January 31, 2024
The Challenge of Executing Goals
As I talk with different individuals at workshops and in other professional settings, there is a resounding commonality --many of these individuals have goals that they have prioritized in their heads but have not prioritized in reality. So, how does that even happen? How is it that something so important to a person continually gets put on the backburner? While there are intricacies to this explanation, the simple answer is this: LIFE HAPPENS.
So, how do we accomplish goals in the midst of dealing with the complexities of daily life? Foremost, we must learn to hold our goals in similar esteem with our daily responsibilities. After all, executing goals helps us be responsible stewards of our time. Naturally, we invest our time in the things we value. The question is, how can we better value our goals?
The Parallel Between Journaling and Time Logging
At some point in your life you have probably kept a journal, maybe it was in grade school or maybe it was for those few weeks after it had been emphasized at a wellness seminar you attended. Bottom line, if you have, then you understand why psychologists and other mental health and wellness experts recommend that everyone practices journaling regularly. It is a proven way to develop better self-awareness and well-being. In a similar way, logging the time you spend on your goals can help them stay at the forefront of your mind and keep you accountable to making progress.
The Benefits of Time Logging
Logging your time on your goals has a couple clear benefits. When you allot a certain amount of time per week for a goal and then log your time on that goal this provides you data on both (1) how much time you are spending on the goal and (2) how effective that time is making your intended progress. In essence, you have the opportunity to assess what works and doesn't work and get a gauge of how long it will actually take to get the results you want. For instance, you may discover that you tend to work better in short intervals on a particular activity or you may even discover that you have skipped a prerequisite to the current step you are working on in your goal.
In addition, logging time doesn't just work for goals. It can help you be more efficient with your responsibilities as well! Have you ever run into challenges with executing recurring weekly responsibilities? Oftentimes individuals aren't able to overcome challenges because they aren’t able to assess the problem. To do this we often need to clearly delineate the parts that make up the whole. For instance, an individual struggling with output at work may need to delineate each individual work duty and designate a weekly time allotment for each one.
For More Resources
If you have not given time logging a try, I challenge you to start now. You may find that the key to your next level of productivity is not as elusive as it may seem. For strategic guidance on time logging and other productivity tools, let's hop on a Discovery Call!
-Derek J. Lovett