Is the goal to reach the goal?

In this fast and crazy world, we want to multitask at all times. After all, how else can we accomplish everything that needs to be done in just 24 hours? We have been taught that if we reach all our goals in one day, one week, one month, or one year, we are successful. What they have not taught us when it comes to achieving objectives is that quality counts and also the amount of effort put in.

Our tendency is to set many goals, especially at work, for a given day or week, and then feel discouraged or disappointed when we don’t achieve them all. In fact, we usually have to move them to the next day or the next week. The first step to feeling a sense of accomplishment and completion is to set just 3 goals for a day, a week, a month that HAVE to be met. Why only 3? On an average day, we can’t anticipate all the other things that will capture our attention. We get called to a meeting, we get a time-consuming phone call, we get a request that requires a search, we notice an article of interest that we want to read, etc. If we don’t allow these other time-consuming things, then we’re not being realistic about what we can accomplish in a day. The same happens with a month: unexpected family situations, trips, illnesses, new projects, etc.

So how do we achieve 3 goals in one day and achieve them well with little effort? It is better known as undivided focus and attention. The key word is not divided: our attention remains FULLY on the task at hand. The distractions, the pulls, the unimportant but more interesting, do not keep us from what needs to be done at that moment. If you pay attention to the task in front of you and don’t let distractions interfere, you will notice the ease with which the task is accomplished. Even if it’s something you’ve been putting off and dreading, simply setting aside time and focusing on it will result in one less thing on your plate. Ironically, the more attention you pay to it and the more focused you are on the task at hand, the less effort you’ll feel to complete it. If you let any of the distractions get in the way and think you’re multitasking, what you’re really doing is flitting between lots of different things and not giving any one of them your full attention. The result: a little bit of this and a little bit of that is done with mediocre quality and feels like it takes a lot of effort.

Invitation to Experiment:
Set 3 or more goals for a given day, for a week, for a month, of which 3 HAVE to be met. That may mean letting her answer the answering machine, turning off cell phone and instant messaging, going to another desk or conference room. Fully focus your attention on one thing at a time and notice how they are accomplished, and see if it feels different than usual.

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