Assuming you read my last post (Goal Setting for Dummies Part One – a Top Gun Analogy), you know I have struggled with a vicious cycle of setting tons of goals, following through with some but not ALL of them, and then getting down on myself for failing (again) to live up to the personal “rules” and high standards I set for myself…but then I would find myself jumping right back in to the same old habit of doing it to myself all over again. I knew this pattern SUCKED and I needed to change it but I had a difficult time finding and sticking with something that worked. But then I came across an old post from Leo at Zen Habits that inspired me to review and restructure the way I set goals for myself… In “Really Simple Goal Setting,” Leo iterates the importance of whittling all the numerous (and sometimes overlapping) goals you may have down to the ONE main goal that will most improve the quality of your life. I won’t go into detail about why honing in on one target is so important if you truly want to reach your goals or how Top Gun (one of the greatest movies of all-time) plays a role in this, but suffice it to say I had an epiphany of sorts. For a better understanding, shoot over to Goal Setting for Dummies Part One – a Top Gun Analogy.

Since adopting the strategies outlined below, I have not only experienced greater productivity in all areas of my life, I have also made giant strides in accomplishing my ONE main goal. Furthermore, I haven’t been waking up with that sense of anxiety or that feeling of being overwhelmed with all the things I felt I “needed” to do on any given day. Here’s how I revamped my “goals.”

Step One: Collect all the goals, rules, and standards that you set for yourself (whether they are written down or just in your head) and brain dump them into a list on a piece of paper. Do it…Seriously…Do it NOW.

Step Two: Identify the ONE goal, the ONE rule, or the ONE value that, if accomplished, would most improve the quality of your life. If you KNEW you could accomplish just ONE thing, which of the items on your list would most dramatically affect your life for the better? Write that ONE goal on an index card.

Step Three: Physically rip, tear, set fire to, or destroy the rest of your list Whatever it takes for you to physically and emotionally free up the space that your half-baked goals, rules, or standards have been occupying in your mind.

All this clutter is like that group of asshole “acquaintances” who were kind of “invited” to the party at your house who do nothing but hover around the keg drinking all your beer while screaming at every girl who walks by to do a keg stand. They make everyone feel just a tinge of awkwardness and then they puke all over your garage…yeah, they don’t really do anything to make your party better so kick them the hell out of there.

Step Four: Now that you have your ONE goal written down, turn it into a 5-6 word mnemonic mantra. If your ONE goal is to have a $15,000 net income month than make your mantra something like, “$15,000 dolla make-a me holla!” Yes, this is a little corny, stupid, and lame…but that’s the point. It’s a mnemonic device that acts as your “trigger” to action. Make it meaningful and make it fun. But limit it to 5-6 words at the most.

Step Five: Focus on your NEED to move forward with your one goal only and release the NEED to accomplish any of the other goals, rules, or standards that were on your list. This is a lot like step three but there is an important distinction – there are other things that you will work towards accomplishing in your life, other areas where you will direct your actions. That’s fine…but you have to remove the NEED to do all those things. The only NEED should be moving forward on your one main goal, the rest of your “to-dos” will take a back seat.

I can’t belabor this point enough – by removing the need to accomplish all the other things I had previously stacked up on my to-do list or in my goal sheets, I have freed myself up to fully and creatively attack my one main goal while still having the energy to get other things done. But I no longer feel like I HAVE to get those other things done. Removing the need to get those things done has actually freed me up to GET those things done. You dig?

I don’t know if this process will help you. Every person is different, everybody processes and relates to information differently. I can only let you know what it has done for me. I’ve made huge steps forward in my online business, I’ve been more productive in other areas of my life, and I’m less stressed out and anxious about all the “stuff” I HAVE to get done. I finally feel like I have removed some of the friction that was holding me back. And I have to say…it’s a great feeling

Paul

P.S. I would love your feedback. Please drop a comment if either of these last two posts have helped you with YOUR goals in any way. Or even if you are extremely proud that I FINALLY wrote a post that made it under 1,000 words…I’d love to hear from you either way. And Leo, if you are reading this, thanks for all the great advice at ZenHabits…

You can receive email updates of my most recent post by clicking here or you can stop by and say hi on twitter @paulnorwine

We all know the importance of setting goals and establishing priorities. Most successful people will tell you that you have to know where you want to go if you ever want to get there and you have to have a plan to succeed. But, if you are anything like me, you have struggled following through with all of your goals.

Do you set goals which empower and motivate you in the short-term only to lose focus and determination and fail to see them through to completion? Do you set up specific action plans to achieve those goals only to wake up in the morning to a vague sense of anxiety about how productive you need to be and how much shit you need to get done each day to reach those goals? Do you ever feel as though you are spread too thin, that you are pulled in too many directions, that there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done? And, finally, do you ever stress yourself out to the point of inaction…and then feel guilty or upset that you weren’t as productive as you should have been that day?

Yes? Good! No offense, but it’s comforting to know I am not alone in this. It’s a vicious cycle – setting tons of goals, following through with some but not ALL of them, and then getting down on myself for failing (again) to live up to the personal “rules” and high standards I set for myself…but then I jump right back in there and do it to myself all over again. And it SUCKS!

I hate the feeling of being overwhelmed, of being stressed, of not being as productive as I know I could be, of not following through with all the things I set out to accomplish; it’s debilitating, demoralizing, and deflating. I knew I needed to do something different, that I needed to make a change…I just didn’t know what that change needed to be.

And then I stumbled upon a possible solution…

I have been reading Leo Babauta’s blog Zen Habits for a few weeks now. And I happened to come across a post he wrote last year titled “Really Simple Goal Setting.”

In this post, Leo describes the necessity of paring down and simplifying your numerous goals and objectives down to one main goal and mentally (and physically) tossing all the rest in the trash. He explains how choosing the one goal that will have the most positive impact on the quality of your life and dedicating yourself to that one pursuit actually increases your mental focus and determination to a point that makes attainment of that goal almost a foregone conclusion. He then outlines a process of further simplifying your “one goal” into a personal mantra that will help keep you continuously moving forward and motivated enough to see it through to the end. To say Leo’s post resonated with me is a bit of an understatement – it made perfect, simple sense to me. It was like being handed a copy of “Goal-Setting for Dummies.” I even came up with an analogy that describes the process.

Imagine yourself as a fighter jet – an amazingly complex piece of machinery that seems to defy conventional physics and beliefs on what is possible (admit it, you are picturing the F-16 with Maverick and Merlin at the end of Top Gun…that’s okay, so am I). That fighter jet is you – there’s not much you CAN’T do and your potential is relatively limitless. But you’re only as good as the tools you use – in this case, your focus and determination equate to the heat-seeking missiles that are attached to the fighter jet.

A missile fired cannot destroy more than one target. Once you lock onto a target and fire that missile, it ONLY goes after that ONE target. The missile can change speed and direction in an instant…and it remains flexible enough to stay on course despite evasive maneuvers by the target. But it pursues and harries its target with a one-track mindset.

But what is the prime way to deflect a missile from destroying its intended target? By “confusing” it with other heat-bearing charges. If the missile’s guidance system recognizes multiple heat sources that are similar in strength and consistency to the heat emanating from the original target, the missile becomes “aware” of the other sources and may become disengaged from the original target.

That’s what having too many goals does to your focus and determination, your own personal guidance system. Goals are defined as “the end toward which effort is directed.” If you have too many goals, too many similar “heat sources,” how can you expect your focus and determination missile to stay on track and hit the intended target? You can’t!

Leo’s advice (and this analogy) helped me reach a semi-epiphany on the reasons why I struggle with so much stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed in relation to the goals and rules I set for myself. The conclusion is simple:

If you limit the number of goals and personal rules, you increase your focus and determination. If you increase your focus and determination, you quickly come closer to the “end toward which effort is directed.” AKA, you accomplish your goal, dummy!

Granted, this philosophy is still relatively new to me and it’s difficult to break old habits. But, every day I have been getting better about it. And since I have been utilizing this method of goal-setting, my productivity in relation to my one main goal has increased by leaps and bounds. And I’ve been “working” less!

Funny enough, adopting this philosophy has not only increased my productivity in relation to my one main objective but also in relation to other areas in my life (areas that I used to set “goals” in). But the difference is, I am no longer feeling as stressed or overwhelmed about getting those “other tasks” done. It’s like removing the “need” to get them done has actually freed me up to “get” them done!

And the best thing about this new process? I haven’t been waking up with that subtle sense of anxiety every morning. I have been waking up excited about what my day is going to bring. I can’t tell you enough how amazing a feeling this is. This feeling, in and of itself, is MORE than worth the price of admission

So, what is the exact process I have been following? How exactly did I toss all my goals out the window to focus on one main goal and STILL get loads of stuff done? And how have I become less stressed by working less while getting closer to my one main goal?

It’s a simple enough process…but it will have to wait until later in the week. Please click this link to receive updates of future posts via email. Thanks for reading and see you back here soon! Also, drop me a line / comment letting me know what you thought of the Top Gun analogy

Paul