Over the years, we have coached many people and one thing stands out as key to their ability to succeed. That one thing is that they organize their life in pursuit of their goals.
In order to stay focused, arrange time each day to reflect on your goals. You can reflect over breakfast, when you arrive at work, or as you get ready for bed – just make sure that you take a moment each day to review your goals and remind yourself of what is truly important to you.
Organize your actions by identifying what you need to do to move forward on your goals. Create a way to track your progress and to visualize your intentions for change – you can use a journal, a file in your computer, a spreadsheet in your smartphone, or you can create a “dashboard”– a single page that summarizes your goals and your action plans. Just make sure it is in one place where you can access it easily; this way, when you are offered opportunities (or faced with challenges) you can determine how to best respond by reflecting on your goals and making sure that your actions align with what is most important to you.
Finally, organize your surroundings. As you pursue making changes, you need to clear out the clutter and chaos – things that sap your energy and your focus. Make it your mission to create a workspace that is organized so that when you sit down to spend time on your goal; you don’t instead spend valuable time (and focus) rearranging your clutter.
The New Year is ticking away –don’t let this wait. Organize your life in pursuit of your goals, focus your actions and clean up your surroundings so that you can succeed in your goals for 2012 and beyond.