Goal
Setting 101
by
Patty Kreamer, CPO®
Do you ever
feel like you are drowning in "stuff" that
consists of physical clutter, overloaded schedules,
projects that never stop, phones that never quit,
email that finds you no matter where you are, and
the constant running around? If so, you are not alone.
If you stop
long enough to think that life could be simple, it
can. But who has time to stop? That’s the best
thing about January; starting out with a clean slate
and filling it up with whatever you want and getting
rid of what you don’t.
Here are
a few tips to simplifying your life:
1. SET GOALS…NOT
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
Resolutions
are usually verbal promises that are forgotten by
January 14th. The reason? See number 2.
2. WRITE
IT DOWN!
Don't just
say or think your goals, write them down. There is
something magical about writing your goals on paper.
It seals them in your subconscious as real and obtainable
and not just dreams. If you don't believe me, TRY
IT!
3. THINK
AHEAD IN REVERSE (HUH?)
Picture
that it is December 31, 2002. What did you accomplish
this year and how did you do it? Think about that
as you write what you want your overall achievements
to be for the year. In other words, work backwards!
4. BE S.M.A.R.T.
Any goal
that you make should have 5 characteristics. They
should be:
- S= Specific
- M=Measurable
- A=Achievable
- R=Realistic
- T=Time related
It doesn't
matter if the goal is short-term or long-term. If
it isn't S.M.A.R.T., it may go unaccomplished. If
your goal is to be rich, you are being too vague.
But if you write down that you want to earn $80,000
by 12/31/02, it fits the SMART model. It's specific
and measurable ($80,000), achievable and realistic
(only you would know that), and it is time related
(by12/31/02).
5. SHARE
YOUR VISION
Don’t
keep your goals a secret. Share them with the important
people in your life so that they can keep you on track
and hold you accountable. In fact, finding someone
that has goals and meeting with them once a month
to be sure that you are both staying focused is a
great way to make goal setting fun and effective.
Goals help
to keep the clutter out. If an activity or possession
doesn’t help you reach your goals, eliminate
it. Imagine if you dropped one activity from your
busy schedule. Wouldn’t that make life simpler?
Try it to see if you can live with the results. You'll
probably wonder how managed so much "stuff"
that added nothing but stress to your days.
It didn't
take a week to become overwhelmed, so don't expect
results too soon. Just chip away at it one piece of
clutter at a time. I guarantee you'll love the results
by year-end.
By the way,
only 3% of the population writes down their goals.
They happen to be the most happy, healthy, and successful
people on the planet. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Here's
to simplifying your life!
Patty Kreamer, CPO, owner of Kreamer
Connect, Inc., is a Certified Professional Organizer, speaker,
and author of “…But I Might Need It Someday!”
and “The Power of Simplicity” available at
www.ByeByeClutter.com.
|
