Do you ever feel like you’re spinning in circles with too many goals? Are most of them conflicting? Most likely you have too many goals - too many things you are trying to accomplish at the same time. I htink this is very common among small business owners - we all want to do everything and do it now! The good news is, you’re not the only one who feels that way. It's very common, and you can solve the problem.
Here are some things you can do if you’re overwhelmed with goals.
Sometimes there is a natural and logical relationship between goals. Suppose you want to get healthier and to have more leisure time. Making time out for active leisure like tennis or running will accomplish both goals at once.
Sometimes two goals seem to be in direct opposition to each other, like wanting to grow your business and having more time at home. In this case, write out both goals and next to each of them write out why you want to do each of them. You might find that what you really want (need) is to work less hours. In this case, your real goal might be to hire an additional team member. Or, you might discover that you can satisfy your desire for more time at home with some long weekends. Get to the root of the goal, and the rest will work itself out.
We tell ourselves there are "only so many hours in a day," and that we're "too busy" to take on anything else right now. Your time is precisely that – yours. When you're running a small business, it often feels like the business is running you - I get that. Start small by blocking out an hour or two each week to work exclusively on the tasks needed to achieve your goals. It's amazing what progress you can make when you set aside small amounts of time to check things off your list!
Bottom line: We find the time for the things that matter.
If you feel overwhelmed, you may be trying to achieve too much at once. Step back and look at your goals. If you're doing too much, it's time to reprioritize.
Lauren Mackler
It’s a good thing to put a timeline together and have definite dates and time-sensitive goals. But remember that life happens, and often it even gets in the way. There is an ancient Greek saying that goes: “If you want to make the gods laugh, tell them your plans.” Having milestones and plotting points along the timeline is good, but don’t hold yourself to it so rigidly that you cannot adapt to the occasional curveball. Don't abandon the whole plan when you hit a snag - regroup and pick up where you left off.
If it feels to you like you have too many goals or if the ones you do have are fighting each other, then find the true importance of each one. That will help you determine what’s most important to you right now. From there, narrow down your list to no more than five goals to work on. The rest can wait. Then work on one goal at a time. By concentrating on the ones that mean the most to you right now, you’ll put those goals into perspective, until they don’t seem like so much anymore.
To your success!
Laura
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Laura Olson-Oxley is an entrepreneur, coach, speaker, marketing and business consultant, and sales professional. She has over 25 years experience working with small businesses in a variety of industries, focusing on strategic business growth through effective marketing and advertising. Also a strategist, numbers nut, project manager, and life-long learner, Laura looks at the big picture to analyze and recommend the most effective tools to take businesses to the Next Level.
Do you ever feel like you’re spinning in circles with too many goals? Are most of them conflicting? Most likely you have too many goals - too many things you are trying to accomplish at the same time. The good news is, you’re not the only one who feels that way. It's very common, and you can solve the problem.
Effective goals help you focus on what’s important - your desired result/achievement. Consider this: When you have goals you are achieving. When you have no goals you are merely operating.
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