As far as personal achievement is concerned, few resources are as powerful as successful short-term targets. And still, few people know what a successful short-term target looks like, let alone how to set one effectively.
If you wanted to take action on 12-month or even 90-day milestones, you might know what I'm talking about. The climate is evolving so quickly, and the human brain really doesn't alternate well between now and certain kinds of time frames.
Sure – it's necessary, perhaps critical, to know where you're going and what you're going to be focusing on in the near future.
But that's not the same thing as understanding exactly what to do next. And attempting to apply the short-term, realistic aim of setting practices to major strategic challenges is like eating a watermelon with one mouth.
What are the Five Golden Laws of Effective Setting Wise Goals?
As other talents, learning the target setting is practice.
That said, there are a few common traps that you can prevent if you know what to look for.
Here are five golden rules to set good short-term targets to help you get started:
1. Focus your short-term goals on your long-term objectives.
"End-to - End Productivity" is such an important concept that it is worth repeating the obvious:
Getting things right is futile because you do the right thing.
Often match your short-term goals with your long-term objectives, and you will continue to make unstoppable strides in what matters most.
2. Set the balanced goals.
If you've ever been to a gym, you've definitely seen the "bros" hanging out with free-weights who think 90 minutes of bicep curls is a fine, well-balanced workout.
Silly, huh? And yet it's precisely the approach that all of us take when setting our priorities and spending our time. Instead of harmony, we concentrate disproportionately on only a few aspects of life (usually those we're best at or those approaching the meltdown).
The consequence, huh? We're going to end up lop-sided. The achievement disparities in our life-areas will escalate until our abilities and abilities are kept down by the dead weight of our limiting factors.
The solution, huh? Set a healthy weekly goal. Create an explicit attempt to do something every week to change every aspect of your life in a tiny way and see every part of your life enjoy the rewards.
3. Set Result AND Procedure Goals.
It is helpful to consider and use two main types of targets when setting weekly targets:
Outcome targets; and
The priorities of the method.
Outcome goals are the kind of goals you're actually more familiar with. They are either absolute or partial goals (e.g., "I read The Magic of Thinking Big").
Outcome expectations are great and they set us concrete targets to pursue.
Yet there's a catch in there.
And when the targets become too big or the stakes too high, they can become so daunting that they make us less motivated to act.
Method targets are a valuable way to conquer this inertia. They stress inputs (e.g., "I meditate for 20 minutes") for results ( e.g., "I achieve enlightenment"). Focusing on manageable process priorities that lead to big outputs is a perfect way to make building up behaviors or chipping away more satisfying and achievable at the end of the process.
Using both the result and the process expectations while setting weekly deadlines would make you a lot more skillful goal setter than depending on either one or the other. Outcome? You're going to significantly boost your ability to do more of what counts.
4. Render SMART(ER) the targets.
We use the word SMART(ER) as a memory-aid for the seven features that you want to add to any goals you set, but particularly your short-term goals.
You'll find variations on the definition, but here at the TAoL SMART(ER) target setting is:
Clear – An outsider should be able to grasp the objectives without explanation;
Measurable – make your objectives trackable with a single , clear or clear unit ( e.g. minutes);
Actionable – Always launch your goals with a verb (Do, Read, Understand, etc.).
Realistic – If it is not realistic, further break it down or set the Method Goal;
Time-bound – Weekly expectations should be reached within 7 days;
Exciting – Find ways to inspire and motivate yourself to finish;
It 's important. – Still relate your ambitions back to your big picture thinking and ventures.
Is there goals or tasks in your life that you resist or that you don't seem to make progress week after week? If so, there is a fair risk that one or more of these features will be absent from the next moves.
Test them against the checklist above and change them before you find a variant that resonates.