In the spirit of planning for a
better tomorrow and a better 2019, I thought of a useful skill which can have a
great influence on success, and that is the ability to think on paper. I had to
flip through the pages of the book again and decided to drop some excerpts from
the book: Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy.
“Clear
written goals have a wonderful effect on your thinking. They motivate you and
galvanize you into action. They stimulate your creativity, release your energy,
and help you overcome procrastination as much as any other factor” Brian Tracy.
From Pages 30-32 of Eat That Frog by
Brian Tracy
Only about 3% of adults have
clear, written goals. These people accomplish five and ten times as much as
people of equal or better education and ability but who, for whatever reason,
have never taken the time to write out exactly what they want. There is a
powerful formula for setting and achieving goals that you can use for the rest
of your life. It consists of seven simple steps. Any one of these steps can
double and triple your productivity if you are not currently using it.
Step one:
Decide
exactly what you want. Either decide for yourself or sit down with your boss and
discuss your goals and objectives until you are crystal clear about what is
expected of you and in what order of priority. It is amazing how many people
are working away, day after day, on low value tasks because they have not had
this critical discussion with their managers. One of the very worst uses of
time is to do something very well that need not be done at all. Stephen Covey
says, “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take
just gets us to the wrong place faster.”
Step two:
Write
it down. Think
on paper. When you write down a goal, you crystallize it and give it tangible
form. You create something that you can touch and see. On the other hand, a
goal or objective that is not in writing is merely a wish or a fantasy. It has
no energy behind it. Unwritten goals lead to confusion, vagueness,
misdirection, and numerous mistakes.
Step three:
Set
a deadline on your goal; set sub-deadlines if necessary. A goal or
decision without a deadline has no urgency. It has
no real beginning or end. Without a definite deadline
accompanied by the assignment or acceptance of
specific
responsibilities for completion, you will naturally procrastinate and get very
little done.
Step four:
Make
a list of everything you can think of that you are going to have to do to
achieve your goal. As you think of new
activities, add them to your list. Keep building
your
list until it is complete. A list gives you a visual picture of the larger task or objective. It gives you a track to run
on. It dramatically increases the likelihood that you will
achieve your goal as you have defined it and on schedule.
Step five:
Organize
the list into a plan. Organize your list by priority and sequence. List all tasks
in the order they need to be done. Take a few minutes to decide what you need
to do first and what you can do later. Decide what has to be done before
something else and what needs to be done afterward. Even better, layout your
plan visually in the form of a series of boxes and circles on a sheet of paper,
with lines and arrows showing the relationship of each task to every other
task. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to achieve your goal when you
break it down into individual tasks. With a written goal and an organized plan
of action, you will be far more productive and efficient than people who are
carrying their goals around in their minds.
Step six:
Take
action on your plan immediately. Do something. Do anything. An average
plan vigorously executed is far better than a brilliant plan on which nothing
is done. For you to achieve any kind of success, execution is everything.
Step seven:
Resolve
to do something every single day that moves you toward your major goal. Build this
activity into your daily schedule. You may decide to read a specific number of pages on a key subject. You may call on a specific number of prospects or customers. You may engage in a specific period of physical exercise. You may learn a certain number of new words in a foreign language. Whatever it is, you must never miss a day. Keep pushing forward. Once you start moving, keep moving. Don’t stop. This decision, this discipline alone,
can dramatically increase your speed of goal accomplishment and boost your personal productivity.
I encourage everyone to have a
go at this book if you haven’t done so already. It has practical steps to
overcoming procrastination and helps you plan properly. More so, endeavor to
apply these simple steps as often as possible to constantly improve yourself
and get better desired results this 2019 and beyond.
I hope you have a great week ahead
Love you
xoxo
Gpland
