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| Organizing solutions for your work, home and life! |
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| Setting Priorities for the Business of Your Life |
How many times have we heard someone say “get your priorities in the right order”? It's usually a parent to a
child.
The funny thing is that children are less likely to have their priorities in the right order because they'd first have
to know what they value as a whole and have them written down, and then put develop priorities to put in order.
Let’s be honest, not many adults take the time to think about their goals, put them down in black and white and
then plan their lives from there either.
Riding the Train of Life
I’ll put it another way, not having goals or setting priorities is the same as if we went to a train station and got on
the very first train that pulled in without knowing where it would take us, or what stop we would be getting off.
We would be traveling with no destination in mind.
When we don’t set goals for our personal lives or prioritize our activities, we’re just going for a ride on the train
called Life.
The best priority and time management experts will tell you that setting goals and prioritizing our daily activities
starts with knowing what our “governing values” or overall objectives are in life. Having clearly defined values
and objectives allows us to be ready to make decisions on what things we want to do, and when we’ll do them.
This is the same steps that businesses take. So let’s look at things a little differently, and take a look at
planning in our personal lives as you plan in a business.
The Business of Life
Most businesses start with a business plan. This document is usually the rule book for business structure and
is the groundwork for day to day operations.
In business planning, most companies will lay out short term and long term goals based on their overall
business objectives. These business objectives are translated and broken down into 1, 3 and 5 year plans.
Each business year, executives lay out the specific products, programs or services they need provide in order
to achieve their goals. Marketing activities and sales plans are broken down by quarterly objectives.
Setting Your Life Goals
Now this may not sound foreign to you when you think about it in terms of work. But the real value is in applying
these same concepts to your personal life.
What’s your life's business plan? What objectives have you set for your life?
So once you’ve got your mission statement. Now it’s time to lay out your business objectives or what
you could also call your governing values. What are they?
Now, what are your short term and long term goals? Lay out 1, 3 and 5 year goals.
Measurable
Action-oriented
Realistic
Tangible
Now that you have your goals, what are the projects and tactics that you need to put in place to reach
them?
Set realistic dates with immediate and intermediate time frames to accomplish your tasks.
Market your new “life” business plan.
Build in your own rewards system.
Review and re-assess your goals every 6 months. Do they still make sense? Do you need to make
adjustments to your time frame or your task lists?
So to review, when setting your goals and objectives for your life, just like in business planning:
Laying out your life’s business plan doesn’t have to be an overwhelming project. Taking it step by step
makes things more manageable and helps you set SMART goals that will help you reach your objectives
and feel good about the priorities you’ve set for your life.
child.
The funny thing is that children are less likely to have their priorities in the right order because they'd first have
to know what they value as a whole and have them written down, and then put develop priorities to put in order.
Let’s be honest, not many adults take the time to think about their goals, put them down in black and white and
then plan their lives from there either.
Riding the Train of Life
I’ll put it another way, not having goals or setting priorities is the same as if we went to a train station and got on
the very first train that pulled in without knowing where it would take us, or what stop we would be getting off.
We would be traveling with no destination in mind.
When we don’t set goals for our personal lives or prioritize our activities, we’re just going for a ride on the train
called Life.
The best priority and time management experts will tell you that setting goals and prioritizing our daily activities
starts with knowing what our “governing values” or overall objectives are in life. Having clearly defined values
and objectives allows us to be ready to make decisions on what things we want to do, and when we’ll do them.
This is the same steps that businesses take. So let’s look at things a little differently, and take a look at
planning in our personal lives as you plan in a business.
The Business of Life
Most businesses start with a business plan. This document is usually the rule book for business structure and
is the groundwork for day to day operations.
In business planning, most companies will lay out short term and long term goals based on their overall
business objectives. These business objectives are translated and broken down into 1, 3 and 5 year plans.
Each business year, executives lay out the specific products, programs or services they need provide in order
to achieve their goals. Marketing activities and sales plans are broken down by quarterly objectives.
Setting Your Life Goals
Now this may not sound foreign to you when you think about it in terms of work. But the real value is in applying
these same concepts to your personal life.
What’s your life's business plan? What objectives have you set for your life?
- Take the time to develop your mission statement. Your mission statement says a lot about you. It
indicates what you characteristics you aspire to have and what you want to get done in life. - Think of it as what you’d want others to say bout you one day.
So once you’ve got your mission statement. Now it’s time to lay out your business objectives or what
you could also call your governing values. What are they?
- Governing values basically decide what you do with your life. Ask yourself what are the things that are
really important to you? (A list could include spending more quality time together, being able to send
your children to college, owning your home or retiring by a certain age.) - Write them down in well formed statements. Don’t just put down a couple of words, flesh it out, read it
out loud. Make sure that is says what you really want it to say.
Now, what are your short term and long term goals? Lay out 1, 3 and 5 year goals.
- Do you want to have a certain amount of money saved within 3 years? Do you want to change careers
within 5 years? Are you planning on moving? Whatever your goals, setting realistic time frames are
important.
- The age old SMART goals criteria are the best way to start. The criteria states that your goals have to be:
Measurable
Action-oriented
Realistic
Tangible
Now that you have your goals, what are the projects and tactics that you need to put in place to reach
them?
- This is where you start breaking down your overall objectives into smaller manageable projects.
- If you want to build your savings account up, what will you cut back on? Will you need to open up a
separate account to track your savings? Will you need to set up a payroll deposit in this new account?
Set realistic dates with immediate and intermediate time frames to accomplish your tasks.
- What are you going to do in the next month, three months or six months to reach your goals?
- When do you really think you can accomplish each task on your list?
- Your decisions about your time and resource (aka money) can now be made according to the priorities
you've laid out.
Market your new “life” business plan.
- Share your goals and objectives with your friends and family. This will help make your goals more real
to you and let the key people in your life be a part of your journey. - If they know what you’re aiming for they can be valuable resources in helping you accomplish your
goals. - Getting them on your side early in the plan will make it easier for them to understand if you have to
make sacrifices that could affect them.
Build in your own rewards system.
- Each time you reach a milestone or a goal, take the time to stop and tell yourself “Job well done.”
Becoming your own cheering squad is a key part of reaching your own goals. - Each accomplishment becomes a stepping stone to the next item on your list. Taking the time to stop
and enjoy your achievements gives you positive reinforcement for continuing on your path.
Review and re-assess your goals every 6 months. Do they still make sense? Do you need to make
adjustments to your time frame or your task lists?
- If you did the process right, your plan won’t need any major overhauls, but it may need a few minor
adjustments as things unfold. That’s normal. - Learn from each mistake and accomplishment. Analyze what you’ve done and if it worked or didn’t work
well. Write down what you did and refer to it the next time to see how much you are progressing. - Reviewing your goals can help give your self confidence a boost in case you feel like you’re not
progressing as fast as you’d like to.
So to review, when setting your goals and objectives for your life, just like in business planning:
- Be sure to write your plans down.
- Make them realistic
- Make them interesting
- Check them to make sure they are still current and valid.
Laying out your life’s business plan doesn’t have to be an overwhelming project. Taking it step by step
makes things more manageable and helps you set SMART goals that will help you reach your objectives
and feel good about the priorities you’ve set for your life.
