If you’re like most business owners, you have a ten-page list of goals and things you’d like to accomplish. Working from home, there are also numerous distractions that get in the way of achieving success, both work-related and family-related. The key to continuously checking things off your list is to learn how to set and keep personal deadlines. Here are some tips to help:
Be Realistic
So what could be the problem with setting goals? Well, there are those people that set large and totally unrealistic goals and those who don’t set goals at all. Or perhaps the goals are so small that they don’t help you accomplish anything. When creating your goals, take the time to make sure they’re realistic.
For example, if you have a goal to write a 30-page report to market your business, make sure you give yourself enough time to get the job done. Trying to complete the report in a single day may be biting off more than you can chew. Instead, a two-week goal writing two or three pages a day may be more realistic.
Leave Room for Error
One common mistake is to push your schedule to the deadline. Inevitably something will happen to prevent success. Continuing with the example used above don’t save that 30-page report for the last minute. Your internet will drop out, you’ll wake with a stomach ache or your car will break down on the way home from running errands. Make sure you schedule your days so that your project is completed on or before you need it.
Learn Your Triggers
Everyone has a few triggers that prevent them from being as productive as they’d like. Maybe you are easily distracted by Facebook and find yourself unintentionally spending hours on the site. Maybe you get caught up in email or daytime TV?
Learn your triggers and then create systems to manage them. For example, if you get caught up in Facebook, block the site on your computer during your productive working hours. If you enjoy watching daytime television, structure your work hours around your favorite shows and don’t turn on the TV until you’ve accomplished your set tasks for the day.
Finally, make time to relax and celebrate your successes. Taking time off from being productive is just as important as setting and achieving your goals. In fact, it may be more important. When you allow yourself to step away from your goals and your business, you’re able to return to them renewed and refreshed. It helps you maintain focus and a positive attitude.
Once you learn how to identify triggers and set realistic goals, you’ll find that you’re able to accomplish much more in less time. There’s satisfaction in that. There’s profits and business growth too.