“Our greatest danger in life is in permitting the urgent
to crowd out the important.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes ~
This morning I was thinking about getting back to work after a little R&R with the family. Summer is around the corner and while vacation beckons, the high energy of summer seems like a good time to be productive too.
I have some big work goals to accomplish this month. Do you?
Getting things done often depends on discerning what really matters from what matters a lot less and not at all. Separating the wheat from the chaff, as it were.
We can get bogged down in tasks that seem urgent but don’t get us any closer to the goal. It may be someone else’s priority, or it could be something that we forgot to put in the plan. In which case we may need to adjust by changing the plan or else turf it to someone else.
Maybe the trickiest part of this discernment is that the tasks that we get caught up with may be worthwhile, but something familiar and easier to do than the one we might be avoiding. In other words the kernel of wheat may be challenging and uncomfortable to obtain.
Here’s the process that I am using to plan for the month ahead:
- Write down the general goals for what I want to have accomplished at the end of the 30 days.
- Break them down into very concrete steps.
- Schedule those steps into my planner, spacing things out to be realistic as well as allow for taking a breather, socializing and having fun.
- Check in with my accountability partners, including my coach and blogging group.
One method for thinking of the details came from Mark Joyner, who is a well respected marketer, personal development coach. Start with the end result in mind and work backwards from that by asking yourself “What do I need to do to get there?” Write down what you will do, starting at the end and working backward to the present. You may think that you don’t know how to get there from here, but your list will surprise you.
Making use of your schedule and your accountability partners will help you tune out what “chaff” may be beckoning you, and to keep focused on what matters most.
If you have other tips, please leave them in the comment section. I’d love to hear them and everyone can benefit.
What a great kick off for the blog challenge. I am so appreciative of those down times when I can see the tasks and build in the accountability to get them done. Oh, the partners, now that is where it goes beyond lip service. But I am looking forward to the reward of the hard work.
You are right on target. Thanks so much for helping us all to de-clutter!!!
Yes I agree…the partners for accountability can make you squirm. But it does help and the encouragement makes all the difference. I appreciate your comment.
What good steps to take! I also keep my long term goals written in a notebook, and when a setback happens, I go back to the notebook and write my goals again and what I intend. That way I stave off bogging down in the mire of monkey mind while reminding myself of my intended destination. The details of how I get there aren’t important, it’s that I keep making steps forward to reach that important goal.
Ah yes, those pesky monkeys! Sometimes what they say seems so real! I like your use of the notebook to frame the goals and then to serve as a reminder of what you intend. Thanks for the tip!