved in that reorganization is if you KNOW you will never have to go through it again! Keep a Realistic Perspective - Setting unrealistic goals is a mistake – whether it is the completion date or if you underestimate the time required to get the work done, you will end up working harder and feeling frustrated. Be realistic about when you plan to complete tasks and do your homework to be sure that you can accomplish the task in this timeframe. Consider other ways to get the job done if you think these considerations will help you meet the deadline faster. Is balancing your work and your family life important enough for you to make some tough choices? If it isn’t, you may not get the balance you want. Decide NOW… Start TODAY!
4 Comments
Your post is very thoughtful and well written and I agree with every point you make. Your last point re. setting realistic goals is a most important one. I use the SMART approach to goal setting. S Specific
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12/16/2011 07:44:29 pm
until and unless we spread our wings ,we dont know how far we can fly
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Yogendra Rawat
12/22/2011 03:27:19 pm
Great post. I think you have focused on all the aspects we must look in to in order to be successful.
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2/6/2013 03:11:26 pm
evrey man had something and goals to achieve this must work and see his goal clearly.
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Cynthia A NahinI live in Southwest Michigan and am excited at being able to create and share this blog with you. I hope you return often as I will provide you with many creative concepts that I have learned and put to practice successfully to achieve my end set goals! Believe me, you can do it, too! Blog Archives
March 2012
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