How to reach your goals with a simple trick

Are your team members full of good intentions, but somehow things don't really seem to change? In this article we will take a look at a simple trick that can help you to affect change, drive motivation and help you and your team to reach your goals.

Why is it that achieving change and reaching our goals can be so difficult? Is it because we tend to only define our goals at a superficial level? Or do we forget to monitor those goals? Are we too easily frustrated with the lack of results? Too optimistic? Do we lack patience? Are we too stressed to pick out what really matters?

It can be difficult to understand where we are going wrong.

A Personal Effectiveness Exercise 

Recently, I delivered a course on Personal Effectiveness for a well-known IT company that excels in its field. The session was aimed at seven young participants who had the desire to become more effective in their work, to reduce stress and to know how to set their priorities and separate the urgent from the important.

At the beginning of the training, I asked them to write down the most important things that they wanted to achieve at work over the next six months.

“What are you looking to achieve?” I asked.

At first stage, they were puzzled. “What do you mean?" 

“I’d like to decrease the time I spend on meetings...“ someone said.

“That’s not really what I mean,” I answered.

I needed some more questions to put them on track.

“What is your added value to this organization? How does your work contribute to the positive results of this company? Why do they pay you?”

These challenges made the group feel challenged and they really liked it! Some of them commented that they’re not used to think like this. Daily work, mails, projects and deadlines take over.

After half an hour everyone had defined the most important contributions they make (or should make) to their organization. At the end of the morning, everyone left with three important focus points (as with a camera) for the coming months, written down on three separate post-its and of course with some tools to maintain that focus.

No action plans, no “to-do” lists. Just three motivating and visualized added values they feel they can bring, and a way to challenge themselves to work on every day.

“This is amazing” one participant said. “This really motivates me!”

Make the Exercise Fun

Sometimes I ask myself, does every change really need 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration, as they say? I think nothing is as hard as trying to change things if you force yourself to do so and don’t see the fun of it.

I recommend that you take just 30 minutes to write down three things that are really important for you. Look at them every morning before you start working and let your brain know them. It will help you to make the right decisions throughout the day and prioritize your activities. Look at them at the end of the day and ask yourself whether you are satisfied with how you spent your time.

Be sure to make it fun, too!