Sunday, August 23, 2015

I wanted to share this article. This is a topic that we need but we do not learn in school and everyone assumes we know how do .



8 Goal Setting Tips For The Busy Persons Life

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No matter how busy a person may be, goal setting tips come in handy when you need to set objectives and start planning a short-term strategy or long-term future. Everyone has goals, but defining them clearly and organizing a list of steps for reaching them can be challenging, especially if you work long hours or manage a hectic office or household. If you are unsure about planning personal or career goals, the following goal setting tips may come in handy.

1. Get the big picture.Everyday life is daunting, but it is important to make time to sit down and reflect on your future. Where do you want to be in five years from now? To begin answering this question, it may be helpful to list several pertinent categories such as the following: Relationships, Children, Career, Personal and Miscellaneous. In each category, jot down one to three goals that you would like to accomplish. This should result in perhaps three to fifteen semi-specific goals. Looking over your list, eliminate those that are unlikely to be met, such as early retirement, or paying off the house early. You can always add them later after meeting more important goals. Clarify or change any goal that seems vague or unnecessary.

2. Prioritize your goals.Now go through your list and rank each goal with a number in priority order, beginning with “one” as most important. Goal setting tips like these can help you determine the best focus of your time and resources. Reviewing your list once more, pull out numbers one through five and put them on a separate list. These will be your priority goals setting tips to start working on.
Check the five again to make sure they retain their priority status, considering factors like time, money, and effort. For example, if your priority goal is to remodel the family room, but you don’t expect to save enough money for two years, then move that goal, even if it is your personal favorite, to a lower position on the list since you will have to wait for funding. Re-sort your items to see what appears at the top of your list now.

3.  Set options for each goal. Begin with the first priority and list several possibilities to choose from. For example, let’s say you plan to begin a new hobby to ease the stress in your life. Once you narrow down your hobby choices, you are left with starting an exercise program, enrolling in an art class, and starting a personal journal. Beside each one, list the expected cost, if any, along with the amount of time that will be required each week. Comparing these figures, decide which one you want to start with, understanding that you can switch to another one if the first doesn’t work out. Or you can add additional hobbies later.

4.  List a series of steps for reaching your goal.Each step should be short and measurable, describing something that you are relatively certain you can accomplish in working toward your goal. You may choose to start with keeping a personal journal, which has been shown to enhance immune function and relieve stress by allowing you to vent. You would take these steps:
-buy a journal to write in

-buy pens to keep with the journal

-commit to writing in the journal at least three times weekly

-commit to writing at least ten minutes for each entry

-commit to keeping the entries honest but confidential

As you look over your list, you see that it appears to be practical and do-able. You decide to give it a try. The plan is to give it three months and then review your goal and its objectives to see how things are going.

5. Take action.
Once you select your priority goal and determine that the steps to reaching it are workable, get started. In the case of journaling, buy a journal and pens and check your schedule to find the best time each day or during the week to write your entries without interruption. You may even need to schedule an “appointment” with your journal to give yourself time to meet this priority goal. Then just do it!

6. Check your progress.
One of the most important goal setting tips is to evaluate your progress throughout the goal-reaching phase. Most people are able to set and begin goals, but many fall short midway and do not bother to check themselves or nip problems in the bud. Instead, procrastination continues to put a distance between the person and her goal, so that she finally gives up and abandons it. Set up an informal timeline to see how you’re doing towards meeting the goal.
While it’s natural to fall behind at some point, you may want to decide whether to continue on and hopefully catch up, or set this goal aside and begin another. A lack of progress might suggest this is a time for personal rest and reevaluation before pushing yourself to do something that your heart just isn’t in.

7.  Reset goals as needed.If after writing several journal entries or taking several art classes, you decide that the hobby is not for you, or if your stress level is not being helped by that particular hobby, you may decide to shift focus. For example, instead of writing personal notes in a journal, maybe you should try writing short stories or poetry instead. In the art example, if the chalk or drawing art class is boring, it might be a good idea to try watercolors or switch to photography. Of course, there’s always the possibility that the hobby in any form just isn’t working for you, so it could be time to cut your losses and neutralize for a while as you consider taking up the second prioritized goal.
8. Assess your success.At the end of your given time commitment, review your progress to decide if you have met your goal. Is keeping a journal a habit by now? Do you find yourself feeling more relaxed after writing an entry? Is this something you want to continue or give up? Answering questions like these will help you decide how successful your goal has been. You can then figure out whether to modify, abandon, or continue working toward the goal or start on the next one.

Goal setting tips come in a variety of designs. You might want to try another process for lining up your goals for the next few years or even just the next few months. Then it becomes a matter of arranging easy steps that lead to achievement and evaluating the effect of those steps toward reaching your goal. Some people find that tracking their goals on paper—either handwritten or on the computer—helps them visualize how well they are doing, as opposed to reminding themselves periodically to review the process mentally.

Setting and meeting goals can be wonderfully fulfilling, but it also can be fruitless if managed carelessly or without planning. Take time to seek out goal setting tips that will help you accomplish important personal missions that lead to a happier, more meaningful life.

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