Is the Goal to Reach the Goal?

In this fast and crazy world, we want to multi-task at every given moment. After all, how else can we accomplish all that needs to be done in only 24 hours? We've been taught that if we reach all of our goals in a day, week, month, or year, we are successful. What we haven't been taught when achieving goals is that quality counts and so does the amount of effort exerted.

Our tendency is to set many goals especially at work for any given day or week, and then we feel discouraged or disappointed when we don't achieve all of them. In fact, we usually have to carry them over to the next day or the next week. The first step in feeling a sense of accomplishment and completion is to set only 3 goals for a day, for a week, for a month that HAVE to be accomplished. Why only 3? In an average day, we can't anticipate all of the other things that will snag our attention. We get called into a meeting, we get a time-consuming phone call, we get a request that requires some searching, we notice an article of interest that we want to read, etc. If we don't allow for these other time-consuming things, then we're not being realistic about what we can accomplish in a day. Same goes for a month ? unexpected family situations, travel, illness, new projects, etc.

So, how do we accomplish 3 goals in a day and accomplish them well with little effort? It's better known as focus and undivided attention. The keyword is undivided ? our attention remains TOTALLY on the task at hand. The distractions, the pulls, the unimportant but more interesting, don't take us away from what needs to be done at that moment. If you attend to the task in front of you and don't allow the distractions to interfere, you will notice how effortlessly the task is accomplished. Even if it's something you have been putting off and dreading ? just simply setting aside the time and concentrating on it, will result in one less thing on your plate. Ironically, the more attention you give it and the more focused you are on the task at hand, the less you will feel any effort in its completion. If you allow any of the distractions to interfere and you believe you are multi-tasking, what you are really doing is flitting between many different things and not giving any one thing your undivided attention. The result: a little of this and a little of that gets done with mediocre quality and it feels as though a lot of effort is needed.

Invitation to Experiment: Set 3 or more goals for any given day, for a week, for a month of which 3 HAVE to be accomplished. That may mean letting the answering machine pick up, turning off the cell phone and Instant Messaging, going to another desk or conference room. Totally focus your attention on one thing at a time and notice how they are accomplished ? and see if it feels any different than it usually does.

Marion Franklin - is a Professional Certified Life Coach who coaches individuals and groups regarding personal and professional change, focus, human relations, and conflict management. Marion has coached managers at major corporations including PepsiCo, Toys'R'Us, and Reader's Digest. She conducts and help clients design workshops and presentations, has been a featured presenter at meetings, retreats, and an ongoing Women's Workshop Series, has been cited in The Journal News and The Wall Street Journal, and has appeared on local Cable Television. http://www.lifecoachinggroup.com

---

Work, Work, Work: Making Each Moment Count

Time, time, time. It seems there is never enough of... Read More

Time is Money - Dont Waste It

"If you control your time, you control your life" -... Read More

Procrastination: Why We Do It and How to Change

PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college,... Read More

More Precious Than Gold

In this world there is something more precious than gold.... Read More

Making Headway on a Slow Day: 9 Ways to Turn Down-Time into Productivity Time

If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More

A Time-Saving Programming Tactic that Doesn?t Work

Let's say that you have a software project that's under... Read More

Schedule Time for Interruption

One of the most challenging situations people face when planning... Read More

Time Management - Working Smarter at Work

Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us... Read More

Time and Life, Bit by Bit

Looking out through my picture window during a recent winter... Read More

Time Invested Wisely = Your Dreams

This past Friday I was asked to speak with a... Read More

Use Your Time Wisely!

When I was small, I have never considered the importance... Read More

Time Management Lessons from a 3 Year Old

Zak is my three-year old godson. He is the apple... Read More

Time Well Spent

It is common knowledge that creating and living according to... Read More

Procrastination - Understanding & Overcoming it

Whenever I've worked on 'de-cluttering' my living or working space,... Read More

6 Time Management Tips for Moms

Many of you have expressed the challenge of not having... Read More

Organize Your Time

Most people want to start a home-based business to make... Read More

Time Management

Isn't it amazing that some people can produce huge results... Read More

How to Make More Time For Your Life

Do you wish you could work less and play more?... Read More

Time Management: How to Stay Motivated and Get More Done

If you can motivate yourself at will to get any... Read More

How To Manage Your Time

I would like to touch upon a subject that it... Read More

How You Can Double, Triple, or Even Quadruple Your Reading Speed!

Are you drowning in a sea of unread papers? Do... Read More

Controlling Family Chaos - Time Management for the Family

Balancing a family's varying schedules can be near impossible. Soccer,... Read More

New Adventures - in Four Hours a Day

"Can you find four extra hours in your day?" a... Read More

Vilfredo Paretos Principle: The 80-20 Rule: 80% of Results are Produced from 20% of Efforts

Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More

7 ways To Win The Time Crunch

Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More

Time Management - Keeping a Clean Desk

I have worked with so many people over the years... Read More

Time Managements

There are the golden rules that apply to time. If... Read More

Are You Watching Too Much TV?

Many folks tell me that they just don't have time... Read More

The WIT to WIN

What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More

Could you use a ?Stop Doing? list?

One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More

Are You Really Swamped or Just Disorganized

"Time is what we need the most and what we... Read More

First Things Last

Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More

How to Find More Time in Your Day-Balancing Career and Family

Goal Planning-Achieving balance in a person's life requires assessment of... Read More