Achieving Personal Goals » Focus

Goals and Clarity

Mike Warren — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:33:44 +0000

Clarity

The clearer we are about the goals and objectives we set for ourselves in life, the more efficient, and effective, we will be in achieving them. Clarity has as much or more to do with success and happiness as hard work, because once we’re clear about exactly what needs to be done, we produce far less wasted effort and motion. Having clear, written goals allows us to accomplish far more in a shorter period of time we would otherwise ever imagine.

Setting Priorities

Our ability to set priorities on our time (and again, they should be clear and specific) greatly impacts the entire quality of our life. To achieve great things, we have to concentrate on the small number of activities that contribute the greatest value to our life and work, and pursue them one at a time. See my recent post on the myth of multi-tasking for more along these lines.

Making Choices

Here’s another truth I believe: Before we start something new,we need to discontinue something old. Our ability to get control of our life occurs only to the degree to which we stop doing things that are no longer as valuable or as important to you as other thing you could be doing. There simply are only so many hours in the day, and as we learn to replace less important activities with more important ones, we move closer to the outcomes we desire. This leads to a sort of continual improvement of the investment of our time, replacing less beneficial activities with more beneficial ones.

This Will Accelerate Your Goal Progress, Guaranteed!

Mike Warren — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:21:04 +0000

You know your goal. You have created a plan to reach that goal. You spend time every evening planning the next day, laying out the next task(s) you need to perform to reach your goal, and you do this activity daily. But what is one thing that could be added to this process that would make it even better?

In fact, what I’m thinking about can make it seem like you’ve put your goal seeking efforts on steroids (if that were legal, which of course it’s not – nyuk!).

The final piece to this process of managing your goal seeking efforts is so simple that it’s easy to overlook, yet so critical that without it your chance of failing increases with the difficulty of the goal. The missing element?

Time for simple, undistracted, clear thinking. Setting aside time each evening, or the next morning, to think “big picture” about your goal, without distraction. Giving yourself time to consider the progress you’re making, recognize any new obstacles that may require a change in your plan, or just getting a new understanding of what’s required that allows you to improve the plan.

Thinking time is the most valuable time you can spend each day, yet “physical” busy frequently wins out over quiet thought.

Taking just 15 minutes each evening, maybe less, to focus in a quiet place, without distraction, on what you are trying to accomplish can be invaluable. It gives us an opportunity to consider new thoughts about how to do it better, faster, cheaper, easier or differently, and can be the best possible use of our time. It’s like your personal “board of directors” meeting, the time when you step back and think about the big picture and assess your progress toward your goal, the steps you are taking, etc.

If you keep a journal, you’re getting your thinking time then. That’s one of the huge benefits of journaling. But if not, you can vastly improve your progress and reach your goal sooner by spending time on a regular basis thinking about what’s working, what’s not, how to deal with problems and ways to overcome hurdles.

Franklin Covey calls it “planning and solitude”. Some call it prayer. Some call it meditation. Some simply call it quiet time.

Whatever you call it, it needs to be done daily. In my humble opinion….

Great Idea, What Next?

Mike Warren — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:46:10 +0000

Did you just have a ‘light bulb’ moment? You know what I mean, one of those “hey, wait a minute!” moments when things suddenly became clear? If so, what did you do next? Like most people, did you just forget about it and let it slip away, or did you write it down somewhere so that you could refer back to it later?

Today’s post is about two things:
1. The importance of capturing those ideas, by writing them down immediately.
2. The fact that ideas not manifested through action are worthless, no matter how great their potential.

These are important lessons for each of us to learn, to really “get” that ideas are things. Every great movement, every great invention, every cure for disease or solution to a problem, started with an idea. But the next step is to realize that ideas, without action, have no value. It’s only when ideas are married to action, and consistent effort is applied until they are developed, that the value of an idea is realized. Which leads us to a simple, but surprisingly powerful, formula:

Idea + Action + Focus Until Finished = Benefit

Simple, right? Let’s break the formula down:

THOUGHTS (IDEAS). This first step is sounds easy, but the fact is that most people don’t like to think. Henry Ford said “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” That’s why, when you are thinking and you get a good idea, it’s such a loss to let it slip away. That’s why many great leaders, inventors and successful business people carry a notebook with them all the time. But as John Maxwell tells us, most ideas are not conceived fully formed. Many ideas still require development to reach their full potential, and this step requires time and patience. The way to reach the goals you set, starts with ideas.

TAKE ACTION. For your idea to move from being just an idea, you have to begin taking action. For some, this is an exciting stage, but for others it’s stressful and they never reach it. Starting any new challenge may make you feel excited, apprehensive or nervous, but if you believe the idea is a good one, take action. Don’t let your good ideas go to waste.

Not sure how to start? Sometimes it’s best to just get going. When you actually begin to take action, frequently the path will rise up to meet you. If you can, it’s always better to make a clear plan for how you’ll start, but if not and you believe strongly in the idea, you must start regardless.

FINISH IT. If thinking is hard, and taking action is challenging, staying focused to the finish line can be downright difficult. In a way, it’s nature’s test to determine who deserves the rewards of the goal, by seeing who can not only take action, but stay focused, committed and on track until the goal is achieved. The good news is that most people don’t, or won’t, which means that if you are willing to be that person who stays the course until your idea is completed, you will have set yourself apart from the crowd.

Every worthwhile thing you have ever earned started with an idea and the willingness to take focused, continuous action. It requires hard work and perseverance, the determination to stay engaged until the job is done. This simple formula is effective though, and the good news about it is anyone can do it.

So, let me ask you again, did you just have a ‘light bulb’ moment?

3 Things at Once = Not much gets done

Mike Warren — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:28:49 +0000

Multi-tasking, not good

Without fail, one of my biggest challenges to staying on track with the various goals I’ve set is that I love to put too many things on my plate.

Ever do that?

It never fails that instead of motivating me to get more done, it just distracts me. Doing a Daily Agenda helps, but the longer the list the more I think I need to do three things at once (that’s really the issue).

Research has shown repeatedly that we really can’t multitask. Groups who are given multiple tasks have been measured against groups instructed to do one task, finish it, then move on to a new task. In the vast majority of cases the “one thing at a time” group outperforms the multi-tasking group.

The exception is that there are some times when the tasks themselves are suited to multi-tasking, when there’s a natural pause in the process where it makes sense to move onto something else briefly. But by and large, picking on thing and sticking to it until done is the smart choice.

These facts and ideas are present in just about every article published on productivity yet it still creeps back into my “bad habits” from time to time.

Clearly personal development is a journey, not a destination. We just have to take it one day at a time and not let up. The thing life is trying to teach me today is “one thing at a time”. I hope there’s not a test.

Having a Daily Agenda – $100
Tying the daily tasks to my goals – $75
Following the plan – $50
Focusing on one thing, and only one thing, at a time – Priceless!

Tomorrow’s (Intended) Results Drive Today’s Actions

Mike Warren — Sun, 16 May 2010 20:13:35 +0000

Setting goals, making plans, keeping focus, visualizing the outcome, all the things that we know about the value and benefits of setting Goals comes down to one simple principle. It is:

Where we want to go tomorrow, drives what we need to be doing today

Restated in a slightly different way, where we want to be TOMORROW will be determined by what we do TODAY.

It’s like a rule of human behavior: future intent determines present action. Where we want to be is the key factor in driving what we need to be doing today. That’s why if you want to know how someone really feels about something, pay attention to what they do, not what they say. If their actions don’t reflect a geniune intent to make something happen, we can be certain that it won’t.

The reason reading blogs and websites like this one is important is that this kind of idea, this line of thinking or belief, is critical to making the right choices. Once we understand what the rules are, once we believe in the right principles, taking the correct action becomes easy.

Remember though, we do still have to take the right action! I think the missing ingredient from The Secret was the fact that, as Einstein once said, “Nothing happens until something moves”. I’m not aware of any repeatable scientific evidence which shows that sitting and wishing for something is sufficient to make it happen. But when we marry the right thoughts to simple regular action, the results become virtually inevitable.

Thinking makes it so. That’s why successful people are able to remain successful. They think better than others do. How they think about money, service, work, planning and setting goals leads them to make better decisions and get better results.

What’s the Purpose of a Goal?

Mike Warren — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:34:59 +0000

What’s the point of goal setting? We know we want some outcome, some change in the results in an area of our lives. For example we may want to look better, be more successful, be financially secure, free of debt, etc.

But how exactly do goals play a useful role in achieving that desired outcome?

The answer may seem obvious, but maybe not. Many of us set goals instinctively, without necessarily being clear why. Knowing why, though, can help us realize the greatest possible benefit from the use of a goal.

Knowing how goals help us reach our objective can enable us to make the best use of them. So here it is:

Goals provide focus.

Goals help us put on the blinders, eliminate the “clutter” we have to deal with day in and day out, so that we can control the outcomes in our life. Setting a goal is a way of telling ourselves “I’m going to give this task a certain amount of my time and energy today, over and above the other demands for my time and attention”.

Most of us have countless demands on our time and attention, particularly if you are ambitious or are inclined to always be seeking improvement. It is only by setting a goal that we are likely to eliminate the non-essentials sufficiently to bring our attention and energy to a single point. That is, to focus.

Success demands singleness of purpose. – Vince Lombardi
We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that one objective. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

There are plenty of other leaders who have shared the same belief, but I suspect you don’t need to be convinced. In the same way a golfer targets a green, or a batter never takes his eye off the ball, focus provides the concentration and intensity necessary to produce the desired results.

Achievements in any area of human endeavor generally require 2 things from us:

Focus
Action

I’ve talked at length about the importance of taking action in producing desired outcomes in our life. But if you’ve ever seen the person who was extremely busy, but didn’t have all that much to show for their efforts at the end of the day, you have an example of the benefits of focus. Focus is that magical ingredient that ensures that an objective receives sufficient action until the finish line is reached.

By deciding where to direct our attention and energy (Focus), we can begin to direct the outcomes in our lives. Setting a goal is the process that makes that happen.

Are Short Term Goals Pointless?

Mike Warren — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:56:24 +0000

Of course not, but I really needed to get your attention so I had to come up with something provocative.

Short term goals are actually an essential part of any goal setting plan. But they tell me catchy headlines attract readers, so I thought I’d see for myself …..

The are two key things to know about short term goals:

They are important to creating and maintaining motivation
They are essential to accomplishing any goal that takes more than a couple of days to complete.

I’ve said it multiple times throughout the pages on this site, because it’s so important, and I’ll say it again: The key to achieving any significant goal is to stay motivated, staying focused to the task at hand. One of the important aspects of motivation is staying aware of the benefit you are seeking, whether it’s debt relief, financial freedom, weight loss …. whatever. If you can keep that carrot dangling in front of your nose, metaphorically speaking, there’s a good chance you’ll stay engaged for the long haul.

The other important element of motivation is to have rewards or accomplishments identified within reach along the path. Similar to the example of the farmer who tied a carrot to a stick and dangled it just 12 inches in front of his mule to keep him moving forward to try to reach the carrot, it works when we need goals or objectives easily within reach to help us maintain our momentum and progress.

David Allen wrote the best seller “Getting Things Done”, and one of the key principles in that book is the idea of the “next action”, which is analogous to a short term goal. Allen says we should always be absolutely clear about the next thing we need to do for a project or goal, so we don’t end up procrastinating as we summon the mental energy to sift through all the facts to determine what’s we need to do at any time.

That’s exactly what short term goals do. First we identify our major milestones, then we break those down into short term goals that are easily reachable and leave little doubt about what we should be doing at any point in time. The tasks to accomplish a short term goal should also be expressly stated, or so obvious that it’s not necessary.

Short term goals aren’t dumb. They’re smart. Very, very smart! (Did anyone remember the 4 episodes of Colonel Flagg on M*A*S*H? If so, let me know.)