Alan W. Goff
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Setting Goals for Success the ‘A’ Type Way
(Part 2)
‘Continued from part 1
3. Prioritize. Take a good look at your list of goals, your possible strategies for meeting them, and the list of actionable points you need to do to implement each strategy. Prioritize your goals so that you work on the one that is most important. Prioritize your actions so that you do first what is most logical or time-efficient. Writing down what you need to do to get from point A to point B will help you visualize the steps you need to take. Finally, don't forget to consider any limitations and constraints you might have such as time, know-how, and so on.
4. Organize your actions into a plan. Actions set into a time frame make up a plan. Make sure your plan is workable. Can you carry out the steps you have set up for yourself in the time frame you've allotted? Make sure you've ordered your actions into a logical sequence.
5. Monitor and measure your progress. On a regular basis, you will have to monitor your plan and make adjustments if necessary. It's important to remain flexible and restate your goals from time to time as necessary.
In the business world, some people prefer to follow the S.M.A.R.T. approach when setting and achieving their goals: Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Realistic; Timely. In other words, there is no point in setting a goal that you can't measure or can't attain. If you're not physically fit, the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro next week is specific and measurable but unlikely to be attainable or realistic in the time frame you've allowed yourself. If you have unrealistic goals, you're setting yourself up for failure. Planning, time management, and goal setting are necessary for all kinds of activities. Good planning will give you a scaffold from which to work, as well as a way to monitor your progress.
Effective time management
Once you've identified your short-term goals, managing your time effectively is key to achieving them. Most of us are familiar with the desperate feeling that time is slipping through our fingers, or that we don't have enough hours in the day to do all the things we need to do. Often, that feeling has more to do with poor time management than with an actual lack of time. We all have the same 24 hours in every day; how we make use of those hours differs widely. Good time management is a major factor in achieving your goals.
Please refer to part 3 in this series for some time-management guidelines:
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