Summer is nearly over, schools are open again and tomorrow is Christmas! Well not really but there are less than 17 weeks to Christmas or to be more precise less than 80 workdays to the year end – another year has literally shot by!
So how are you doing with your targets and goals? Have you achieved what you set out to achieve at this point or are you, like me are you taking stock and planning out what needs to be done between now and the end of the year to get where you want to be? The good news is there is still time to kickstart your goal setting and achieve what you set out to achieve.
Goal setting and personal development are areas I am very interested in, particularly, why we procrastinate, are poor at self-management and not achieving more out of our lives.
One of the main problems I believe are commitment and mindset: our thinking and beliefs behind our feelings and actions delivering the desired result.
Your current success or failure are Lag Indicators based on the decisions and actions you took some time ago. We are where we are today and we all need to accept and take responsibility for our situation.
Be the CEO of your own life, set your own goals and steer your own course not someone else’s. The good news is that it is never too late to take action and get the life you want.
One way to improve and get better results is to practice Kaizen – a process of taking small, incremental, daily actions which in time form a habit resulting in improvement gain.
By focusing on making small improvements or actions of just 1% per day and adopting an attitude of ‘Continuous improvement’ or what I call ‘Rolling improvement’, by the end of this year that improvement will equate to over 4x where you are now – and if you continue for a full calendar year that improvement will be a staggering 37x – extraordinary results.
In most cases the universal problem with goal setting comes down to the goal being simply too big, resulting in overwhelm and inaction taking over. To get around this obstacle a much better strategy is to set mini goals which ultimately result in the larger goal being achieved except you are continuously rewarding yourself along the way. And we all love rewards!
The key to success is to do less for more – what do I mean by that? Start your week by deciding on three things you want to achieve over the coming week which will bring you closer to your goal. And on a daily basis, review the results of the previous day and set 3 more things which you must accomplish over and above all other tasks. Adapt the Eisenhower’s Box method of focusing on Urgent/Important tasks only and everything else is a distraction and should be delegated or deleted. Alternatively work with an Executive Coach who will act as your personal Accountability Buddy ensuring you do what needs to be done and will help you identify and achieve your goals.
Another great trick I personally use is to turn off all notifications and ‘Yes’ that includes email and all social media feeds – if it is so urgent they should call you in the first place. Why don’t you add a note to your email signature saying that; ‘all e mails will be responded to within 24 hours and if the matter is urgent to call or text you’. It is amazing the difference a ‘notification free day’ can make to your productivity and effectiveness.
Thank’s for taking the time to read my article, I hope you enjoyed it.
If I can help you overcome any obstacles you are having and get back on track to achieve your goals in your business and your life – DM or mail me at howard@howardkent.com