The most significant mistake you may make is trying to crush a big goal at once. If you do that, you are setting yourself for a disappointment.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
No matter how big your goal may be, you need to break it down into small manageable tasks. “When eating an elephant take one bite at a time.” – Creighton Abrams. How many of you have heard this quote before?
It applies to goals as well; you can’t just take your entire goal and try to accomplish it at once. Instead here is what you need to do to accomplish that big goal:
Break it into Small Pieces
List all the tasks you need to complete to accomplish your goal. Start with small tasks that you can knock out immediately. Why? They will be your motivators.
Small wins will give you the motivation to keep working towards your bigger goal.
Write Them Down in Your Language
How many times have you written something on a piece of paper and forgot what it meant? I have done it before. I have written something in my note just to come back trying to understand what it was.
So to avoid this action, write your tasks in a language that you can understand. Stay away from terminologies that won’t do any good for you.
Use simple language that you can quickly recall what you meant when you wrote it. Once you have your goal written, put it where you can see it every day!
Take the Next Action
After having your goal broken down into tasks, take action immediately. Do not make the mistake of perfection; it may slow your start.
A good number of people lose interest in their goals and quit because they want everything to be perfect. Do not waste your time in this step, continue and make changes when necessary.
Celebrate Your Small Wins
Every time you win a task, take some time to celebrate. Why celebrate when you haven’t completed the bigger goal yet? Celebrating your wins builds self-confidence.
Self-confidence boosts your productivity. Therefore, will give you the motivation to stay on track. Give yourself a gift for accomplishing a task. It doesn’t have to be something big.
You can use something like taking a ten minutes break if you are at work or treat yourself to a cup of coffee. Make no mistake of having a big celebration and stop working on other tasks.
Monitor Your Progress
Other mistake we make is not tracking our progress. If you don’t track your progress, you may lose interest. Keep a record of your accomplishments. Use any resource you have to keep your progress record.
It doesn’t matter whether you use a whiteboard, sticky notes, or tracking software. When you see those bars go up, you become more motivated.
Go to the Next Task
If you finish one task earlier than another, go to the next one immediately. Do not wait for your scheduled time to start the next task. Why?
You may need the extra time to work on a task that might take more time than scheduled.
Do this until you accomplish your goal. Break it down into small pieces, write it down, take action, review, monitor, and go to the next task.
Question: What else could you do to manage your goal? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.