Tag Goals and Objectives

How to Always Do the Next Right Thing

Steve Keating Leave a comment

I’ve been truly blessed with incredibly wise mentors throughout my life. These are people who cared enough about me to be honest. They were skilled enough communicators to deliver challenging coaching to me in a way I could accept it. They were smart enough to not ever attempt to make a decision for me. They provided all the pluses and minuses of a given decision and then stepped back to allow me to decide.

One of the best pieces of advice came from perhaps the best salesperson who ever lived. I mean that literally. His name was Tom. He sold billions of dollars’ worth of his product throughout his career to always delighted clients. I was at a point in my own career where I was feeling a little “stuck.” I wasn’t sure what I should do, so I went to Tom and asked him what he thought.

He said he couldn’t tell me specifically what to do, but in his opinion, I should do the next right thing. I had received some “interesting” coaching from Tom in the past, but this particular information seemed more “interesting” than ever. I replied to Tom that if I knew what the next right thing to do was, I wouldn’t be stuck. I also wouldn’t be asking him for advice.

He was undaunted. He said that somewhere within me I knew what the next right thing was. He said if I didn’t know, I had all the skills and knowledge needed to figure it out on my own. It was frustrating advice, but as he helped me work through my thought process, it became clear that as usual, he was correct.

He simply reminded me what I knew and where I wanted to go in life. He reviewed my Core Values with me and assured me that “the next right thing” would be found in those values and in my goals.

Determining the next right thing to do is a continual process that involves a combination of self-awareness, goal-setting, and review, prioritization, and reflection. Here’s a step-by-step guide that Tom shared with me to help me navigate this process.

1. Define or Review Your Goals

• Set Specific Goals: Break down your overarching goal into smaller, manageable tasks.

• Time-bound: Assign deadlines to each task to create a sense of urgency and structure.

2. Assess Your Current Situation

• Self-Assessment: Evaluate where you currently stand in relation to your goals.

• Identify Obstacles: Recognize any challenges or barriers that may impede your progress.

3. Prioritize Tasks

• Urgency vs. Importance: Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks based on their urgency and importance.

• High-Impact Activities: Focus on tasks that will have the most significant impact on your progress.

4. Break Down Tasks

• Small Steps: Divide larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.

• Actionable Items: Ensure each step is actionable and can be accomplished in a reasonable timeframe.

5. Stay Organized

• Planning Tools: Use planners, calendars, or project management tools to keep track of your tasks and deadlines.

• Daily Review: Review your plan daily to stay on track and make adjustments as needed.

6. Maintain Flexibility

• Adaptability: Be willing to adjust your plans as new information or opportunities arise.

• Continuous Learning: Be open to learning and improving your approach based on feedback and results.

7. Seek Feedback

• Mentorship: Seek advice from mentors or peers who’ve had experience in your area of focus.

• Reflect: Regularly reflect on your progress and identify areas for improvement.

8. Take Action

• Commitment: Commit to taking action, even if it’s imperfect. The act of moving forward is crucial.

• Consistency: Regular, consistent action, even if small, leads to progress over time.

9. Evaluate and Reflect

• Review Progress: Periodically review what you’ve accomplished.

• Learn from Mistakes: Identify what didn’t work and learn from those experiences to refine your approach.

10. Stay Motivated

• Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate small wins to stay motivated.

• Positive Mindset: Maintain a positive attitude and focus on the progress you’ve made, not just what’s left to do.

Practical Example

Let’s say your goal is to write a book. Here’s how you can apply the steps:

1. Define Clear Goals: Set a goal to write a 300-page book within a year.

2. Assess Your Current Situation: Determine your writing speed and available time.

3. Prioritize Tasks: Outline the book’s chapters and prioritize writing the most critical sections first.

4. Break Down Tasks: Break down writing each chapter into smaller tasks, such as drafting an outline, writing 5 pages per day, and revising.

5. Stay Organized: Use a calendar to schedule writing sessions and deadlines for each chapter.

6. Maintain Flexibility: If you encounter writer’s block, be willing to adjust your schedule or change your writing environment.

7. Seek Feedback: Share drafts with peers or mentors for constructive feedback.

8. Take Action: Write daily, even if it’s just a few sentences.

9. Evaluate and Reflect: Review your progress weekly and adjust your plan if necessary.

10. Stay Motivated: Celebrate finishing each chapter and keep a positive outlook on your progress.

You absolutely know what your own “next right thing” is. By following these steps, you can ensure that you bring it to the surface and use it to make progress towards your goals. Remember, ALL progress is progress, even baby steps.

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How to be Less Busy and More Productive

Steve Keating Leave a comment

Many years ago, the government awarded a grant to a major US University. The grant was to research if they could develop an artificial appendix. While it was many years ago, it wasn’t so long ago that the medical profession hadn’t already determined that the appendix was unnecessary for the body to function. When it becomes blocked they simply remove it.

But that didn’t prevent the researchers from wasting time and money busily going about their work. The problem was this: no matter what their research found, it wouldn’t be productive. That’s because no one needs an appendix, especially an artificial one.

I think one of the biggest wastes of time is becoming proficient at doing something that doesn’t need to be done at all. Truly successful people never let that happen to them. They fully understood the vast difference between being merely busy and actually being productive.

Being busy means you’re occupied with tasks. Being productive means you’re achieving results or progress towards your goals. Being busy can mean lots of movement with little outcome. Being productive is different. It involves focused effort that leads to real accomplishments.

I would even go so far as to say that if you can’t clearly state what you did on a particular day to move closer to one of your goals then you were not productive. No matter how busy you were. No matter how tired you were. No matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise.

You cannot reach your full potential by being busy. If you’re going to use your knowledge and strengths to full effect you’ve got to focus on being productive as often as possible.

So if you want to be less busy and more productive, here’s a few ideas to try.

Prioritize tasks. Identify the most important tasks and focus on them first. I can legitimately guarantee you that no human on the planet has more time than you do. What they may have is a far greater awareness of what their priorities are. When do you things in order of their importance it virtually forces you to be more productive.

Set boundaries. Learn to say no to tasks that don’t align with your goals. Saying NO is like a Superpower for highly productive people. They say no to busy work so they can say yes to productive work. Plus, they understand that no is a complete sentence. They don’t waste time giving long winded explanations about why they are saying no. Sometimes you may have to provide an explanation to avoid being rude but not nearly as often as you think.

Schedule breaks. Allow yourself time to recharge throughout the day. Most busy people eat lunch at their desks. But, the productive people enjoy lunch in the break room or a restaurant. Taking a lunch break and shutting off work, even for 15 minutes, can increase your focus and productivity. It can do so by as much as 30% in the last couple of hours of the day.

Delegate when possible. Share responsibilities with others to lighten your load. So here’s a tip especially for people in leadership positions. If you’re really leading then there are likely things that you need to do that other people can’t do. So delegate to ensure you’re not doing the things that someone else can do. Because if you’re doing something that someone else could do, then you’re NOT doing something that only you can do. That’s called being busy, not productive.

Limit distractions. Minimize interruptions like phone notifications or unnecessary  meetings. Here’s a wild idea. Turn the phone on silent, turn off the vibration setting and place the phone screen down on your desk. Or better yet, learn to use the focus settings that most smartphones have today. Remember, looking at sports scores or the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s new album might make you feel busy. But it’s likely far from the most productive thing you could be doing.

Use time blocks. Allocate specific time slots for different tasks to maintain focus. A time block is like an appointment with yourself and it’s one of the most important appointments you can have. When you set aside a couple of hours to accomplish a task don’t allow anything or anyone to interrupt you. That’s vital because that interruption will make you busier but less productive. Exactly the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish.

Review and adjust. Regularly evaluate your workload and productivity methods to make necessary improvements. It’s easy to get off track. Remaining productive in the face of distractions and other people’s priorities isn’t easy. But developing the discipline to do it consistently will pay life changing rewards.

One last thing. Be honest will yourself. It’s so easy to reward ourselves for being busy. It’s easy to fool ourselves into thinking our tiredness at the end of the day means we’ve accomplished something. Don’t fall into those traps. Don’t live a busy life. Live a productive life and you’ll never go back to being busy again.

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Getting What You Want Out of Life

Steve Keating 2 Comments

The surest way, by far, to get everything you want out of life is to set goals. But most people say they just don’t have time to set goals. These are the same people who have time to scroll through Facebook for multiple hours a day. Or binge watch a show on Netflix for hours at a time.

They have plenty of time. What they lack is priorities for their life. They want stuff, sometimes they claim to want it badly, but clearly not badly enough to actually make a plan to earn whatever the “stuff” is.

Research shows that they average person will spend nearly 40 hours planning a one week vacation. 40 hours planning one week of their life. But they won’t invest any time to plan the rest of their life.

Goals are the plans you make for the rest of your life.

Setting goals for yourself involves a combination of self-reflection, assessment of your values and priorities, and consideration of your long-term aspirations. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you determine what goals to set for yourself.

• Reflect on Your Values and Priorities: Consider what matters most to you in life. Your values serve as guiding principles that influence your decisions and actions. Ask yourself questions like:

• What brings me joy and fulfillment?

• What aspects of my life do I prioritize (e.g., career, relationships, personal development)?

• What do I want to achieve in different areas of my life (e.g., health, career, relationships, personal growth)?

• Assess Your Current Situation: Take stock of where you are currently in your life. Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis). Consider aspects such as:

• What are my current skills, knowledge, and resources?

• What challenges or obstacles am I facing?

• What opportunities are available to me?

• Identify Areas for Improvement or Growth: Based on your reflection and assessment, identify areas where you would like to see improvement or growth. These areas can be related to various aspects of your life, such as:

• Career and professional development

• Health and wellness

• Relationships and social connections

• Personal skills and hobbies

• Financial stability and security

• Set SMART Goals: Once you’ve identified areas for improvement or growth, define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. SMART goals provide clarity and focus, making it easier to track your progress and stay motivated. Ensure that your goals meet the following criteria:

• Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.

• Measurable: Determine how you will measure your progress and success.

• Achievable: Set goals that are realistic and within your reach.

• Relevant: Ensure that your goals align with your values, priorities, and aspirations.

• Time-bound: Establish a deadline or timeframe for achieving your goals.

• Break Down Your Goals: Break down your larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks or milestones. This makes your goals less daunting and helps you stay motivated as you make progress.

• Create an Action Plan: Develop a detailed action plan outlining the steps you need to take to achieve your goals. Consider what resources, support, or skills you may need along the way.

• Track Your Progress and Adjust as Needed: Regularly monitor your progress towards your goals and make adjustments as necessary. Celebrate your achievements and learn from any setbacks or challenges you encounter.

• Stay Flexible and Adapt: Life is dynamic, and circumstances may change over time. Stay flexible and be willing to adapt your goals as needed to accommodate changes in your priorities or circumstances.

By following these steps, you can effectively identify meaningful goals that align with your values and aspirations. Then you can take concrete steps towards achieving them. Remember that goal-setting is a continuous process, so regularly review and revise your goals as you work on achieving them.

Want more LeadToday? Many of you know I’m very active on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. I post a lot of free content there but I also post 6-10 minute videos two or three times a week. These videos are focused on principles of leadership and life. They are “uncommon” common sense topics designed to help people push themselves to their full potential. Every video is available to subscribers who invest $4.99 a month for their future success. If you’re willing to push yourself towards the life you want and deserve my videos may just be the extra nudge you need to get there. Find your way over to X and follow me there. Once you’ve followed me you can subscribe on a month by month basis just by clicking the subscribe button. Remember, an investment in yourself ALWAYS pays dividends! You’ll find my timeline here: twitter.com/leadtoday

How to Develop More Discipline in Your Life

Steve Keating 2 Comments

I had a conversation with a friend a while back and he said that once you have discipline in your life everything is easy. I only wish that were true. That reality is that doing hard things is hard. Discipline allows you to do them anyway. It doesn’t make them easy.

My definition of discipline is wanting something more in the future than the something that you want today. For example, having the discipline required to lose weight means you want to weigh less in the future more than you want that handful of chocolate covered raisins today. Said another way, discipline means you’re willing to give up something today so you can have something better tomorrow.

You can have more discipline in your life when you realize that discipline is a developable skill. Developing that skill is a gradual process that involves making consistent changes to your mindset, habits, and routines. Here’s how to get started.

Set Clear Goals. Discipline rises and on goals. Until you know what you want in the future you’ll have no reason to work towards it today. So begin by defining your short-term and long-term goals. You’ll need to be as specific as possible here. You should have goals in multiple areas of your life. That balance will allow you to keep moving forward when setbacks and obstacles try to knock you off track. It’s knowing what you want to achieve that provides a sense of direction and purpose. Purpose makes up the core of your discipline.

Prioritize Tasks. Instead of doing the easiest things first create a prioritized task list based on their importance and deadlines. Focus on high-priority items first. As you develop discipline it will be less likely that you look down your list and pick a lower priority task to do first. You’ll need to do everything possible to stick to your prioritized task list for at least 30 days. It’s at that point that your newfound discipline can take over.

Create a Routine. Establish a daily routine that includes dedicated time for work, rest, and personal activities. Consistency in your schedule helps develop discipline. Do NOT over schedule your calendar. “Stuff” as they say, happens. There is nothing wrong with having a gap in your calendar here and there to handle that stuff. If you completely fill your calendar everyday then when the inevitable “stuff” happens your routine is shot to hell and likely, your discipline is shot with it.

Eliminate Distractions. Identify and minimize distractions in your environment. “Distractions” may well include co-workers who lack discipline. You may need to politely decline their hallway conversations or gossip sessions. They might be using you as an excuse to procrastinate and few things can impact your personal discipline like allowing someone else’s procrastination to become your problem.

Time Management. You can’t really manage time, you get 1440 minutes a day to use as effectively as you can. So learn to manage the “events” of your day that use up that time. Set deadlines for tasks and allocate specific time blocks for different activities/events. Do not confuse “busy work” for true productivity. If an event did not contribute toward getting you closer to one of your goals or objectives then you might have been busy but it’s unlikely you were productive.

Build Habits. The most successful people know that not all habits are bad. In fact, many could be considered positive habits. Identify the positive habits in your life. To be a positive habit they need to align with your goals. Consistently practicing these habits helps automate positive behaviors and build unshakable discipline.

There are certainly other areas of focus that can help you further develop discipline in your life but these are a good place to start. Building discipline is a gradual process, and it’s important to be patient with yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day and your durable discipline won’t be either. Consistency and perseverance are key components of developing lasting discipline in life.

Stay the course because your future self will be mighty glad you did.

Yes, You DO Have Time

Steve Keating 5 Comments

There’s only one thing I don’t have time for. It’s people who tell me that they don’t have time. Everyone has enough time to accomplish all of their priorities. What many people don’t have is priorities. 

The reality is that without priorities time doesn’t matter. When everything is of equal importance then nothing is important. People without true priorities finish up their day and wonder where the time went. People with priorities and goals that align with them know exactly where their time went. It was used precisely where they intended to use it. 

So please don’t tell me you don’t have time. Tell me you can’t manage your time. Tell me you have no ability to prioritize. Tell me you just don’t know what to do next but don’t tell me you don’t have enough time.

Now I’m no time management expert. I don’t actually believe there is such a person. To manage time you would have to be able to stop it, to add to it, or borrow it from someone else. As far as I know, none of that is possible. 

So stop taking time management courses, most of the are just another waste of your time. Instead, start managing the events that use up your time. Managing the events that make up your day becomes much easier when you learn to use one word. It’s a tiny word, it’s a word than many people are offended by. It’s a word that many of us struggle to say, especially when we most need to. 

The word is NO. 

I say no to a hell of a lot of people and even more things. I, just like you, have 1440 minutes in each day. Unlike many of you, I alone decide how they will be used. I know that each day will have time devoted to family. Each day will have time devoted to work. Each day will have time set aside for fun. (Yep, each and every day) 

Some days I set aside time to do nothing. Some people don’t seem to be able to understand that particular concept. They call and ask what I’m doing on Saturday. I say I’m doing nothing. They say great, let’s do this. I reply that I can’t, I’m doing nothing on Saturday. They are very confused. For me, doing nothing is something and it’s pretty great.

I don’t blame them for being confused. One of the greatest stress producing beliefs that too many people have is that you must be doing something every waking minute of the day. Folks, I’m here to tell you that just ain’t so. 

I also have me time. My me time usually starts around 4:00am and ends around 5:00am. It’s only an hour but for me it’s an important hour. I’ll bet it would be for you too. In that hour I write stuff like this post. I do most I my social media efforts in that hour as well. I skim a few newspapers most days in that hour and it’s my time alone. No one is up in the house so I’m not taking time away from my family for me. My co-workers haven’t thought of getting out of bed yet so I’m not affecting them by focusing on me. 

5:00am to 5:30am I look at the days events and divide up my time according to the priorities my goals have set for me. Some days the number one priority might be a lunch with a colleague who needs my help. Other days it might be something I’d really rather not do but I know it must be done. There is even open time on my calendar that I allow other people to fill with their priorities because helping others is a priority for me.

Having a clear set of priorities each day will eliminate much of the day-to-day stress most people experience. Even on the days life throws you a curve and your priorities go out the window you’ll have less stress than others because you’re still in control of your time more days than not. 

So remember, when you start feeling stressed over time it’s likely of your own doing. Or more likely it’s because of what you didn’t do. You didn’t say NO!

The Absolute Unimportance of…Almost Everything 

Steve Keating 6 Comments

A former colleague of mine used to get himself worked up over the littlest things. But just when you thought he was about to blow his top he would stop, take a breath, and say out loud, “Well, the heck with it, this won’t matter in a hundred years so why worry about it now.” 

After hearing him say that about 100 times it got me to thinking what exactly will matter 100 years from now. The answer I came up with was “almost nothing.” I mean that seriously, unless I find a cure for cancer or discover life on a planet in a distant solar system most anything I do today will be long forgotten in 100 years. 

I mean this seriously too…do not take what you do too seriously. Most of us are not that big of a deal. Most of what we do is just not very important. 

Most people would disagree with that because they confuse urgent things with the important things in life. A former United States President, Dwight Eisenhower once said he had two kinds of problems, urgent and important. About those problems he said, “The urgent are not important and the important are never urgent. 

Too many people spend their time on the urgent things of life. They do so at the expense of the important things of life. If you’re not sure of the difference let me tell you how I look at it. 

Important things are activities that have an outcome that leads to us achieving our goals, whether these are personal or professional. Urgent activities are those things that we think demand immediate attention. They are usually associated with achieving someone else’s goals.  They are often the ones we concentrate on and give immediate attention to because the consequences of not handling them can be immediate. 

The most successful people have a longer view of life. They balance the important with the urgent much more effectively than less successful people. Of course one of the reasons less successful people struggle in this area is because they lack formal goals to guide them in their decision making. 

Few things in life I can guarantee more than this…if you lack real goals in life then you will spend your life helping people who do have real goals achieve theirs. 

So here’s a few of questions I’d encourage you to ask yourself on a very regular basis. How much will what I’m about to do matter in 30 days? How much will it matter in a year? How much will it matter in five years? 

Then act accordingly.

Let me give you one little example that my wife taught me many years ago. You have company coming over. The company are some friends from work. Your two toddlers have made a mess of the house. You HAVE to get the house cleaned up before the company arrives. Your kids WANT you to read them a story.

Which one is urgent and which one is important? Which one will matter down the road? When you change jobs in a few years you may not ever see those work friends again. But you’ll never get those 30 minutes of story time back again. 

The mess in the house will wait. The kids will not. 

I am always fully aware of the absolute unimportance of almost everything I do. That in no way makes me less important as a person. It in no way demeans what I do. It does allow me to have better balance in my life. It allows me to consciously make decisions to at times sacrifice the important for the urgent. But I know I’m doing it and I know why. 

I know for a fact that this post won’t matter in 100 years. But I hope it matters to someone today and I hope for your sake, that someone is you. 

Leaving Life to Chance

Steve Keating 1 Comment

Most people would describe themselves as relatively cautious. They say that they are willing to take some risks but there must be something in return. They say any risks that they do take are considered in advance. Most people are “careful,” or so they say. 

But watch them a while and ask a few, and I mean very few, questions and you’ll discover that they are in fact huge risk takers. They make huge gambles all the time. Taking chances that no truly prudent person would ever consider. 

So how would you describe yourself? Are you a person who makes well considered decisions or are you a Willy Nilly type who mostly throws caution to the wind and takes life as it comes. Asked another way…do you control your life or does your life control you?

You are free to disagree with this but I would submit to you that if you do not have written goals for your life along with a fairly detailed plan for how you will achieve those goals then you DO NOT have control over your life. 

If you’re thinking to yourself that you do have goals but they aren’t written down then you may be kidding yourself. You likely have dreams, aspirations, wants, and hopes but you DO NOT have true goals and the control over your life that comes with them. 

Write down those dreams. Write out a detailed plan that includes how much effort you’re willing to invest to make those dreams come true. Write down the date that effort will begin. Write down how many minutes or hours a day you will invest in turning that dream into an actual goal. Write down the month, day, and year you will achieve that goal. 

If you won’t invest the time to even write down the dream then other people and other events are controlling your life. If you don’t have a plan that turns your dream into a goal those other people and the events that they control will frustrate you even more than you realize.

Don’t leave your life to chance. Stop gambling that the life you want will happen as a result of other people’s plan for their lives. Stop hoping that “everything” will somehow magically turn out fine. Write out your goals and invest the time to plan them into reality. You’ll wake up every morning knowing without a doubt that you are the master of your universe. 

Without goals and plans you might as well be buying lottery tickets. Your chances of controlling those ping pong balls are about as good as your chances of controlling your life.