Even though staying focused on your goals and outcomes seems like such an elementary topic, it is an issue for most of my clients.
And honestly, I've suffered from scattered focus syndrome on and off much of my adult life.
It is frustrating to feel like you've clarified your goals and then a month later forget what the heck you stated as your goals.
Another roadblock is to create the goals but have no plan of action to actualize them.
Some people thrive on detailed goals, plan and lists.
I created many of them myself in the past, but what ends up happening is that I never pay attention to the plan after it's made.
It gets filed in a drawer or in some file in my Mac.
The only structures and/or plans that work are ones that you follow or pay attention to.
You must find something that works for you.
A structure that works for me has got to be simple and in front of my face.
My simple system works for just about anyone.
I'm warning you, it's not sophisticated or sexy.
I create three plans per year.
I create one for MasterPeace Coaching, my solo business.
Another is for Abundance Abounds, my business with Eva Gregory.
And lastly, I have a plan for personal goals.
It starts with clarifying 3-5 goals for the year.
It may seem difficult to whittle it down to only a few goals.
I start by writing down anything and everything I'd really like to happen for the year.
I keep thinking, "Wouldn't it be cool if...
".
Then I complete the sentence.
I don't edit as I go.
Then I choose the most important statements.
Many of the things I write down end up being actions steps under the top 3-5 goals.
Next I write down all the actions I want to take to support each goal.
Some actions might be ways that I need to think and act to get the goal.
Then I choose 3-5 goals for the upcoming month that will support the year goals.
Next, I choose 3-5 actions for the week I will take to support the month goals.
Finally, each day I write down 6 actions to support my weekly & monthly goals.
The purpose of keeping the number of actions/goals small is that is much easier to stay focused.
It is also easier to achieve results when you are not saying you are going to complete fifty million things (I'm famous for doing this).
What ends up happening when you keep your focus narrow is that you get the intended results, plus so many other things get accomplished.
Why? When you are focused and a rhythm gets created.
You get results faster and then you have space in your life to give energy to other goals.
Being scattered creates random or no results.
It also kills your self-esteem, as you beat yourself up for never getting what you want.
I'm a firm believer in writing all goals down, as writing is your greatest point of focus.
I post my yearly and monthly goals on my office wall.
My weekly goals and actions are on my desk right next to my Mac.
Included are my 3-5 goals, all actions and the people I will call that week.
I keep both business and personal items on this sheet.
My daily actions are in my day planner and I check them off as I go.
There are six total and this includes both business and personal actions.
A typical list looks like: 1.
Walk 2.
Workout 3.
Call bank 4.
Create ezine 5.
Send promo to Leslie 6.
Call brother This is it.
You have all my secrets now.
I know it's primitive, but that's part of why it works.
Keep it simple and follow it.
Just make sure it works for you.