Linking Purpose To Everyday Behaviors

How do you know what's the best use of your time right now?

Link your daily behavior to your purpose.

You'll make better choices and see the value in seemingly insignificant or trivial tasks. It keeps you focused on doing what needs to be done to get what you say you want.

It's one thing to say what you want, to choose projects that will get you what you want, and set goals that will achieve those projects. But, you still have to do the work. You still have to pay the price by just doing it.

Linking your purpose to your daily behaviors underlines the responsibility and the discipline you need to complete your projects.

Having an overall objective and doing what needs to be done gets priority. You can make your choices about what you are doing consciously, knowing that every little bit helps.

For example, one of your projects in support of your purpose of a successful one-person business may be getting a web site to promote your business.

Choosing to bring your lunch rather than spending eight dollars at the café every day is obviously the right choice. By doing the math, you quickly see you'll save about $150 a month on lunch. Putting that money aside will get you your new web site that much faster.

It's the little things done consistently and persistently that make the huge difference in achieving our projects, whatever our projects are.

Even with marketing and sales. New behavioral research has shown smaller tasks done more often are more effective in reaching your goals than larger projects done less frequently. Even if a larger project puts you in front of more people, it still isn't as effective as more frequent, smaller contacts.

Build in momentum sustainers. If you're like most people you start out a new project enthusiastically, and then lose track of it in the bustle of all your other obligations.

By building in appointments with people to check in with, and appointments with yourself for review, you force yourself to be accountable. You might want to set up weekly goals for yourself, or make an agreement to accomplish specific tasks by your next check in date.

Additional techniques for linking daily behaviors and long-term projects include:

• Remind yourself what to do to support your purpose. Put up reminder notes around your house to keep your purpose front and center.

• Figure out how long specific tasks take so you won't skip out by telling yourself it takes too long or you don't have the energy. At one point I decided I would get more serious about keeping up my database. I had told myself it was too big a hassle to do and I would wait until I had a lot and then find someone to do it for me. I was embarrassed to discover entering new contacts weekly actually took fifteen to twenty minutes.

• Use lost, or fiddle time, to punch a hole in a bigger project. I always take work with me when I go on appointments. I can read an article, review my appointments for the next day, make a quick call on my cell phone in those times that would other wise be wasted.

• Build in an artificial deadline and put yourself on a schedule. Play a game with yourself, and even reward yourself, for being a good kid when you've done one of those necessary but not fun little jobs.

• Give yourself credit for what you have done and the hassles and work it was to accomplish it. I live in a wonderful town. When I tell people where I live, their reaction is usually "You're so lucky to get to live there." Luck had nothing to do with it. It's part of a project I have in giving myself the business and life style I want.

(c) 2004, Pat Wilklund. All rights in all media reserved.

About The Author

Business coach Pat Wiklund works with entrepreneurs who want to make and keep more money from their businesses. Assess your one-person business with her free business tune up ecourse: pat3-32222@autocontractor.com.

Contact Pat at pat@leadinganorganizationofone.com.

---

Desktop Management Boosts Productivity

Many of us spend long hours at our desk. To... Read More

Time Well Spent

It is common knowledge that creating and living according to... Read More

Handling Procrastination

"TIME CANNOT BE 'MANAGED.' THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF TIME MANAGEMENT... Read More

Keeping YOUR Calendar Full

When do you want to make time for a networking... Read More

Time Is Everything

Time is wealth;Time is health; Time is power; Time is... Read More

More Time Wanted? Deal with Your Time-wasters Now!

Ever feel that you spend too much time shoring up... Read More

Time Management: How to Make Your Meetings More Productive

In most organizations, meetings are often the biggest time-wasters. With... Read More

Effective Use of Your Online Time

The Internet is increasingly becoming a major time killer for... Read More

Make Time Work For You

Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More

Are You Really Swamped or Just Disorganized

"Time is what we need the most and what we... Read More

Do You Over Promise and Under Deliver?

A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More

Time Management: Which Advice to Follow?

There are so many books on Time Management published every... Read More

Time Management? NO!

Many people want to be coached to manage their time... Read More

The Rule of Three

It's amazing how many sayings there are in our culture... Read More

The Laundry Has Never Been More Fun Or The Pitfalls To Working At Home

As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as... Read More

10 Ways to Take Back Your Time

I've divided my tips into two sections - 5 ways... Read More

Time Management for Sales Pros

According to a Miller Heiman 2003 Sales Effectiveness Study, over... Read More

Four Steps To Make Your Day Dynamic!

There are two ways to start your day. The first... Read More

How Are You Viewing Your Time?

In working with and coaching people across the country, one... Read More

Oh, My Goodness! Where Has the Time Gone?

It's 6:00 a.m. I'm awake. I'm pumped! I'm ready to... Read More

Work at Home Moms: Time Management Tips

"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More

How Would You Like to Capture Some Time?

Women's health issues often are focused on goals to reach:... Read More

7 ways To Win The Time Crunch

Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More

Vilfredo Paretos Principle: The 80-20 Rule: 80% of Results are Produced from 20% of Efforts

Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More

Procrastination: Why We Do It and How to Change

PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college,... Read More

Time Management

Isn't it amazing that some people can produce huge results... Read More

Balancing Your Work, Family and Social Life

Balancing Your Work, Family and Social Life... Read More

Painful Cost of Working Yourself to Death

We all know the harmful effects of overwork. People get... Read More

The WIT to WIN

What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More

How to Make More Time For Your Life

Do you wish you could work less and play more?... Read More

Effective Time Management Techniques

TIME MANAGEMENTWith the creation of the universe, God gave humankind... Read More

Is the Goal to Reach the Goal?

In this fast and crazy world, we want to multi-task... Read More

Making More Efficient Use of Your Time

You can lose, damage or waste some things in life,... Read More