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Archive for the ‘Achieving Goals’ Category:
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 I didn’t want to do it, but I’m glad I did.
As you may remember, I’m training for a half marathon that takes place in late June. I have a plan – a specific training plan that spells out what distances I will run on which particular days. In my head, I know that sticking to this plan will prepare me for the race. My goals are to finish, perhaps to shave a little time off my last (and first) half marathon, and to do so injury-free.
The other morning I was scheduled to go out for a run. I really didn’t feel like running. I was tired, it was early, and my motivation seemed to have gone AWOL. I got up and went out anyway, convincing myself that just getting started was the first step.
Once I began, I settled in to the run. In fact, it was one of the better runs I have had for a while. The air was fresh, the temperature comfortable, and the time passed quickly. I had some good music to listen to and brainstormed a few ideas for Simply Placed. I do some of my best thinking while out on a run.
So even though I didn’t want to do it, I’m so very glad I did.
For me, this reinforces the benefit to setting a goal for something that is important to you and having a plan of action. Lastly, some discipline to stick to the plan, even if it means just committing to taking one step to get you going, will take you a long way.
What’s in your plan for the day? What will you do if your motivation hides from you for a while? Need more ideas? Please let us know.
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 Debbie is training to run her 2nd half marathon at the end of June. She’ll participate in the Seattle Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon on June 26th. Way to go Debbie!!!! The first thing Debbie did was make this a personal goal…she decided to commit to running a half marathon. She shared her goal with important people in her life (to gain support and accountability) and now quite publicly (Do you think that will increase her chance for success? You bet it will!) After she decided to take on this task, she knew she would have to come up with a training schedule and a plan of attack to get in shape. She then had to decide how she would ”work the plan.” She is currently in the process of working the plan. Debbie has a 12 week half marathon training schedule. She has blocked off days, times and distances to run in order to get her body prepared for this task. She’s joined forces with a few others training for the same event to build community and create additional support. She’s running full force forward (pun intended) with her eye on the prize (she’s decided on a way to reward herself when she’s accomplished the goal).
Without setting the initial goal, creating a plan, blocking off time to do the work and then working the plan, Debbie would most likely not do very well in this half marathon. By taking the steps that she has taken, Debbie will be ready both mentally and physically and will achieve great results.
We hope you can see how these simple steps can help you whenever you set a new goal.
1. State your goal.
2. Share your goal with others.
3.Create an action plan.
4.Schedule the tasks.
5. Work the plan.
6. Celebrate success!
What are your favorite strategies for achieving goals and following through? We’re always looking for new ideas and inspiriation.
If you have a hard time following through on your goals, please let us know. We would love to help you by creating a plan and keeping you accountable while you “work your plan.” Ask us about our packages … we’ll be happy to find the one that’s right for you and your goals.
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Are you working on establishing a new habit that will positively impact your organization or productivity? Does it feel like a lot of work? One strategy is to find ways to make it fun.
Make it fun - we’ve found this video example of how people will change their behavior if its fun. We see lots of possibility to apply this concept to the work we do with clients who want to be more organized and productive.
Planning on taking 15 minutes at the end of each day to clear off your desk, file, and put things back in their places? Do it while listening to your favorite tunes.
Stuggling with focusing on a high priority for a period of time? Call a friend or co-worker and let them know of your plans. Work hard and focus for the period you’ve decided is best for you and then call the friend or co-worker again to celebrate your accomplishment (and maybe find some other fun way to reward yourself for staying on task).
Limited on time but want to organize a space? Make it a game. Set a timer and work to “beat the clock” – organizing the space you’ve selected before the timer goes off. (I know, I know, this may work better for your kids, but you get the point.)
Watch the video above and then let us know what ideas you have for making organizing or productivity improvement fun. We’d love to hear from you and promise to share the responses with full credit. 
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 Simply Placed and some recent publicity we’ve had were featured yesterday by PR Expert Nancy Juetten on her website and blog Main Street Media Savvy.
Thanks Nancy for your interest in our efforts to be seen and heard in our own backyard and beyond, and thanks for sharing our story with your readers!
We’ve used some of the techniques Nancy recommends in her very effective Publici-tea products and programs and can highly recommend them to other businesses.
If one of your goals this year is to be seen, heard and celebrated in your own backyard and beyond, consider checking out Nancy’s solutions. They work and we’re real live proof!
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 We would love to partner with you in helping you achieve your goals this year! We are here to provide our expertise, support and encouragement along the way and to keep you accountable.
Plan for Success in 2010 package includes:
A 1 hour phone consultation where we will walk you through the process of reflection on the past year, setting SMART goals and creating an action plan to achieve your goals – simple and effective strategies that will make it happen.
Three 15 minute accountability calls where we check in, answer any questions you may have, trouble-shoot and provide you with some encouragement along the way.
The Simply Placed Time Log which you can use to identify opportunities to save time by eliminating, minimizing or delegating low priority activities.
A copy of Debbie’s new book, “Six-Word Lessons to Be More Productive” mailed to your home or office.
Investment: $150 for residential clients working with Lacey and $250 for business clients working with Debbie.
Contact us to book your package today and set yourself up for a productive 2010. Special pricing good through January 2010. We look forward to being a partner in your success!
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 If you’ve followed our last few posts, you now have a list of your goals for 2010. Next step – create an action plan. How are you planning to “make it happen?” Here are a few of our favorite strategies:
- Break your goal down into next actions. For example – what is the first thing that needs to happen to move you closer to your goal? The next action? The next? and so on …
- Schedule these tasks, or action steps, into your calendar or onto a task list, prioritized by day. (ie: what day will you work on what task?)
- Take time today to plan for tomorrow. You’ll hit the ground running come morning.
- Prioritize your tasks each day. Which one, two, or three things can you do in a day that will make the biggest difference to your business or your life? If you could only get one done, which would it be? What one thing will you commit to working on until its done, or not closing out the day without making significant progress on?
- “Eat a frog for breakfast” – which means, do the hardest thing first (yes, even before you check email first thing in the morning!).
- Stay positive – focus on what you can do that will make a difference, rather than fretting about what you don’t have control over.
- Share your goal(s) with someone else. When you speak your goal out loud and share it with others, you increas your chance for success. Ask someone to support you by holding you accountable. (A service we provide very effectively, by the way!)
- Visualize your success. How will you feel once you’ve achieved your goal?
- Reward yourself . Don’t just wait until the goal is achieved…celebrate the small wins along the way.
- Pick another goal and repeat steps 1-9. Its going to be a great year!
Let us know what you’ll be working on in the new year. We’d love to support you in any way we can. Feel free to comment below!
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 It’s that time of year again to think about what you’d like to accomplish in the next year.
Take some time to create a Master Goal list for 2010. This is a place to dump all of your big ideas and lofty goals. It gets them out of your head and on paper (or the computer), and you can choose among them as you narrow your focus and set shorter term goals for the weeks, months or quarters ahead. It’s fine to keep a list of all of your goals but be sure to pick one or two to work on at a time. Think about shorter-term goals. For many people, making a resolution for a whole year is too difficult. We prefer goals over resolutions, especially when they are written effectively and coupled with an action plan! Focus on re-wording your really big goals so that you can accomplish (and celebrate) them in more manageable parts.
Make your goals SMART - Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Really Wanted and Time Sensitive.
- Specific: Your goals should be as specific and detailed as possible. Include numbers, quantities, qualities, detailed description. All make the goal more “real”.
- Measurable: Write down your goal so it can be measured and tracked. Again, including quantites, percentages, or other units of measure will help you monitor your progress, track your results and know if you’ve really acheived your desired results.
- Attainable: If you set a challenging goal, break it down into smaller pieces to realize and celebrate success more often. Make sure its attainable for you, not for anyone else in your life.
- Really desired: We’re more likely to be motivated to take action on goals when we’re really invested in the end result. Make sure you’re working towards something you really want, not just something you think you “should” do or want.
- Time Sensitive: Give yourself a deadline…don’t fall prey to “I’d like to do this someday.” Use start and end dates.
Now, take a few minutes to come up with two SMART Goals for 2010. Be sure to share them with someone else so they can help keep you accountable and help you celebrate your accomplishments. We would love to hear what your goals are to provide you with some encouragement. Let us know how we can support you and you’ll have us in your corner every step of the way.
Here’s to your success in 2010!
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 While we’re not big advocates of setting New Year’s Resolutions just for the sake of setting resolutions, we are BIG believers in setting GOALS and for creating action plans to help you achieve your goals. Alan Lakein adapted a quote from Winston Churchill to read “Failing to Plan is planning to fail”. Are you planning for success in 2010?
Though we help clients with goal setting strategies year-round, this time of year it seems particularly relevant. Closing out one year and facing the fresh prospects of a new year is a great time for reflection, for dreaming, for goal setting and for planning. Many see a new year as a clean slate laid out before them; a chance to start something new, a chance to take a new approach, or a chance to rededicate yourself to projects, objectives or people that are important to you.
With 2010 fast approaching, now is the perfect time to reflect on the past year and prepare for the year ahead.
The first step in planning for 2010 is to reflect on 2009. You can do this by reviewing your business and marketing plan, or listing your major accomplishments and challenges of the year.
- What went well?
- What major obstacles did you come up against?
- What do you want to do differently next year?
- What did you enjoy?
- What energized you?
- What drained your energy?
- What are you most proud of?
Take a few minutes this week to sit down and reflect. Get out a notepad and write down your answers to the above questions. Once you have reviewed your past year, the next step would be to set SMART goals for the upcoming year. What will you do differently to ensure you achieve the results you want? We will be blogging about SMART Goals soon so stay tuned.
Set yourself up for success! If you’re looking for an experienced Productivity Consultant to help you effectively reflect, set SMART goals and create an action plan that will work, please let us know. We’d be honored to be a resource and to see you achieve all of your goals in 2010.
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 We were interviewed recently by Randy Woods, writer for the Seattle Times NWJobs site and blog “Hire Ground“. Randy’s post summarizes some of the tips I shared with him on how Job Seekers could use organization and productivity strategies to reach their goal (finding a new job). Three primary strategies covered in the post are Organizing your Work Space, Establishing and Action System and Maintaining a Daily Schedule. While these strategies can give a competetive edge to those in a job search, they apply to all of us.
If you are in career transition, or know someone who is, or are striving to reach another goal this month, make sure to read Randy’s post.
What are your best strategies for reaching goals? Stay tuned for more of ours as we finish out another year and prepare to start the next.
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We are very excited to announce the release of Debbie’s new book, Six Word Lessons to Be More Productive. In this book, readers get 100 practical, easy to implement, effective strategies to help you increase focus, organization and productivity at work. Find what you need when you need it, be on time with your appointments, promises and committments, work free of distraction in your office, reduce stress, improve your follow through and increase revenue. Work smarter, not harder, with systems and habits that work.
Authored by Debbie Rosemont, founder of Simply Placed in Sammamish WA, Six-Word Lessons to Be More Productive gives you 100 simple to understand six-word lessons which get you results fast. Get lots of great nuggets in the following chapters:
- Assess Your Situation, Define Your Goals
- Organize Your Space, Find Things Fast
- Use Systems to Keep it Up
- Use Your Time Wisely; Maximize Productivity
- Habits Affect Productivity, Good or Bad
- Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan
- Manage Email or It’ll Manage You
- We’ve Gotta Stop Meeting Like This
- The Paperless Society that Never Was
Each six-word lesson gives you a concise explanation of what to do (and not do) to help you increase focus, organization and productivity at work. Years of wisdom in a book you can read in an hour!
Order your Six-Word Lessons to Be More Productive book on our website, or Amazon today! This easy, yet powerful read would make a great holiday gift or stocking stuffer for someone in your life who wants to get more of the important things done.
As always, we’d love to know what you think. Happy reading!
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