Posted on: 25 November, 2002
Author: Peter Simmons
These days we are all busy and under pressure to ... more into our working day. Often, we are so ... and earning a living that we lose sight of ... This is ... true when y These days we are all busy and under pressure to squeezeever more into our working day. Often, we are so busyworking and earning a living that we lose sight of ourgoals. This is especially true when you run your ownbusiness. You are so busy actually running your businessthat you lose sight of the reasons that you started it inthe first place and the goals you want to achieve. Theproblem is that all the time you are not absolutely focusedand working towards your goals, you and your business aregoing in another direction altogether. The wrong direction!How do you get back on track and heading in the rightdirection?Okay, admit it, when was the last time you actuallyscheduled some quality time to identify your goals and adirection for your business? Last week, last month, lastyear, never? If you are like most busy business people, youprobably havent done it for some time at least. Well, todayI'm here to tell you to STOP! Yes, STOP RIGHT NOW and take abreather. Renew that vision, that passion, that excitement.Take some time out and put yourself and your business backon track. Its not difficult to do, it just takes a littleinvestment of your time thats all.Start by getting out of your usual work environmentaltogether. Go somewhere relaxing like a coffee bar or apark. Now, think about what you and your business do and howyou do it. Reassess all aspects of your business and worklife. Try to think creatively and of the bigger picturerather than your usual point of view. Consider how othersfit into the picture. Ask yourself some difficult questionsand explore your answers a little. Write your answers andthoughts down as you work through them - it makes it easierto see them clearly.Here's some questions to consider and get you started in theright area. Add other questions as you feel necessary:Why did you start your business?How do you do things now?How could you do things better?How do your competitors compare?What do you offer that is unique?What direction are you going in?What direction do you want to go in?What are your goals?What steps are you taking to reach those goals?What opportunities are you missing?What opportunities do you want?What position do you want to be in 5, 10, 15, 20 years time?Spend some time thinking through your answers and reflectingon them. The more you do that the more your business willbenefit. Dont forget to keep writing things down for clarityand future reference. Now with those things in mind makesome important decisions and identify two things:1. the precise goals you want to achieve,2. the time frame you want to achieve them within.Write them down. Now all you need is a good plan to achievethose goals. Break the goals down into smaller moremanageable tasks and schedule them over your specified timeframe. Break them down into weekly and daily tasks. Writethose daily and weekly tasks into your diary and number themin priority order, number 1 being highest priority. Do thehighest priority tasks first each day and tick off each taskas you complete it. If you dont complete a task that day puta cross next to it and reschedule it onto another day.Doing it this way helps you stay focused in the rightdirection at all times and aware of using your timeeffectively. Keep focused on your goals and work to yourplan every single working day, throughout the day. I arrangemy whole weeks schedule on Sunday evening, so that i knowwhat i must be doing at all times throughout the week. Atthe end of the week you can review what you completed andplan the next week accordingly.You now have a plan that is taking you in the direction youwant to go in - towards your goals. The more focused you arethe more effective you are. Use this new opportunity andfocus to renew your concentration and double your efforts.Every time you complete a task you are another step neareryour goal. What are you waiting for? Get started right nowand build the future you've always wanted. You can do it.Good luck! Article Tags: Stop Right, Some Time Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com