Today’s Growth from A to Z post about Personal Productivity has a little bit of overlap with yesterday’s organization post.  In order to be at your most productive, you’ll need the “time” organization in place that we talked about yesterday.  What I really want to focus on today, though, is not so much the general ability to manage tasks and keep up with a calendar, but the ability to set and pursue goals so you get a lot of the right things done.

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker

What Matters?

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”  – Ephesians 5:15-16

First let’s talk big-picture, and then we’ll get into the nitty-gritty.  What really matters?  You can’t know what goals are important for you to reach if you don’t know what’s important to you in general.  What do you value?

In the busyness of life, this is easy to lose track of.  We get so preoccupied with putting out proverbial fires that there isn’t any mental space to think about what’s really important.  Charles Hummel called this the “Tyranny of the Urgent.”  So set aside some time to stop and think through this.  What is important to you?

I’ve been hearing really good things about PowerSheets from Cultivate What Matters.  I haven’t gotten to see them yet, myself, because they’re out of stock, but based on what I’ve seen of CWM’s other resources, I believe everything I hear about them.  (And they’ll be back in stock on Tuesday!)  I understand they do help some with the “nitty-gritty” we’re going to talk about next, but their primary focus is what we’re talking about right now — identifying what matters.  (This is designed to be used with your planner; it isn’t a daily planner/calendar system.)

How Do You Get it Done?

There are a few key elements that make goals work well.  Different people have “systematized” these in different ways.  One of the most common is “SMART” goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.  I use three D’s: they have to be Definable, Doable, and have a Deadline.

Larger goals need to be broken up into smaller, interim goals.  (For instance, if your goal is “write a book this year,” you might have a goal to “write two chapters this month.”)

Finally, goals need to be reviewed often, so you can see how you’re doing and make adjustments as necessary.

And hold your goals somewhat loosely.  It’s okay to drop a goal if you change your mind and decide it isn’t a good fit (at all or in this season of life).  Thoughtfully adjusting your priorities is not the same thing as quitting.  Also, don’t consider it a failure if you fall short of the ultimate goal.  If you make progress, that’s a win — even if that progress is just to gain insight into why other progress isn’t happening so you can adjust for next time.  The goal is a tool for you, you’re a not a slave to it.