When we wake up in the morning, we set out goals for ourselves for that day. Typically our list is very long and at times unrealistic because, let’s face it, there are not that many hours in the day. Then we go through the day trying to keep up. Low and behold, unexpected things happen that throw us off schedule. Does this sound familiar: Traffic seems to be slightly heavier coming home that day, which delays the stop at the grocery store, making going to the gym impossible because dinner still has to be made, the fridge needs to be cleaned and that batch of laundry has been sitting in the washer since yesterday! Oh, let us not mention that list of to-do’s at work that become impossible to achieve because we seem to forget how long some tasks really take. On top of the unexpected delays that happen, such as the discussion that was supposed to take 2 minutes in the hallway, took almost 20, the “Do you have a minute” type questions which end up taking 30 minutes, and the quick lunch that took forever because the waitress forgot your order, the steak you ordered was under cooked and the bill never made it to your table. At the end of the day, when we recap, we feel unaccomplished. We did not achieve all the goals that, yup, we set out for ourselves.
What I like to do is start with the “What do I have to do today” list… make the kids lunches, get ready for work, meet my deadlines, make dinner. Then I leave myself one extra activity that I would like to do…like, for example, catching up on cleaning out my personal inbox. If at the end of the day I got the entire “have to’s” done, then I pat myself on the back. And, if I get that extra one partly done, then I really feel accomplishedJ.
“A successful individual typically sets his next goal somewhat but not too much above his last achievement. In this way he steadily raises his level of aspiration. “ Kurt Lewin
SilMagaZone…Bye for now.
Sil
