Setting Goals: The Cornerstone of Successful Time Management

Every day you are faced with choices - tough choices - about how you will spend your time. You want to make the best of your day, but time is illusive. There never seems to be enough of it to get everything done. You try to solve this problem by setting priorities, but you are sometimes confused about what the priorities are.

Goals are the guidelines that help us set priorities. Managing time means choosing the right thing to do and doing it. That also implies that some things are best left undone. Without goals, you have no basis for making good choices about what to do and what not to do.

How do you set goals? Divide and conquer! Sort your goal-setting into categories, starting with work and personal. In the area of work, check to see if your department or division has a mission statement. You work goals should flow from that mission and support it. Ask yourself, "What results can I achieve that will contribute to the mission of my area?" Then start writing, staying focused on results. Goals should imply results, not action.
As you write your work goals, be sure to include personal development and career goals. Your present job is a part of the larger picture - your career. What results do you see for yourself?

Once you have completed the work goals, return to the personal category. Subdivide your personal life into areas that will help you get a handle on things. Important areas of your personal life are family, social, financial, spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual.

Once you have some ideas on paper, go back and make your goals SMART. In other words, your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Aggressive, Realistic and Times if they are to point clear direction for you. Otherwise, they may be so vague that you never know for sure if you achieved them.
As you develop your goals, keep a few simple guidelines in mind:

• Write out your goal statement.
• Revisit and revise your goals. Check your progress and make necessary changes.
• Stay focused on results.
• Don't set impossible goals.
• Communicate your goals to others.
• Reward yourself for accomplishing goals.
• Don't set goals to accomplish things you don't like to do.

Setting goals is the cornerstone of your success. Goals can have a powerful impact on your life. They give meaning and direction to what would otherwise be scattered activity. Their achievement provides a sense of accomplishment. Take time today to build the cornerstone for your success!