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Azharuddinmulla
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1 Set the Table
There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is
definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants and a
burning desire to achieve it. NAPOLEON HILL
Before you can determine your "frog" and get on with the job of eating it, you
have to decide exactly what you want to achieve in each area of your life. Clarity
is perhaps the most important concept in personal productivity. The number one
reason why some people get more work done faster is because they are
absolutely clear about their goals and objectives, and they don't deviate from
them. The greater clarity you have regarding what you want and the steps you
will have to take to achieve it, the easier it will be for you to overcome
procrastination, eat your frog, and complete the task before you.
A major reason for procrastination and lack of motivation is vagueness,
confusion, and fuzzy-mindedness about what you are trying to do and in what
order and for what reason. You must avoid this common condition with all your
strength by striving for ever-greater clarity in your major goals and tasks.
Here is a great rule for success: Think on paper.
Only about 3 percent of adults have clear, written goals. These people
accomplish five and ten times as much as people of equal or better education and
ability but who, for whatever reason, have never taken the time to write out
exactly what they want.
There is a powerful formula for setting and achieving goals that you can use
for the rest of your life. It consists of seven simple steps. Any one of these steps
can double and triple your productivity if you are not currently using it. Many of
my graduates have increased their incomes dramatically in a matter of a few
years, or even a few months, with this simple, seven-part method.
Step one: Decide exactly what you want. Either decide for yourself or sit
down with your boss and discuss your goals and objectives until you are crystal
clear about what is expected of you and in what order of priority. It is amazing
how many people are working away, day after day, on low-value tasks because
they have not had this critical discussion with their managers.
One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not
be done at all.
Stephen Covey says, "If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every
step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster."
Step two: Write it down. Think on paper. When you write down a goal, you
crystallize it and give it tangible form. You create something that you can touch
and see. On the other hand, a goal or objective that is not in writing is merely a
wish or a fantasy. It has no energy behind it. Unwritten goals lead to confusion,
vagueness, misdirection, and numerous mistakes.
Step three: Set a deadline on your goal; set subdeadlines if necessary. A goal
or decision without a deadline has no urgency. It has no real beginning or end.
Without a definite deadline accompanied by the assignment or acceptance of
specific responsibilities for completion, you will naturally procrastinate and get
very little done.
Step four: Make a list of everything you can think of that you are going to
have to do to achieve your goal. As you think of new activities, add them to your
list. Keep building your list until it is complete. A list gives you a visual picture
of the larger task or objective. It gives you a track to run on. It dramatically
increases the likelihood that you will achieve your goal as you have defined it
and on schedule.
Step five: Organize the list into a plan. Organize your list by priority and
sequence. List all tasks in the order they need to be done. Take a few minutes to
decide what you need to do first and what you can do later. Decide what has to
be done before something else and what needs to be done afterward.
Even better, lay out your plan visually in the form of a series of boxes and
circles on a sheet of paper, with lines and arrows showing the relationship of
each task to every other task. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to
achieve your goal when you break it down into individual tasks.
With a written goal and an organized plan of action, you will be far more
productive and efficient than people who are carrying their goals around in their
minds.
Step six: Take action on your plan immediately. Do something. Do anything.
An average plan vigorously executed is far better than a brilliant plan on which nothing is done. For you to achieve any kind of success, execution is everything.
Step seven: Resolve to do something every single day that moves you toward
your major goal. Build this activity into your daily schedule. You may decide to
read a specific number of pages on a key subject. You may call on a specific
number of prospects or customers. You may engage in a specific period of
physical exercise. You may learn a certain number of new words in a foreign
language. Whatever it is, you must never miss a day.
Keep pushing forward. Once you start moving, keep moving. Don't stop.
This decision, this discipline alone, can dramatically increase your speed of goal
accomplishment and boost your personal productivity.
The Power of Written Goals
Clear written goals have a wonderful effect on your thinking. They motivate you
and galvanize you into action. They stimulate your creativity, release your
energy, and help you overcome procrastination as much as any other factor.
Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement. The bigger your goals and
the clearer they are, the more excited you become about achieving them. The
more you think about your goals, the greater becomes your inner drive and your
desire to accomplish them.
Think about your goals and review them daily. Every morning when you
begin, take action on the most important task you can accomplish to achieve
your most important goal at the moment.
EAT THAT FROG!
1. Take a clean sheet of paper right now and make a list of ten goals you
want to accomplish in the next year. Write your goals as though a year has
already passed and they are now a reality. Use the present tense, positive voice, and first person singular so that
they are immediately accepted by your subconscious mind. For example,
you could write,
"I earn x number of dollars per year by this date" or "I
weigh x number of pounds by this date" or "I drive such and such a car by
this date."
2. Review your list of ten goals and select the one goal that, if you achieved
it, would have the greatest positive impact on your life. Whatever that goal
is, write it on a separate sheet of paper, set a deadline, make a plan, take
action on your plan, and then do something every single day that moves
you toward that goal. This exercise alone could change your life!