Projects Have Schedules. So Should Your Goals

We are all busy, but my question to you is, are you busy being busy, or are you busy doing something that matters? We can fill up our day with work or activities that feel like progress, but is organizing the desktop on your computer or alphabetizing your spice cabinet getting you closer to your goals? Are the truly important things getting done that are helping you make real progress toward your goals? If something is real and important to you, you should have a schedule of how you are going to get it done. What must get done? What are all the tasks required to get it done? When will you find the time to get them done? What skills do you need to learn or improve?

If you had a project at work, the project manager would have the project schedule. They would take into account, the skills or people that are needed on the project; the money or other resources it will take, and the time table or deadline that needs to be met. There may be different phases of the project, so the project manager would have learned what parts or phases of the project are dependent upon other parts of the project, meaning you may not be able to start on Phase III until Phase II is complete. For example, you can't start framing a house until the foundation is laid. You don't paint the walls until you have walls.

Yet, when we set out to accomplish a goal or complete a project on our own, most of us just haphazardly work on stuff with no real identifiable project plan or schedule of items in our calendar.

When going after a goal, of any significance, I like to think of it, not as a goal, but a project. As a former project manager it helps me think about all the things I will need in order to accomplish or complete that project. For example, if I had a goal to write a book, there are different phases of completing that project. There is the research phase, draft, edit, share, re-edit, finalize, publish, etc. Understanding the phases of the project gives you a better handle on what is required and helps you to determine a more realistic timeline for its completion. This is completely different than just saying, I want to write a book someday, and sitting down to write once in a while, with no clear idea of when you will write, where you will write, what do you need to know before you write, etc.

I am not suggesting that you need to run out and buy some fancy project planning software that prints out fancy Project Gantt charts, but having an idea of what are all the tasks that are required, what skills are needed, and how long might they take is extremely helpful. What tasks need to be completed before you start on another part or phase? Or can you work on things simultaneously? What skills do you need to develop or improve? Where are you going to be working on this project? When and how often will you work this? Are you going to need some help from others? What is the deadline or timetable?

High Performers do not manage their work, their days or their life with To-Do Lists. They manage them using their schedules and calendars. You can make a to-do but unless it is translated into your schedule, your probability of accomplishing your goal greatly diminishes because we get distracted, have competing interests pop-up, or sometimes just forget and stop working on them. 

If you need to work on improving your skills? schedule it. Do you need to do some research for your book? Schedule it. When are you going to do it? Where will you do it? Can you optimize your workspace to minimize your distractions and competing interests while doing your research?

Find the right time of day where the time you spend is optimized. Run some experiments until you find the right time. When I was trying to optimize my day so I never missed a workout, I tried several experimental times of the day. I tried 3:00pm, 2:00pm, 12:00pm. After several trials and failures to keep consistent, I settled on 7:30am. For me, it was late enough in the morning where I had time to do my morning routine, but early enough where competing interests were minimized. I haven't missed many workouts since settling on that time. My workouts are scheduled. The books I am reading, writing time for this blog, times for creating new courses, times for skill development all live in my calendar. Find the time that is right for you. When you do something may be extremely important depending on the work. For example, I do all my writing and creative items in the morning. That is when I am most creative. If I tried doing that work in the afternoon, I could still do it, but I would find it harder and it might not be as good. 

Think about your current or next goal or project. Break it down into phases. Then further break down each phase into tasks. Then give yourself a deadline for each task and phase. Deadlines keep us focused on what is important to get done and by when.  Your projects need a time, a place and a deadline. Then PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR. Everything that is vital should live on your calendar.

If it is easy to do, it is easy not to do. Having it scheduled will increase the likelihood you do the small steps consistently. And by doing the small steps consistently you will continue to make progress until you start to find some real momentum. Once you have the momentum it is like pushing a car downhill, it is easier and it starts to develop more speed without as much effort.

Until you have tasks for your project with checkboxes and deadlines scheduled on your calendar, you have a hope, a wish, a dream. When you schedule it, you have a project that you are working to complete, and your probability of completion or achievement is greatly increased.