I’m supposed to be writing out my goals for next week to send to my accountability partner right now. Trying to figure out what I should be doing next week makes me think that no matter how much I write about setting goals and sticking to them, I still suck at doing it.

My personal goals are cool. They’re the ones I really want to achieve this year and are where I put a lot of my energy every week. It’s the business goals that need a little more work and I know that the reason for it is because I’m not nearly as focused on them as I should be. So rather than bore you with a post tonight that reflects my current lack of focus, I’m going offline to do some serious rethinking of the direction I want to take things in this year.

So, it’s time for changes again. And yeah, I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record on this but I am so determined to have a better 2009 and to make some serious changes in my own life.

One of the reasons that I’ve never had a lot of success in making changes stick is the way I prepared for them. I was always in the new year’s resolution mindset of I’ll try this, start on New Year’s Day, and if it works fine, and if not there’s always next year. This year I already have a written plan, and goals set out for both the personal and business sides of my life. And I’m not waiting until Thursday to start.

Tomorrow we’ll be starting a major purge and declutter session here. One of my main goals for 2009 is to complete a cross-country move. And there’s no way I’m carting everything I’ve got hoarded up here 2000 miles. We went to Home Depot yesterday and grabbed some big plastic packing bins to put the stuff in that we’ll take with us, but that isn’t absolutely necessary for living right now. We’re stocked up on recycling bags and trash bags for the stuff that’s getting thrown out, and I’ve got boxes here to store stuff in that’s going up on E-bay over the next few days. I’m prepared for change this year, and prepared to take action to make sure it all happens.

Once our cleaning and decluttering is done, all the desks are getting rearranged. My big 3-sided office station is getting broken down into two parts. One for my son’s room, and one for mine. I find trying to write out here with the tv and other distractions really hard to do. I’ve wanted a desk in my bedroom for the actual pen and paper portion of my writing process for ages, and am finally going to have it by the end of this week. Another of my goals is this year is to write a novel, and by moving these desks around I’ll have a place to write where I can actually go and shut the door.

I’m really excited by the prospect of a new year and a new life… Bet ya couldn’t tell, could ya?

What about you? Are you making any changes in the new year, and are you prepared for them?

In my last post I talked about the need for taking baby steps toward achieving your goals. Today I want to look at why baby-step goals will give you a greater advantage when it comes to getting what you want out of life.

There is a school of thought that says that goals are not really necessary. And that people only set goals, or make new years resolutions because they feel like they’re supposed to. It’s the whole idea of a fresh start that draws people in, and has them setting goals they have no intentions of keeping.

Personally, I think that setting goals is one of the most important things you can do to make sure that you’re living life on your own terms. We need a reason to get up in the morning. We need to feel like we’re accomplishing something with our lives. There has to be some result that you are wanting to achieve. It doesn’t matter if it’s a complex goal like making a million dollars, or as simple as finishing that book you’ve been dying to read.

I would argue that it’s not that people set goals they have no intention of keeping, but more a case of they set goals that they have no idea how to go about achieving! They want to take these huge giant drastic leaps toward a better life and get frustrated when the results aren’t big enough or fast enough.

Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t make big goals. Heck I have goals for the coming year that I have no idea yet how I’m going to get accomplished. But that doesn’t stop me from trying to get there bit by bit. What it does mean is that I’m breaking them down into little baby-step goals, and that by accomplishing small things my chances of getting the big thing done are that much greater.

Here’s the thing that it’s taken me forever to figure out… If you focus on getting that one little thing done, it fuels your excitement and builds momentum toward the completion of your ultimate goal. This way even if it takes longer to reach the finish line, you will still have a sense of accomplishment to build on. And I don’t know about you, but for myself, I’d much rather have a small success to reflect on, than to give up in total frustration.

What about you? Do you think goals are necessary? Or are they a waste of time? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you’re new to setting goals, it’s a good idea to start with short-term goals. Short-term goals can be completed quickly, and each time you achieve one, it builds your confidence for tackling longer-term, more complex goals.

Here are four tips to consider when setting short term goals:

1. Set Deadlines

Short-term goals shouldn’t take any more than a week or two to complete. Decide on a specific time frame for achieving each goal before you start.

2. Be Realistic

People often over estimate what they can realistically achieve in a short amount of time. Make sure that the deadlines you set are realistic for your situation.

3. Reward Yourself

It’s much easier to stay motivated when you know there is a treat waiting for you at the end of the job. Make it something special like going to the movies, having a massage, or playing a round of golf.

4. Break It Down

Completing a series of small steps is much easier than trying to finish one big task. Break your goal down into smaller “baby steps” and create a checklist of them. You’ll be able to see your progress as you cross each item off your list.

Remember to keep your short-term goals simple. They are meant to be quick and easy to achieve. Follow these tips and you’ll complete your short term goals easily.

It’s that time of year again. Yep, that one… where we look back at what we’ve accomplished this year and set goals for what we want to do for next year. I’ve already started my planning and working toward my goals for 2009 since I really got off track this year and didn’t get near what I’d set out to do accomplished. In fact, with everything I learned at the Masters Seminar last week, I’ve already started revising my goals in order to make 2009 an even better year.

I know that setting goals and writing about setting goals is not a glamorous topic. But goals play such an important part in our success. Not only do they help us to discover what it is we really want, they also give us a sense of purpose. It’s really nice to have something to work toward so that you can measure your progress and feel that sense of accomplishment.

Goals can also create a road map for us, enabling us to get to where we ultimately want to be. Breaking them down, they become the stepping stones that help us to reach what it is that we desire. And without them, while we may know what it is we want, it’s really unlikely that we’d actually get it. I can speak to that one from experience.

As someone who exhibits all the traits of adult ADD, I’m really thankful for goals, and for my accountability partner. She makes me write my goals down, questions my commitment to them, and makes sure that I get done what I set out to do. Without them, I know for sure I’d still be flitting from one project to another, never reaching a goal and always moving on the minute boredom strikes. And believe me, it strikes often. The evidence is all over my office in piles of half-finished projects.

I think though, that the biggest thing I’m thankful for is that my goals give me hope. As long as I can set goals and be excited enough about reaching them, I have a reason to get up and look forward to the day. And that’s something that I really haven’t had in a very long time.

Pot, meet Kettle.

Yep, that would be me. In another one of my infamous ‘do as I say, not as I do’ posts, I thought you might like to know what I do to break my own procrastination habit. I’ve been putting things off all day today, and for no real reason at all. The only thing I had to do today was write this post and a couple articles, and I really did set out with the best of intentions to get it all done earlier. Yet here it is, 11:30 p.m. and I’m just starting to write now.

I’ve dealt with procrastination all my life. So it’s not like I don’t know I have issues with it. Nor do I not know what to do to break the habit. It’s one of those issues of self-sabotage that I’m learning to deal with that keeps me on a first-name basis with procrastination. In an effort to break my own habit by talking about it, here are five quick tips that I use to get myself back on track.

1. Stop putting things off! Might as well get right to the heart of the matter from the start. Like the famous slogan says, “Just do it.” If you can get something done now, there really is no point in leaving it for another day.

2. Do your least favorite tasks first. Take the one thing on your list that you really dread having to do (and be honest with yourself, there’s always ONE thing that you’d be happy not having to do) and put that at the top of the list. Getting it done first will fuel your sense of accomplishment like you wouldn’t believe, and will give you a boost of energy to get even more done during the day.

3. Know your limits. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Trying to be everything to everyone is a sure way to overload your schedule. Knowing how much you can reasonably fit into your day means you’ll get more done and not have to worry about putting things off because you’ve run out of time.

4. Get help when you need it. When you know you’ve taken on too much, don’t be afraid to ask for help or to delegate in order to get things done. Using your time and resources in the best way possible will go a long way towards breaking your procrastination habit.

5. Finally, learn to prioritize. Prioritizing will help you keep your life in balance. When you know what is important in your life and in your work, and live by those priorities, procrastination becomes a non-issue.

I know from experience how procrastinating can suck the energy out of you. It’s not a feeling I would wish on anyone. The tips I’ve shared here are ones that I use when I need to get my own procrastination habit under control. I hope they are of use to you as well.

It occurred to me as I was sitting here trying to decide what to write today, that if I’m having a problem thinking about it on day two, it’s only going to get worse by day 31. And I’m determined to make it to the end of the month and really cement this habit of writing something fresh and unique every day. So I’m spending some time today doing my favorite thing in the whole world… planning and writing lists! (she says with tongue firmly in cheek whilst staring at the mass of notebooks and project folders on her desk.)

I was cleaning off my desk this afternoon and I came across a folder I haven’t looked at in awhile. It’s full of lists of ideas and projects and plans for websites. I’m so great at writing out the lists and making the plans, and absolutely dismal at the follow through. I actually have an accountability partner now, and this is the first week we’ve worked together. I’ve tried to be accountable to people before, but I’m so dang independent that I really resent being called out on my lack of productivity and my amazing superpowers of procrastination — two subjects which you will no doubt be hearing a lot more about if you stick around long enough. What’s really cool about it this time is that I know we’re only into the second day of the week, but even so I’m finding that I am more productive and able to focus a little better just for knowing that come Sunday I will have to stand up and say what I got done this week. And if it’s not what I said I was going to get done, then my partner has promised to announce on Twitter that little ol’ me didn’t do what I said I would this week.

The point of what I wanted to write here is that for me to succeed at blogging every day for a month, I need to have a list of topics to write about and so this afternoon I’m making up a list of twenty-nine possible posts so that if I end up having trouble thinking of something to write on any given day I can use these to jump-start my writing engine. I don’t think I’m going to have too many problems though. I found a great half-constructed plan that I was going to work on last December that involves a series of articles on… drum roll please… making plans for the new year! Between that and my new list of topics, I’m sure that the rest of my posts this month will be a lot more structured and less scatter-brained than this one.

Oh yeah, and just so that I stay on theme today, just let me mention how thankful I am to have an accountability partner that supports, encourages, and actually understands me, especially in my more flaky moments.