If so, here are two simple steps that I share with audiences as a university speaker that really work. And this works not only for me but for hundreds of thousands of people who use slight variations of this system.
Step 1: Make ‘Em Top-of-Mind
To be successful it is crucial that I keep all my goals "totally top of mind". In order to accomplish this I know that I will need to focus and bend each and every one of my 300 billion or so neuron brain cells to this task.
First, I printout a list of all my weekly goals and stick them on the wall right over my desk where I cannot help but look at them each and every day. And the goals look back at me!
Remember, this isn't a to-do list. It's a list of the most important outcomes or goal achievements that I expect to have accomplished by a given day every week. On the left side I write my primary goals for the week (maximum of 3), and on the right side I list my secondary goals (this week I have 8 of those).
Step 2: Find an Accountability Buddy
Another tool that can be amazingly powerful in goal achievement is to have someone who will hold you accountable to achieving your weekly goals. In my case, it is my brother and best friend, Adam.
Every Monday morning we meet to go over our goals. We both play supportive and positive-only re-enforcement roles in achieving our goals. He holds me totally accountable and I serve the same purpose with him. While we are supportive, we also freely dish out a little sass if the other did not follow through on what he said he would during the week. To be candid, we have found that we would much sooner disappoint ourselves than we would disappoint each other.
I setup my primary goals such that achieving even one of them is better than achieving all the secondary or sub-set goals combined. Whenever you achieve one of your weekly goals, just draw a line through it; give yourself a mental high-five and save it. Then at the end of the week, the paper now contains your accountability record for the week. You can see which goals you achieved and which you didn't, and then you can think about how you can improve next week.
Maybe you were overly ambitious. Maybe you got off track because of too many distractions. Analyze your week! Maybe you achieved most of your secondary goals but none of your primaries. Perhaps you even achieved all your goals and now you are ready to step up your efforts. Remember to rejoice in your victories; it will drive you to higher goal achievement.
Both Adam and I keep all of our weekly goal lists on our laptops and review them often as the list of goals is ever expanding and this becomes a great way for both of us to lay the ground for autobiographies (A long term 10 year goal of mine!).
I also like that whenever I see my goal sheet, I see all my goals for the week, and this reminds me of where I want to be by the weekend. I am also reminded of my commitment to Adam.
If you follow these two steps, you stand an excellent chance of achieving whatever it is you want in life. I can personally attest to the fact that I would not be a successful university speaker today if it weren't for this wonderfully simple system.
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