No Limits | The Freedom Blog™
Are You a Finisher or a Fumbler?
Written by Steven Griggs | stevengriggs.com
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task”
William James
“The way to be nothing is to do nothing”
Nathaniel Howe
“Little strokes fell great oaks”
Benjamin Franklin
There are basically two types of goals: short term and long term. Short term can mean anything from days to weeks to months. And long term could mean 5 months, 5 years or even decades.
The longer out into the future the goal is, the more danger there is in losing sight of the goal or changing or modifying your commitment to it. It may begin to seem unattainable or unrealistic.
This may be because entrepreneurs, being action oriented and optimistic, tend to underestimate the time and energy it will take to complete the necessary steps to reach the goal. We start to run out of energy before we accomplish the goal.
That's because we are usually very impatient. We don’t like having to go slowly or do it in small steps. We want it done now.
One solution is to convert your long term goal into short term steps or sub-goals.
While not losing sight of the main goal, it is crucial that the goal be broken down into bite size pieces or sub-goals that can be accomplished on a daily or weekly basis.
Smaller steps are easier to accomplish and allow you to feel rewarded when you complete each step. This in turn reinforces and encourages you to complete the next step. You actually see progress.
You can make the process easier by writing the steps down and being SMART.
SMART stands for:
Specific- Define the step clearly.
Measurable- Can you know when the step is completed?
Attainable- The step is not out of reach, it is doable.
Realistic- It must be a step you actually want to do.
Timely- Setup a time frame for completion.
I recommend keeping two separate “to do” lists. Have your long term goals written down on one list and the steps you are going to take to accomplish each goal on your daily "to do" list.
Look at the daily “to do” list and make sure you accomplish at least one of the steps needed to complete that goal each day.
Avoid keeping long “to do” lists.
Long lists become too overwhelming and burdensome. You will begin to feel like the list is not accomplishable. Another tendency is to treat your long “to do” list as a wish list of things you think you should accomplish in the future.
This can be really destructive and counterproductive. It will sap your energy just thinking about how much you have to do….
So keep your daily “to do” list short.
Not completing your projects or tasks creates weight and brings you down. The uncompleted goal is always looming over you and begins to drain your energy, desire and creativity.
So create your goals. Break them down into sub-goals. Create action steps you can take each day to meet your sub-goals. Complete your steps and sub-goals. Reach your targeted goal.
Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
Remember, you can accomplish anything you truly decide to do.
Don’t be a fumbler, become a finisher.
