Success Depends on Goals and Lists

We have become inundated with information and now more than ever success depends on goals and lists. No matter what you are preparing for or dealing with it is a good bet that there is a lot of information that needs to be assimilated.

Photo Courtesy of Joe Ravi CC-BY-SA 3.0

I was reading a pretty good article that reported from a study that only 1 percent of the US population have goals, write them down, and review them on a regular basis. The interesting highlight reports that these are the highest achievers.

I was fortunate to work for some guys that drilled into my head about goals and writing them down. The key factor is reviewing them on a regular basis. One of the important parts of note is that making lists are not that much different. It is not a far stretch to imagine some of your lists as goals.

If I was compiling a list of supplies for a well stocked food pantry for instance not only would writing it down be logical but it also would be very beneficial to review it periodically. Not only would I be checking items off the list but I would be setting realistic plans for getting more items.

This exercise is a great example of setting goals, making a list, writing them down, and reviewing them periodically. No matter which way you start it should end up with a well stocked pantry. I prefer to start at the end goal. The first question would be when do we want to have a well stocked pantry? The next question is what do we think constitutes a well stocked pantry? In answering these two things we have the final goal and what the pantry needs to contain.

Working backward from there we can start setting intermediate goals for categories of items and what they contain. We are ultimately looking to have a goal and list for what we need to do this week to help achieve a well stocked pantry.

The ability to take a big goal and work it backwards to have a weekly or daily target enables us to understand things and make them more achievable. This allows us to take the flood of information and make it more understandable and obtainable.

I know to be part of the one percent success depends on goals and lists. It also gives me comfort and peace knowing that what seemed insurmountable can be done. Have you been in a habit of writing down your goals? Do you review them regularly? If not I hope you see the importance and benefits of doing that. Please let me know if you plan on starting today.