Daily Goal Setting Tips

by Evelyn McFarland

To make your days as productive as possible, the first step is to clear the clutter from your mind and life. Here are some very simple yet effective tips, which will make the most of your day.

1. Chalk out a detailed plan to reach your target. For instance, let's assume that you want to clear the clutter in your room. What if your room looks like a pigsty, and you have not found the time to clean it for months? You will feel overwhelmed and may not even know where to start. So to achieve the goal of cleaning your room, break the goal into small steps. Jot down a list of things you need to do, in order to clear up all the stuff that you have collected. Decide on things you want to throw away like old shoes, clothes, make-up products etc. Once this is done, set up a time limit for each of these steps. You have now broken down a task that seemed overwhelming, into a doable task that has several small steps.

2. Ask someone in your life to be your accountability partner. It could be your sibling, partner, parent or a good friend. This person can help you attain your goals, since you would have to keep updating him/her on your progress regularly. Your accountability partner will help you achieve your goals and overcome hurdles.

3. Remember that there might be hurdles along the way. Several people give up on their goals, just because they face a few unexpected obstacles. It could be an internal obstacle or an external one. Obstacles could be things like discipline issues, negative thinking, limiting belief system, lack of time etc. Try to analyze the situation and understand the hurdles that might come up, so that you can get past them.

4. Once you know the kind of hurdles you might have to face, have an action plan ready. Let's say you have set a goal for yourself, according to which you will give up smoking in 6 months. What if you are in the company of smokers? What if someone offers you a cigarette? Initially, you can try and excuse yourself when you are in the company of smokers. You can try out nicotine patches. When you go to restaurants, you can choose to sit in the non-smokers zone. Just have a plan to cope with various obstacles that might come your way.

5. Every time you succeed, celebrate and rejoice. As you work towards your large goal, you will have to get past various small ones. Every time you achieve one of these smaller goals, reward yourself. This will help you stay motivated, since you will always be aiming at finishing a small goal to get to the reward. It might take years before you can reach your long-term goal, but your efforts towards this goal need to be rewarded.

Reaching your target is not always easy, but every time you move away from the path, get right back on. You may have to take a few detours, you may have to get some rest, but never give up. Never lose hope and before you know it, you will be where you have always wanted to be.

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Goal Setting - Why Most People Fail

By Rusty O'Connor

Goal setting is one of the most effective ways to achieve success in your life. Sadly, for many people the setting of goals ends in failure, and they deem the goal setting process to not work. There are many reasons for why the goal setting process may not have worked, this article shares with you the major reasons.

• No clear direction: If the overall outcome of the goal isn't given much thought then there is a high chance that the goal will not be achieved. To over come this you need to clearly and specifically look at what it is that you actually want to achieve and what is involved in turning your dream into a reality.
• Lack of planning: Writing a goal down on a piece of paper is a good start, but there is a lot more to the goal setting process than this. As with the above dot point you need to clearly identify what is involved in achieving the goal and develop up a clear plan of action. Following on from this the goal should then be broken into sub goals.
• No daily to do list: Again, while high level goals are good, you need to be taking action every day to help make your goal a reality. This requires a thorough knowledge of the goal and a to do list which reflects the goal.
• The goal isn't important enough: You need to remind yourself just how important the goal is for you and what it will mean for you and your family. Without this, there won't be much of an incentive for you to actually want to achieve your goal.
• Time: The process of achieving a goal isn't going to be easy. It will require a lot of work, and will take away from some of your relaxation time. You need to have a solid understanding of how long your goal will take to achieve and what it will mean to your schedule.
• Dream stealers: Yes... there are people out there who will try and take away your dreams. They will put you down and tell you that it can't be done. Firstly, always consider advice, but take it with a grain of salt. If you have done the research and know what is involved you will know that it can be done... don't let people steal your dreams and goals away.

As you can see from above there area a range of reasons why goals may not be met. Now that you know the major reasons, you can use this information to make sure that your goals will be achieved.

If you want to learn how to finally achieve your goals, then check out our free goal setting e-book at Goals Setting

Rusty O'Connor has been an avid goal setter for the past 10 years and has written numerous goal setting and time management articles and has provided in-depth advice to numerous clients. Outside of goal setting and time management, Rusty enjoys Internet Marketing, rock climbing, surfing and traveling. Rusty is married with four young children and currently lives as an expat in the Middle East.

Here's to your goal setting success!

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