Posts Tagged Goal Setting
Personal Development Plan With Getting Things Done
Posted by Job Self in Personal Development on June 22nd, 2009
Photo by: yarranz
The “Getting Things Done” philosophy has helped me make better, clearer plans for achieving my goals. I want to share with you some of the best points of this philosophy so you can use them in your plans as well. First though, a brief introduction on what “Getting Things Done” is.
After looking around and getting my hands on every course, book or program that crosses my way, I have come to realize that there are but a few really integral solutions in the matter of developing and executing a personal development plan.
One of those, the best in my opinion, is “Getting Things Done“, by David Allen. I consider “Getting Things Done”, or GTD for short, an integral solution because it guides you through the whole process, from Organizing, to Planning, to Execution. You can start from being completely lost and without knowing what to do, and end up with a well structured, clearly organized and prioritized action list that will make taking action as easy as it can ever be.
Regarding personal development plans, GTD has many strong points that make it the obvious choice. It covers project management in depth, a vital skill since personal development is one f the biggest projects in your life. It also covers time and life management, something particularly useful when it comes to taking the plan into action. Probably the best point is its task prioritizing aspect, which leads to better, more flexible plans that do not crumble at the first sight of trouble.
Besides personal development plans, GTD also helps you build the skills necessary for better managing work projects, better goal setting and better people management. These are all very important skills, whether you are an employee, a home business owner or an executive at a Fortune 500 company.
The points I want to share with you today are simple yet very effective when it comes to proper planning. These are two questions that you should ask yourself, and answer every time you are about to plan or do something. First, what is the outcome? Second, what is the next action required?
“What is the outcome?” is a the most important question you can ask yourself in almost any situation. It is a question common in all the teachings of the major gurus from Napoleon Hill and Earl Nightingale, to David Allen, Brian Tracy, Dan Kennedy and Tony Robbins. It is just that important.
If you do not know the outcome for your actions, you have lost from the start, period. Getting clear on your outcome will be one of the best things you can do at any given moment.
“What is the next action?” is just as important when planning something. Many times I have seen people who have found their clear outcome, yet are completely lost on where to start taking action about it. Knowing what to do next in order to move the plan forward is absolutely necessary.
The most important factor to consider here is that the next action has to be completely thought through. This is, it shall not require further consideration upon execution. When the rubber meets the road, if you need to stop and think, you will be run over. You need to have thought before.
If you master these two questions and apply them to your plans and to your life, you will see, not only your productivity, but your effectiveness as well, skyrocket into the stratosphere.
Take some time to reflect upon these two questions and decide to start applying them today!
Personal Development Tool: Goal Setting
Posted by Job Self in Goal Setting, Personal Development on August 1st, 2009
Goals by Mike Oliveri
In the back of every person’s mind, he has a clear vision of what he wants to be. There is a perfect world hidden somewhere in the recesses of the collective brain. An elucidation of this is simply that every person has this innate drive to improve himself and the world around him. Tap into that vision to find your goal. Then take steps to make it a reality. This is easier than it seems. What not everybody knows is that there are personal development tools that one can utilize in pursuit of that goal. These are real life techniques that include time management, planning, affirmation or auto-suggestion, visualization, measuring progress, and goal setting.
Setting goals is the first and most important tool to learn when embarking on a personal development plan. It is the single most significant technique of them all. In fact, it is the most natural thing in the world to have goals. It is what makes us move and do things. This pursuit for something is what keeps us up and about in our daily lives; whether it is something material, spiritual, or emotional. The problem lies in making up our minds and sticking to that one goal. The mind has never been known to be constant. Each moment of the day we are thinking of new and different things, shifting our perspectives, formulating new opinions. Not having an aim equates to action without purpose. This is a waste of energy, of time, and of the infinite possibilities of human potential. It is why knowledge of these personal development tools is important. Sifting through all the different and inconstant thoughts and then choosing one goal to concentrate on is the meaning of goal setting. Focusing your mind on this one goal is the first step in the journey that is personal development. After this come the other tools that are the visualization, the affirmation, the time management and planning, and then the measuring of progress.
All of these personal development tools are ways of organizing the mind. When the mind is organized, then a person’s actions will be organized. It is a case of mind over matter, of self-affirmation or auto suggestion or creative visualization, to make thoughts and wishes a reality. This is the key and the secret to a personal development plan. Advancement and progress towards that reality will have to be focused on a direction. A person must then identify his aims, his aspirations in life, or his goals. When the mind is focused on a goal, just imagine what can be achieved. In imagining, one has then moved on to the next step, this is visualization. But first, the goal must be clear. A goal can be as simple as waking up early every morning or as ambitious as changing the world. It can be about getting rich, achieving inner peace, being a success in your chosen field, having everything that you want; happiness, friendship, love. All the possible human aspirations you can think of can be achieved by first setting the goal. The most ambitious goals would then be quite possible with the use of the personal development tools mentioned above.