Identifying and Setting Goals

On the road to an organized life, your central task will be to identify, set, and reach a series of goals. To understand the steps involved, look to the game of football. If you play the game the way professionals do, you’ll make it to the end zone quickly.

ROAD HAZARD

When you’re excited about making changes in your life, it’s easy to take on more than you can manage. Use your energy wisely by working on only one or two goals at a time. By all means, take note of all your goals, and even map out a plan to reach them—just don’t try to tackle them all at once. Picking them off one at a time is the fastest way to succeed.

Define the Goal

On a football field, the goal is always clearly defined: goalposts mark the target of the team’s efforts. On the road to better organization, you’ll travel fastest if you define clear, specific goals along the way.

Replace vague, undefined aims such as “I want to be a better financial manager” with statements that make your goal clear and specific, such as, “I will pay bills twice a month and review my finances every quarter.” Knowing exactly what the goal requires is the first step to reaching it.

Break It Down

A football team is always aware of where they stand in relation to the goal because each section of the field is clearly marked. Put this principle to work for you by dividing your goals into daily, weekly, and long-term steps to track your progress. Marking the path to completion by breaking it down into small chunks makes quick work of a larger, more complicated goal.

Face the Goal

A football team plays the game facing the goal; all their actions are directed to the end zone. You need to do the same thing. Face your goal of better organization by moving it out of the realm of talk and speculation, and get it working in your daily life.

For instance, when our friend the financial manager starts paying bills on a regular daily and weekly basis, he’s on the road to achieving his goal.

Study Setbacks

A football team always analyzes its performance after the game so that coaches and players can learn from their mistakes.

When your goals fail or fade on you, take the time to figure out why. This is an important exercise because what you learn teaches you what not to do next time. Accept that setbacks happen, then learn from them and begin again, better prepared to reach the goal.

SPEEDY SOLUTION

To keep your goals in front of you, write the three or four most important ones on an index card. Keep it with you every day in your purse or wallet, and each time you see the card, it’ll remind you to stay the course. Multiply the motivation by taping a copy to your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, and computer.