Accomplish Something This Week

“Life is so, so……daily!”

Have you noticed that sometimes days and weeks go by, and you only manage to keep your head above water? You have big goals, but today, your main goal is to stay upright.

There are days that I run from morning to night. Okay – most days I run from morning to night. Yet, there are things I want to accomplish in life that require me to take baby steps every day. I feel like I am just beginning to get a glimpse of some great ways to work those baby steps into every day, and accomplish large goals:

1. Carry a book. Okay – so I’ve done this one for a long time. If I can’t get the book on kindle, I make sure the book is in my bag before leaving the house. This way, with a little self discipline, I can use the bus and my “waiting for kids” time to read toward my goals.

2. Plan. Wow. I know. This one has been my new awakening. I have always just made goals, and gone for them. I think, though, that my goals were education driven, so someone else made the syllabus. Now, I need to write for Deep Imprints, finish books, write for Ministry Today’s blog, and actively pursue other writing venues. All while I am working 3 days a week and developing a coaching practice. The only way I can do this is to plan ahead. For starters, I’ve created a publishing calendar of sorts (that is a fancy name for a list). I chose a theme for each month, and then wrote down titles to fit the theme. This new approach gives me the ability to grab moments in time to add to future posts, instead of only pulling from what I already know.

3. Goal setting. My boss gets the credit for this. Every year she has us sit down and develop a work plan. This helps us see in one place what our goals are for the year and what daily tasks will help us reach those goals. (Email me if you want the rubric.)

4. Calendaring. Thinking about something makes it a dream, talking about something makes it reachable, planning it makes it probable, and putting it on your calendar makes it happen. My coaching business is causing me to plan things so that when people ask for an appointment, I don’t accidentally double book. (Yes, I’m learning through the fail/fail/get it right method.) Once you know the details of life that you need to take care of, put it on the calendar.

5. Liberally use DVR. LOL. Okay – so there are some shows that I like to watch, but they are on TV at just the wrong time. If I am up at those hours, I need to be writing. So, I DVR everything I like to watch, and then I can control my schedule. I get to choose when I watch those shows – and who doesn’t need to watch something when they are cleaning the house?

6. Let your friends in. I have a few friends who know what my goals are. They also know my failings. By letting them into my broken space, they are helping me connect the dots from where I am to where God is moving me. Walking the transitions of life with friends feels a little bit like when you were really little and you wanted to walk a balance beam. You positioned one parent on each side of you, grabbed their hands and started your walk. With their help and support, you were soon walking in confidence, and before long, you were dancing without assistance.

Do you have great goals you want to accomplish this year? We are almost at the end of January. What are some of the tools you have found that help you reach your goals?