Accomplishing your goals

       I printed out sheet after sheet of task and goal planners.  None seemed to really make me feel like I was accomplishing anything.  Oh sure, all the different colors and lines and check boxes are fun and exciting, but that doesn't actually do anything.  I've been working my second job for over a year now, and my planning and goals have spiraled into a depression, a vast frustration.  I would schedule chores and work and personal wants only to get exasperated.  Then I read something and tried it, and now I pass along what I now practice.

       Here is how I am accomplishing my goals, maybe you could do the same.  First of all, it's not "accomplishing" your goals that's the problem, it's "organizing" them.  

Step 1:  List your goals.
       This is easy, just jot it down.  Keep a list somewhere, and whenever there's a new goal that you need to do, add it.  I use "Sticky Notes" that was built in with my Windows.  They're great for brainstorming and jotting down random thoughts you don't want to forget.  You don't have to save them and worry where they're at the next time you need to look at them.  You can change colors and fonts and sizes and delete and create, and they're all just right there convenient for you the next time.

       Here's an example:
              -get house tidied up
              -burn off VHS onto DVD
              -pay off car
              -save $10,000
              -clean out cars
              -write next blog

I'm just jotting a few that maybe everyone can relate to a little, but let's face it.  If you made a list of ALL your goals, it would be HUGE!

Step 2:  Break them down.
       -get house tidied up
       That's actually several steps in one.  Clean out closets, clean bathrooms, kitchens, living room, etc.  So you would need to break this down into smaller parts that are more workable.  After doing that, we now have the following:
              -clean out closets
              -tidy up bedrooms
              -tidy up living room
              -tidy up craft room
              -clean kitchen
              -clean bathrooms
              -burn off VHS onto DVD
              -pay off car
              -save $10,000
              -clean out cars
              -write next blog

Step 3:  Pick ONE.
       I used to print out a calendar and put one goal on day one, another on day two, etc.  I wouldn't always get them done, and it seemed like I wasn't getting them done fast enough.  Obviously, that wasn't working.  
       You need to view these goals as you would monetary debt.  You pay off the smallest debt first, while the others get minimum payments in the background.  A background goal here is paying off the car.  That should automatically come out of your paycheck and do itself.  The savings should happen AFTER the car is paid off and can also be in the background.  Background goals should be kept at a minimum.  They should be the ones that take the longest, but can be completely ignored for the most part, an automatic thing that is mere maintenance at this point.  So, what's our smallest goal here?  I would say clean out the cars, that just takes a day, right?  And here's...

Step 4:  Do it.

       So, plan the date and DO IT.  Just one day, the rest of the week, STOP trying to accomplish something.  By concentrating all your goals into one, it gets done faster.  Now, we continue this, and in just a few weeks, instead of no goals accomplished, we have a list that looks like:
              -clean out closets
              -tidy up bedrooms
              -tidy up living room
              -tidy up craft room
              -clean kitchen
              -clean bathrooms
              -pay off car
              -save $10,000

That makes you feel better, right? 

Step 5: Keep them accomplished.

       The cars were cleaned out, and now you're starting on the house.  Keep those cars cleaned, or else you're going to have to add it right back in.  Do those little things like keeping a bag in the car for trash.  This will be most necessary with the house.  Once you tidy that one small little area, KEEP it clean.  Keeping the cars and house cleaned become background goals, mere maintenance.  If you slip, that's OK.  Just add it back on the list.

Step 6:  Stop worrying about the other goals and don't overextend.

       Remember, while you're working on goal #1, forget about goal #2.  It won't go away.  It's still on your list where you can go back to it and do it when the time is right.  And some goals take a while.  If you schedule them in more often than they will actually get worked on, it will only make you feel worse when they don't get done in time.

       This has really helped me.  By making myself to quit thinking about the other goals, I'm able to actually get them done.  I hope it helps you too.