Do it Right — Part 2

In part one we focus primarily on the mental, emotional and intellectual side of achieving goals. It is important to realize that the mental part always always comes first. Part one was the prep portion and can be modified (slightly) to meet your personality and way of being. Now for the actual process.

6. Three goals maximum

You should never have more than three goals that you are trying to achieve at one given time. It is actually more productive if you stick with only three goals until you accomplish all three before adding any new ones. Meaning, you start with 3 and when you complete 1, then and only then do you proceed to the next one (#2). You do not replace the completed one with another one until you have completed all 3 goals. I cannot stress how important it is to focus on one goal at a time. Think of the last time you accomplished more than 3 major goals in the time you gave yourself to do so.

7. Focus and work on one goal at a time

This is different from number 6 in that you work on one versus having more than three goals. You will be so much more productive than if you multi-task or rather, multi-goal. Science has proven that we do not actually multi-task but rather switch from one task to the other. That is why when you are diligently working on an important task and get interrupted it is difficult to get back on track.

If you have an important enough goal then it deserves your full attention. The same goes with projects and important tasks. While you may have 1–3 projects and tasks that need your attention, you must resist the urge to tackle them at the same time. Even worse would be to overload your to do list. I was guilty of this for way too long and it really stressed me to see that out of 158 to dos I only completed 2 and now I am up to 189. Of course, I am exaggerating but not by much.

8. Prioritize your tasks to align with the one goal

Darren Hardy from Success Magazine recently stated that if you are working on more than 3 goals you are not getting anything done. Pick the most important tasks each day and limit them to no more than 3. Limiting what you focus on is the key along with making certain that the task at hand in aligned with your most important goals. Work on the right thing at the right time. Personally, I like to tackle one major task first thing in the morning and have all 3 completed by 6 pm.

9. Focus

Meaning, NO MULTI-TASKING and NO DISTRACTIONS. While this may be difficult for some it is not impossible. Be mindful of your environment and make it as distraction-free as possible. Now, I am not going to suggest you hang a do not disturb sign on your door as I do not know if this is practical. It is up to you to figure out how to set yourself up to succeed with a distraction-free environment. I will give you some guidelines that work for everyone: No digital equipment if your task does not require it. Cell phones off or in another room, no email notifications popping up on your laptop, no unwanted noises… You get the idea.

10. Celebrate

While I tell my clients to celebrate, I myself do not celebrate per se. I prefer to treat myself but only when I accomplish what I set out to do for a few days straight. For example, if I have 3 major tasks that need to be completed by 6 pm on Monday and I do them and I do the same on Tuesday and Wednesday then I give myself a treat. What do you give yourself? How do you celebrate? I don’t know because I don’t know what you like but make sure you do celebrate or treat your self and make it commensurate with your accomplishments. This is especially important when you first start out a new system such as this one.

I wish you all the best on your journey and much success along the way!