Goals are such a broad word. They can be created for tiny milestones, like finishing a paper by lunch time, or very grand, like earning a Master’s degree in your field. No matter the goal, it is hard pressed to get accomplished without a timeline. Most people would say they thrive under pressure. That is, in the clutch, they can pull assignments together and get their work done. Without this pressure, work does not get done. It is a very curious habit.
Putting pressure by creating a timeline makes you more accountable for accomplishing that goal. Saying you will finish your Master’s degree before your first child enters college makes it a fly or fail situation. You can either accomplish that or no. By simply saying your goal is to finish your Master’s degree says that you may not finish until you are one hundred, in which case that degree won’t serve you well for very long.
If you want to be productive and get things done, make your schedule, and set time frames to complete every task in your calendar. This pressure tricks the brain into thinking getting this work done is a do or die situation, and tremendous amounts of focus and energy can then be dedicated to the completion of this task. Yes, you may just be creating a sales report, but if your mind considers it a priority, it will get done much more efficiently.
People have a tendency to lose accountability when they are only responsible for answering to themselves. We all have the uncanny ability to give ourselves a break for not getting something done in the timeframe we had originally set. Think about your goal as if it was your boss setting the deadline. You likely would not blow your boss’s timeline, so why are you letting your own slip?
If this mind trick doesn’t work, tell everybody and anybody your goal. Take your ideas and goals public. Letting the people closest to you know that you want to do something gives you the pressure to follow through as to not let them down. Your goal could be anything from finishing school to losing weight, or simply starting a new hobby. Not only will you feel more accountable, your loved ones will also be available to give you support and encouragement now that they know your secret goals.
Now, simply setting a timeline for a large, long-term goal may not be enough. Large goals can become very overwhelming as it takes a great deal of time and energy to complete, like earning a degree. To deal with this better, break your big goal into smaller ones. In the case of a school, think about it one semester, or one class at a time. For other goals, Sit down and create a list of things that needs to be done to complete the goal. For example, if you set out to invent something, you simply do not just invent something.
Achieving this goal will take careful planning and coordination with others to get patents, prototypes and production nailed down. While that seems like too much to think about all at once, break it down, starting with the simplest and shortest term goal. Suddenly, the problems are easily solved, and one by one, they will be fixed and your ultimate goal can be reached.
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