Five Ways To Make Sure You Accomplish Your Goals in 2010

Break it down — You’re not a super hero, but if you’re like me, your task list sure makes you look like one. Do yourself a favor and break down your goals into easily manageable chunks. Trust me, if you accomplish small objectives each day, you will reach that all-important, capital “G” Goal much quicker than if you have that one Goal on your “to do” list everyday.
Delegate — I’m a classic do-it-yourselfer and I have a habit of micromanaging every aspect of every project. However, some things don’t require your expert attention and can easily be delegated to another person or even to a qualified virtual assistant. If you’ve never hired a virtual assistant, check out VA marketplaces like oDesk.com and Elance.com, and you’ll find thousands of people who are more qualified than you to handle things like bookkeeping, research, data entry, Google Adwords, Email Marketing campaigns, etc. If you haven’t already, you must take this crucial step toward freeing up your time and resources to focus on the work that truly only you can do.
Be realistic — My habit is to create impossible 40-60 hour work schedules so that I can get things done quickly. The problem is this isn’t realistic or effective. Truthfully, we only have about 20 hours per week (about 4 hours per day) of productive work in us. We may “work” more, but often we’re spending that time on email, Twitter, Facebook, reading the New York Times online, watching the latest YouTube video, etc. So don’t expect to actually put in 10 billable hours per day; you’ll only fail miserably or give yourself a coronary!
Create a schedule framework — Create a simple, flexible Monday–Friday schedule that will allow you to accomplish mini-goals each day, while still allowing time for the things you enjoy. My schedule includes time for working out and doing yoga; email, Twitter and Facebook twice a day; an hour for lunch; and an afternoon snack. It also includes time for me to read, write, meet with clients, work on client work, and time to work on my own pet project. The best part about a schedule framework is that it’s flexible. If I need to spend more time on client work or put something off because of an appointment it’s no big deal. Do yourself one huge favor though: put your schedule on your calendar (even lunch), otherwise you won’t stick to it!
Track your progress — Tracking your progress will give you a sense of accomplishment even when there is more work to be done. You could also create a reward for yourself that you will receive once you have accomplished a large goal (for example, tickets to a show or a new computer accessory). In addition to keeping track of my progress on individual projects, I have monetary and networking business goals for each month that I track on a weekly basis and use to influence my weekly schedule. This tracking holds me accountable to my business and is a reminder of the growth I expect to see over time.

What are some of the tools you use to manage your task list and reach your objectives? Share them below so we can all benefit!

photo credit: Thomas Ott