Planning

I’ve learnt over the past year that by setting a goal and meticulously working towards it, it is totally possible for us to achieve our goals. Here are 5 steps that I’ve found helpful in make our goals a reality.

1. Identify your Goal

The first step is of course identifying your goal. Spend some time thinking about what you would like to accomplish this month/year. Pray about it, if you’d like to seek God’s guidance. When you’ve decided, trim your goal so it is specific and realistic. Put it on paper and place it in a prominent spot (to serve as a constant reminder). If possible, share your goal with someone who can keep you accountable.

2. Write down your “Why”

This is something I learnt the hard way. Without the right motive, it is very easy to lose track of why we’re working towards something. Think about why you want to achieve your goal and let that be your motivation. Write your motive down alongside your goal, so you don’t forget. Your motivation could be a quote, a Bible verse, a picture or even something you’ll be treating yourself to when you reach your goal.

3. Break it down

The next step is breaking your goal down into smaller, manageable, time-bound mini goals. Divide your yearly goal into smaller monthly goals. And then make a list of weekly tasks that will help you achieve your monthly goals. You might have heard this before, but here it is anyway:

Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time! 😀

How do you achieve your goal? One small task at a time!

4. Just do it

This is obviously the most logical step. Start working on your goals, that’s it. Do it, one tiny bit at a time. Start with the smallest task at hand (identified in the previous step) and just keep plugging away at it until you’re done. When you plan your daily To-Do list, include one task that will help you achieve your weekly goal. The idea is to start with the mini-goals and slowly build momentum to achieve your goal as a whole.

5. Get back to it

This is my favorite step! Let’s face it; we are not perfect. There will be days or even weeks when we don’t work on our goals and they fall by the wayside. How many new year resolutions have we made that haven’t lasted past January? Despite our best intentions, life happens and we fall off the wagon. But the secret to success here is simply getting back on.

If you’ve missed your Bible reading today, do it the first thing tomorrow… If you’ve had an extra slice of chocolate cake (or 4!), eat something light for your next meal or workout an extra 5 minutes tomorrow. If you’ve had a stressful week, pick up the pace again next week. Just pick yourself up and keep moving forward. Two steps forward and one step back still means you’re moving forward :).

Let’s set our goals and make them happen this year! Who’s with me?

Well, it’s your turn now. How do you work towards achieving your goals? Share with us in the comments below.

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Would you answer the following question for me, please? How do you get things done? If your answer is “Just do it” or a variation of it, I suggest you don’t read any further. You don’t need to! But I would be thrilled if you leave behind a helpful tip – I would love to learn from you. For the rest of you… if you struggle to get through the day with loads to do and hardly any time left to do it in; read on…

This weekend was the laziest we’ve had in months! My husband and I did almost nothing all weekend. We did have loads of fun, though! We had a family movie night, played with the kids, went to church, and just relaxed the rest of the time. It was refreshing for a change – just what we needed.

In no way do I regret how we spent this weekend, but here’s the downside – Monday morning arrived! (Oh yeah, stay-at-home moms dread Monday mornings too – at least, this one does :).) With nothing done all weekend, I ended up harried, frustrated and unusually scatterbrained this morning. When it was 10AM and I still felt overwhelmed and hadn’t got anything done, I knew it was time to buckle up and strategize.

Here’s what I proceeded to do:

1. I emptied my brain – I opened up a fresh page in my planner and jotted down every single thing that was on my mind. That included 4 lists: To Do, To Call, To Mail & To Buy.
2. I figured, since the To Do list seemed to have the most urgent and important things, I would start with that – it had 30 items (Nope, not kidding!).
3. I browsed through the list and found the one thing I would absolutely have to do. The one thing that would prepare my mind for the rest of the day – for me, that was reading my Bible & praying.
4. I looked through the list and noted down all those things that could wait till tomorrow. I moved them over to tomorrow’s To Do list.
5. I took a few colored pens and color coded the remaining items according to importance. Those marked red, I would have to complete by noon. The green ones, should be completed by late afternoon. And the ones in blue could wait till evening.
6. And then I started working on the list right away, striking things off as I progressed.

It is now evening and I have exactly 6 things left on my list. And I’m pretty sure hubby dearest will help me with half of those 😉 – which leaves me with only 3 more things to do in the next 5 hours. I’m pretty sure I will be able to strike everything off today’s To Do list.

Tomorrow, I intend to repeat the same procedure all over again. If at all I find something slipping through the cracks, I will add it to my monthly goals list and force myself to get it done. Now that’s how I get things done :)! I know, it’s way too simple to be called a strategy… But hey, it works for me!

Go ahead and tell me what works for you – I would love to know!

Wishing you GOD’s best,
Sheena