Goal Setting
Today’s Pearl
In this message, Earl Nightingale quotes from Dr. Ari Kiev, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry. “In my practice as a psychiatrist, I have found that helping people to develop personal goals has proven to be the most effective way to help them cope with problems.”
Dr. Kiev offers some specific steps from his book, A Strategy for Daily Living, on just how to go about setting goals.
- Take 30 minutes a day for the next 30 days to list all possible goals.
- After 30 days, select the one goal that seems most important.
- Carefully describe specifically what you want.
- Record your most important goal on an index card and carry it.
- Think about this goal throughout your day and picture its attainment.
The PM Takeaway
As property managers, we attempt to complete as much as possible. Our days are filled with the best intentions to focus on what’s important. But we often come to the end of it to find we never came through on what we set out to do when the day got started.
I’ve been guilty of that for years. I remember a day when it was all I could do to just keep up with the onslaught of emails and their implied priority.
We’re plagued with a non-stop barrage of tasks that must be managed. And for the most part, we do a pretty good job. But that’s 99% reactive.
Brendon Burchard once said, “Your inbox is nothing but a convenient organizing system for other people’s agendas.” Think about that for a moment.
I believe we’re all a little scared of missing the latest email from our client who needs something quickly. Tick tock. Maybe that’s why we’re constantly checking in.
Brendon also reminds us to “Set your agenda each day or the world will do it for you.”
That reminder helped me the most. As I’m getting ready in the morning, I list my top three priorities for the day on a notepad in my bathroom.
When I get to the office, I transfer it to my Day-Timer. I call it “Gip’s Big 3.” At the end of the day, I know my time has been well spent when I accomplish these three action priorities. And many times I do.
But just as many times I don’t.
Life shows up in so many ways from so many directions it becomes hard to maintain or regain focus.
So the key is to define your primary goal for the day. Of my Big 3 priorities, there has to be a #1—always. And whether it’s personal or professional, your number one goal is a must before you go home.
It’s the centerpiece of your game plan. It’s the one thing that, if all else fails, you will prevail to get this one handled.
5 Minutes to Win It
First, think about your ultimate outcome for tomorrow. Imagine at the day’s end, you’ve been able to either complete or make serious progress toward your primary goal for the day. Think about how that sense of accomplishment makes you feel.
Next, describe in one clear statement that outcome and the benefits you and/or others receive once it’s done. Write this primary goal in your planner or wherever you’ll see it throughout the day tomorrow. This is now your #1 priority.
Then, look at your calendar for tomorrow. Take notice of the space between meetings and commitments. Is it tight (e.g. back-to-back with no bio breaks) or reasonable (e.g. blocks of 30-90 minutes without a planned event)?
This will allow you to insert some reasonability into your day. If, for example, your #1 priority is to create a master business plan and you’ve only got a spare 30 minutes between meetings, you should break it down to perhaps creating an outline first.
That way, you’ve maximized your time and still made major progress toward your goal that you might not have done if you didn’t have it as your primary goal.
BONUS: To really get some power behind this effort, find an Accountability Partner (AP). Your partner should be like-minded and goal-oriented. Share your Big 3 goals for your day and highlight your #1 priority that you will carry out no matter what.
I’ve exchanged my daily goals with my AP for five years now. It’s been an amazing boost to our productivity that comes from sharing what we’ve achieved and are now setting our sights on. And it only takes 5 minutes.
Feedback
If you experienced something beneficial, however briefly it may have been, please let me know. I’d love for you to share your thoughts, suggestions and struggles with me. I read every email I receive.
And, if you liked that positive change in your state of mind, then you might be interested in seeing what immersion can do for you. Consider pre-registering for Change Course as your next training goal.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Thanks to Earl for inspiring me to pass this message onto you.
To your perpetual success,
Gip
P.S. What’s the one thing you need that you’re not getting in the self-management of your career as a property manager? Leave a comment below or send me a message with your thoughts right now. I read every message and will get back with you directly.
If you want to take a deep dive into a short and powerful property management training, watch my “Become Fireproof” Master Class now.
An interesting post that sparked a general query about setting goals that you may be able to shed some light on. Goal setting has been discussed and publicised for a long time and encouraging is now foundational in many areas of life. It will be unusual for an individual not to have come across goal setting early in life through education or work. A quick internet search (e.g. https://bit.ly/1rATBgJ, https://bit.ly/1Xf6qtj) will reveal the enormous knowledge base around setting goals. In relation to this knowledge base, your post could be considered as a restatement of what is extensively explored and readily accessible in that knowledge base. This is a ‘what if’ assertion to aid in presenting my query rather than it being the actual situation or criticism. Assuming for a moment that the your post is a restatement, it would seems odd for two reasons, firstly, as goal setting is equal to success. That is, we'll be unsuccessful when we don't set goals. For many success equates to money (however, we know there are many different definitions of success). It would be unlikely that anyone would need reminding about goals are they are faced with the constant reinforcement across various media, and putting goal setting into a search engine will give them the information they need. Secondly, in the digital age, there is anywhere anytime access to the Internet. If any thought of goal setting crosses someone’s mind they have instant access to the vast information base on every aspect of goal setting. It’s likely that every aspect of goal setting and its challenges is already available via an Internet search meaning a reminder seems unnecessary. Even with the vast goal setting knowledge base and decades of promotion and reinforcement, there appears to be a stubborn resistance to goal setting. While it seems goal setting is the only means to achieve success, resistance to goal setting continues to be strong. If the strength of resistance were declining, posts about goal setting, the ongoing reinforcement of its need and how to do it, would not be needed, if you see what I mean. I'd be interested in your views about why the the resistance to goal setting is strong and enduring, even though it is viewed as so critical to success and reinforced as essential on a daily basis? I hope this makes sense and I’m not sure that resistance is the right term in the above.
President/Partner at SELECT Commercial Services, LLC
8 年Great message and thank you for sharing. Keep them coming!