Design Your Life

When someone says, "I just don't have time for all this! How do people get so much done?", what do you think of? Are you tempted to commiserate? Are you someone who just can't seem to get everything done that you know must be done in a day?

Most of us have been there. In fact, I'd guess nearly 100% of westerners would agree that there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day anymore. While I used to be one of those people, I'm not anymore.

The failure most people make is assuming that time can somehow be wrangled into doing our bidding.  That somehow, with the right tricks and multi-tasking voodoo, we'll get to a state of perfect oneness with time and we will become it's master! Sounds pretty nice - and it would probably make an awesome movie.

But seriously, it can't happen.  Time is going to pass whether you're there or not.  Time isn't something you can manage! It's like saying, "I am the master of gravity! Watch as I defy it, master it, and levitate above the ground!" Hogwash!

What you CAN control is your tasks. You can control what takes up space in your head and what you allow to become a priority. Perceived lack of time is simply a lack of clear priorities.  There's plenty of time to get important tasks done - we've just placed importance on the wrong things!

Here's a couple of things you can do, right now, to begin to manage your tasks rather than time:

1. Decide on 2-3 mission critical tasks that must get done tomorrow.
2. Write them down on a single piece of paper that you can carry in your pocket.
3. Tomorrow morning, starting at 9 am, do the first task from start to finish - without interruption (turn off your phone, don't check your email, etc.).
4. Go through the rest of your list as in number 3 - start to finish without interruption.

You'll notice something miraculous happen if you do this. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment you're probably missing now. You'll see that all of the other 'stuff' that takes up your time probably isn't as important as you thought. And you might just begin to see that there is a better way to reach your goals.

Stay tuned; I'll be writing more on how you can use task management rather than time management to become more effective in everything you do!

See the World as You Would Have It

Do you have a vision?

Do you know where you want to be in 5 years? How about 10 years? What about next year? If the answer is no, then you're living your life by accident. What do I mean by that? Well, think of it this way: you can't reach any destination if you haven't got one in mind. If you get into your car and simply start driving, you'll end up somewhere by accident. You might be an excellent driver, but you'll have no idea where you're going.

Enter the world of goal setting. Now, this isn't new. You've probably even set goals for yourself in the past. But what happened? My guess is that one of several things happened to make it nearly impossible for you to reach those goals.

What is goal setting? Goal setting involves establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-targeted (S.M.A.R.T) goals.

Specific: Your goals must be precise. If you want a red Ferrari, it isn't enough to say you want a flashy car - you want a red Ferarri.

Measurable: Your goals cannot be intangible or unmeasurable. If you want to lose 50 lbs, earn an extra $50,000 per year, and spend 10 more hours per week with your family, those are things you can measure. On the flip side - how can you measure: I'd like to lose some weight, earn some more money, and have more family time. How would you know you'd reached your goal unless you could measure it?

Achievable: You've probably heard some guru say, "Reach for the stars!" Hogwash. If you set your goal too high, you're only setting yourself up for failure. Humans like positive reinforcement. That means you must be able to see progress and you must be able to see the finish line to be self-motivated. I don't advocate having a single finish line - quite the opposite, but for now, you need achievable targets.

Realistic: Ever heard the Miss America speech about ending world hunger? I have, and I didn't believe it either. Rather than world hunger, why not make the goal more realistic? How about ending one person's hunger today? Applied to business, this could be, "Be the number one car salesperson at my company," not, "Be the best salesperson in history!" You might eventually get there, but again, how would you measure that?

Time-targeted: Just as you must have a map to arrive at your destination, you need to have a target arrival time. Without a time target, the normal human response is to put off action. Set a goal, set a time frame and you'll have something to shoot for.

Ready to find your vision? Click here and use the form to contact me for a FREE Explosive Strategy Session.

Do You Need a Coach?

Not sure if you need a coach? Here are some things a coach can do for you:

• help you identify strengths you can build on
• find ways to minimize weaknesses and even turn them into strengths
• encourage you to succeed where you thought there was no hope
• help to keep you accountable to yourself and others
• find new ways to grow - personally and professionally

Think you could use some help? Contact me now!