Routines and Habits: A Safer Path to Achieving Your Goals

The beginning of the year is a time to figure out your big goals and objectives for the year.

But, this is just the first step. A critical one, but not the end.

The magic is in the habit.

Find a goal worth achieving. This is a no brainer. We all do this at the beginning of every year. But this is where your goals are at risk. I know they were with me.

Translate goals into daily actions.

Not doing this means you’re relying on pure inspiration to hit. I’ve done that before. I did that last year. Inspiration is great when it hits. But when it runs dry, nothing gets done.

David Allen’s Getting Things Done productivity system has a concept called the “Next Action.” What is the next action needed to move this project forward? What is the smallest task I can complete that gets me moving in the right direction (forward)?

Ask yourself: “What is the Next Action that brings me closer to my goal?”

This is difficult at first because we all just want to accomplish the goal already. And we see huge gap between where we are now and where we want to be. But it gets easier the more we do it.

Actions (no matter how small) beat intentions any day. Take (small) action to achieve your goals.

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