The Secret of How to Achieve Goals

Achievement of goals is at the core of working at home or in the office.

But, as a life-time habit, and one which I like to practice myself, setting goals is actually very motivating in all areas of life, not just your working life.

A few minutes a day spent considering and setting goals will increase your productivity and clarify your mind, leaving you free to concentrate on the tasks ahead.

I'm going to describe in detail some steps to achieve goals which I was taught when I was in business, including some quotes about achieving goals, which I hope will give you the motivation to achieve your own goals.

I only wish that I had received this advice when I was first starting out, instead of somewhat later in life.

I've just re-read this page, and I think I had better remember to follow my own advice!

You will have a clear idea of what you need to do, and an organized work space in which to do it

1. Make a To-Do List
2. Organize Your Books
3. Sort Out Your Computer

Bear in mind the following points:

1. There are things which are Urgent and Important (List these as A).
2. There are things which are Urgent but not Important (List these as B).
3. There are things which are Important but not Urgent (Also list these as B).
4. There are things which are neither Important nor Urgent, but still need to be done some time in the future (These are the items which will go into your "C" category and you might like to do a couple of these when you have fulfilled your Category A and B items for the day. And of course you will need to review them, because what was not urgent today might well become urgent if you leave it for a few days).

To Sum Up, It's Useful to Categorize the List of Goals into -

1. - the A List -

" Urgent and Important"

2. - the B List -

" Less Urgent but Important"

3. - The C List -

"Things Which Need to be Done, But Which Can be Left Till Later"

You need to take all this into account when drawing up your list of what are effectively goals.

Look on the items in your list as milestones for achieving goals:

You can't keep everything in your head, because, that way, you may allow events to overtake you.

A To-Do List is not intended as a rod to browbeat you - it is a gentle reminder of your good intentions. There is a satisfaction and sense of completion in ticking off things on your list that you have done. And you don't have to do everything on the list of goals if you change your mind - just alter the list or cross it off.

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For instance, the task "De-Clutter my desk" would get broken down into specific steps like

"sort out papers into Pending and Filing"

"sort out drawers"

"sort out pens and office equipment"

and so forth.

If this is too boring, or not really feasible, try at least to achieve the majority of A things first, then maybe throwing in a couple of B and C things because they are quick and easy to get out of the way.

It will be easier to find them if they are in order.

Classify your books according to subject matter so that you can lay your hands on them as soon as you need to.

Do the same with any papers and articles you have kept for reference. Keep them in well-labelled files, and, if appropriate, use dividers within the files to separate the subjects into helpful categories. Thin them out if they become out of date.

If you follow this method, you will always have a useful and up-to-date reference system.

Make sure your computer is cleaned up and optimized to make sure it is running safely and quickly.

Ensure your folders are properly titled and organized so that you can find things efficiently and easily.

Categorize your documents and photographs, and delete the ones you don't need.

And make sure everything is backed up, so that you don't lose important things if you have a computer crash. Putting things right is a nightmare at the best of times, but losing important information can be disastrous and time-consuming, as well as very stressful.

I like to work with lists - I nearly always date them, as I have so many lying around, some several months old. I try to cross things off as soon as I have done the things on the list, but I don't always remember. Every now and then I take whatever is outstanding on the old list, enter it on a new list and chuck out the old one. I also add things to the Task List on my computer Outlook programme. How do you deal with reminders?

Goal Achievement is a subject beloved by the great creators of aphorisms!

1. It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done. ~ Samuel Johnson, in Boswell's Life of Johnson, 1770
2. The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them - Denis Waitley
3. Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. ~ Life's Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
4. Seventy percent of success in life is showing up. ~ Woody Allen
5. Argue for your limitations and, sure enough they're yours - Richard Bach
   

But remember - everyone has their own idea about the best way of achieving goals! You need to choose what works best for you personally.