5 Good Ways to Make Steady Progress on Your Goals & Projects

1. Schedule a specific time and day to work on the goal - just as if it were an appointment. Don't just wait for "someday" to work on it. It will always get bumped by more urgent (but not necessarily more important) tasks unless you make it a priority. Carving out a specific time to work on the project will make sure it finds its way onto your to-do list.

2. Do a little at a time. How much progress could you make if you had 36 hours to work on your goal? If you work only 10 minutes a day on a goal, that's 36 hours a year!

3. Write this note on a post-it: "What have I done today to work on __________ ?" (write your goal on the blank line)

Put it where you'll see it right before you go to bed, and ask yourself what you have done that day on the goal. If your answer is "nothing," get up the next day and resolve to work harder and smarter.

4. Work with a partner. Make a wager that you have to buy him or her lunch if you don't complete certain tasks by a specified date (deadlines give us structure and focus).

5. Ask yourself: "How will I feel if I never complete this goal?" Remind yourself that you deserve the success and happiness that comes from setting & achieving interesting goals.

Shari Peace is an international speaker, an author, and the president of Peace Talks, a professional speaking firm that helps organizations and people to get more done. Her book, Crank It Out! How to Get More Done - At Work & In Your Life, features tips for smart time management and improved productivity. Reach her at http://www.sharipeace.com

More resources:

RELATED ARTICLES

Writing Goals Down Ties Them Up!
Writing goals describes the act of inscribing on a surface characters or shapes that convey thoughts and ideas in relation to that goal. Why is this mechanical act of writing goals so important in the achievement process?Also, what is the best way to approach writing goals for maximum effect?Words are an integral part of the thinking process.

Achieve Your Goals By Doing Something About Them
The title of this article sounds simplistic but it is amazing how often people (including me) sit staring at a problem like mounting paperwork and become so depressed by the thought of all the work to be done that they do nothing and continue in a paralytic state for days and even months!The article aims to cheer such people up by the fact that they are not the only ones to be paralyzed by their mounting tasks. It also offers one or two solutions to the problem.

Get More Done!
Have you ever heard the old saying If you want something done, ask a busy person? Ever wondered why?Ever felt stressed out because you never seem to get through all the chores so you can get to the fun stuff?Or maybe you just do the fun stuff, and try not to remember the chores piling up while you're supposed to be having fun?I think we've all been there. But I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be like that.

The 12 Commandments of Goal Setting
Many professionals have a basic idea of what they want to achieve in their careers. They may want to close more sales, earn a higher income, or move into a different job.

Taking Action is Essential for Self Improvement and Success
Much has been written about writing down goals and regularly reviewing and updating them as a major party of self improvement and success. Likewise, it is considered that a plan for the achievement of any goal, and breaking major goals into manageable steps are essential.

Ready, Set, Change!
I was at work one day, calling on a customer who wasn't answering her phone. Her voice mail message started out in the usual way, "?we're not home, leave a message?" what followed was not so usual.

4 Steps to Inspired Goal Setting
At the beginning of the year, there's often an orgy of goal setting. People get into a collective frenzy about setting personal and professional goals.

Self Improvement and the Importance of Flexibility
People who want to achieve success in their lives and are committed to self improvement know the value of setting goals and making workable plans for their realisation. These are essential steps to success.

Do Not Let Anyone Dissuade You From Reaching Your Goals!
Years back when I was formulating my plans for life, I heard the statement, "Reach for nothing and you will be certain to get it." Admittedly, my goals during my youth were rather vague and uncertain.

Goal Setting: 5 Simple Steps
One of the things that frustrated me while in school was that most of the psychology books specialized in complicating things. It's the same with many self-help books as well.

Goal Setting Skills Ensure Success
SO WHAT DOES GOAL SETTING OFFER? It closes the manager-employee gap. Often there are misunderstandings, miscommunication, or even no communication at all between upper management and lower level employees regarding company goals and plans.

Reasons That Move You Bring Clarity, Focus, Determination, and Momentum
Are your goals SMART? - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Rewarding, Time-DeadlinedJust about everyone has heard about the SMART Goal Setting method. But are you really using it.

How to Maximize Goals, Affirmations and Visualizations
Do you want to get better results from daily exercises such as affirmations and visualizations, develop a better relationships with your inner self and get in touch with your personal power every moment of the day? The key to all of these things is energy. If you can learn to control the flow of energy within you, you can achieve these results and much more.

How To Rise Above The Clutter In Your Brain
Ever notice when you start a new hobby or fall in love with a new shrub or flower you start to see it everywhere? This isn't necessarily because everyone else has the same new hobby it's because you have the flower or shrub or hobby at the top of your mind.You are focused on it, thinking about how much you enjoy it and you end up noticing it when you never did before.

Goalsetting - How to Easily Set and Get Your Goals
Which of the following changes to your life do you want to make to your life this year?To have a slim and trim body?Find a stimulating jobTake up a sport or hobbyBuy your dream homeTravel to an exotic destinationHave more time with your familyEstablish your own businessDouble your incomeBecome involved in the communityDevelop your creativityImprove your skillsCreate a plan for your financial futureHave more fun.Enhance your current relationship or find a new partner.

Is Personal Goal Setting REALLY Necessary?
What is your reason for setting a goal?This is the first, and important question you need to ask yourself. Why? If your reason for setting your goal is not sincere, your motivation and enthusiasm can wane drastically as you progress on your goal path.

Make This Your Most Productive Year Ever - 26 Tips
Each year we start the year thinking about our goals, our job, our health, all the 'new' routines and commitments we make to ourself to make this our best year yet? but two weeks into January all our planning and resolution goes out the window! You can make this your best year ever by applying some of these simple ideas (and re-reading this article each year to keep you on track.Make a date.

Does Your Goal Enhance Your Overall Quality of Life?
So many people struggle with the issue of time management."There's so much to do!" "It takes so long!" "So many little things!"What many of these people don't realize is that they are spending a lot of time on activities that are of little or no value to them.

You Are What You Do!
Too often, people say one thing and do another. I admit that I have often slid into this rut and thought about how I need to do something (lose weight for example) and then don't follow through and do anything about it (yes, I'm still 245 pounds).

Start Working on Your Goals Today!
The alarm goes off at 6am, you roll out of bed and run down the hall to wake up the kids. You're going to be late again! You shower fast while the kids are getting dressed then you head downstairs to grab nutrition bars because you don't have time to make breakfast.