Tag Archives: strategies

Habits and goals

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I know setting goals works. I have a few fitness goals and they inspire me to work harder. But I’ve never really been someone who sets a lot of goals and I am not overly goal driven. I can remember teaching students SMART Goals and watching them create goals that I just knew they wouldn’t hit… SMART or not.

Habits are what get you to your goals. Habits are the repeated patterns that lead you to improvements. Goals are just lofty ideas until you build systems and habits that move you towards them.

A career goal doesn’t happen if you haven’t built solid habits and routines to consistently do your current job well.

A diet weight is a goal you want to hit. A habit of regular exercise and a habit of eating well are what get you there.

Goals are important, but it’s the habits you create that get you to those goals.

Stuck on the ’To Do’ list

I seem to be running out of digital ink right now. I’ve got well over a dozen drafts for posts started, but every one of them needs more time than I’m ready to put into them. I have a backlog of ideas without the ability to follow through. This kind of backlog doesn’t just happen for writing, it can also happen with ‘To Do’ lists.

How many of you have something on your ‘To Do’ list that feels too big to get done? Some of these can be broken into smaller parts but that takes time too. Some just need a big chunk of time to be dedicated to them. Some need other people to act as well as you. And so sometimes a week later, that big item is still on the list. It also sits on your mind.

Other things get added to the list, and they also get completed and removed from the list. Meanwhile the big task(s) remain. They loom. They weigh you down. The little things jump ahead because they are easier, and the reward of completing them is closer.

[[Insert strategies, advice, and wisdom here]]

The reality is that I don’t have any great strategies for dealing with these. I let them sit – procrastinating a bit too long – then I block time off, (or stay late, or come in on weekends), roll up my sleeves, and just get’em done.

I’m open to smarter suggestions.