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.