How to reach your goals effectively
Write down your goals (as outlined in the blog titled On the Importance of Planning)
Make sure your goals are challenging enough to propel you forward but achievable enough to establish and continue building positive momentum for your business and for your working week.
Each goal should be specific, measurable and should have a deadline or a timeline.
Establish if you are the best person to take on this goal. Is someone more competent in fulfilling this goal? Should you delegate the goal or a part of the goal? If you delegate, make sure that people who are achieving the goal or a part of it are doing so because they want to, and that they understand the deadline or timeline for the goal, and have fully agreed to it.
Create a log for your goals. After listing and prioritization (As per On the Importance of Planning) of your goals, set a deadline/timeline for each goal.
Then make sure to book “achievement of goals time” in your diary as per your time management plan. This time can be included in your Admin time, or you may choose to designate your strategic planning and execution time for this.
“Critique” yourself. On a daily basis, track your advancement toward these goals. Literally: take your list of goals, check the prioritization of each goal and mark next to the goal your progress toward achieving it. How much time are you really using to achieve your goals? How much time are you using to “firefight” tasks that are not related to your goal? Measure - in reality - how much of your daily effort you invest in your top goals.
Whatever emotions arise from your “Critique”, take the measures necessary to inner Parent your Inner Children away from business and grown up decisions. For example, if your Inner Children are criticizing you for not making enough progress or not having done something well enough, remind them that that’s not their decision to make, and that your grown up parts are in charge of the direction of your business. This will give you an opportunity to “critique” your performance from a much healthier place and it will allow you to support your personal and business growth. On the other hand when something has gone very well (and the Inner Children have been staying on the back seats), tell them how much their support has meant them and paint a picture of their support in relation to the bigger goals of your business. That way they will know how they are contributing to the success of your whole Inner Family. But remember: the Inner Children have no business in your business as the primary information gatherer or decision maker. After all, their emotion based information gathering and decision making are extremely biased toward their fears and dreams. These fears and dreams are not the reality, simply because while your emotions are valid, your emotions are not the reality.
