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Smart Goals, Prioritising And Mini Tasks.
Objective: To understand that my current goals need to be verified and prioritised. To create a list of verified and prioritised Mini tasks to stabilise my current position.
Date : 29/08/2016
Author Information
Uploaded by : Shaf
Uploaded on : 29/08/2016
Subject : Business Skills
In all fairness you may have started out with clear transparent sensible structured goals and along the way something happened and slowly but surely you find yourself meandering dangerously away from your initial intent?A well-known method of goal setting is SMART. Specific, Measureable, Achievable, realistic and timed. Use this to verify that you are manifesting your vision and not just being busy for the sake of being busy.Examples of goals could be:
Later
 
Not importantoutsourceReject You may have seen the Eisenhower decision matrix (The above table is derived from it) but never known its name. This well-known grid is based on the 34th president of the USA (term: 1953-1961)  Dwight D. Eisenhower: who was reputed to have said: "I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent." From the above grid that was derived from that statement one can only assume that he had only tasks that could be outsourced or done later!Where ever the grid comes from, it allows a method to prioritise and streamline tasks where you can find no other rule.If we add a red amber and green traffic light situation to it you can see what needs to be done now by you or others, what can wait (whosoever does it) and what really need not bother you.Now would be Bright greenOutsource would be darker greenLater would be amberReject would be red.Lets apply the grid to the goals and issues above to get an idea of how this could work.Time and sequence order is the key to placing tasks in the right box..Now
 
· nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Write a blog on the best locations you have fished in London by the end of today and get feedback or likes.
· nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Advertise your mini course in 3 professional fishing magazines
 
 
Later
· nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp To film a 4 part mini online course about fly fishing, of 30 minutes per section in two weeks time.
· nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Contact and submit an article about the latest fly fishing accessories to 3 professional fishing magazines, by the end of month
 
 
Not importantOutsource
· nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Take 20 pictures of people fly fishing in Londons top locations.
· nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Research the latest news on fishing tackle boxes online.
· nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Interview a fly fishermans top 10 fly rods
 
Reject
 
You can now place these in logical order in a timeline or calendar of events and carry them out knowing that they make sense when completing.Dont forget, this depends on the speed of your business completing its tasks which can vary from company to conpany and team to team and person to person. This is covered later in SCRUM.Now
Some people skip this step in the hope that they can just do things faster or are eager to get going hoping things will be clearer as they go. The old adage: Work smarter not harder will soon make itself felt if you try that.Its best to take a little time and get this right so you can relax later on knowing that you have planned this stage correctly which reduces stress and allows for you to focus on giving value when executing.I personally have to plan for 450+ kids for a 40 week period each year and this means multiple linked lessons that have to make sense have congruency and not feel disjointed. I can look at the time I actually have with them and then omit or reject areas that are not important or essential in order to fit the best stuff in.That can take up to two weeks pure hard work planning researching thinking about content and relationships and timing and just plain common sense and by using the Decision matrix. I never start new tasks at the end of a term when the kids are winding down for a holiday and I never place a writing task before the kids have time to research. You dont have to prioritise and verify workload but if you really want to reduce stress, and improve productivity its a jolly good way to go about it and I strongly advise it.DesignWrite down 20 SMART goals you have this month from big to small. Dont worry about the order. Just add the ones that come to you and make sure they are as small as you can get them.You will know they are small enough when you think: I could finish that in a couple of hours or so. nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp
Try to chunk them into really tiny tasks. I call them Mini Tasks for a reason. If they are too big, you wont even get started!
 UrgentNon Urgentimportant
Now
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Later
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Not importantOutsource
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reject
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here is a Decision Matrix for the next month. Take time to chunk down your goals into smaller parts until you have all your tasks placed.
Place your new order of tasks here:
 TaskDone (Y/N)1 nbsp2 nbsp3 nbsp4 nbsp5 nbsp6 nbsp7 nbsp8 nbsp9 nbsp10 nbsp11 nbsp12 nbsp13 nbsp14 nbsp15 nbsp16 nbsp17 nbsp18 nbsp19 nbsp20 nbsp
DevelopIn the next week see how many of these actionable mini tasks you can achieve. Tick off each one as you go.
TestAfter a week come back and take a real good look at the results so far. How do you feel you have done? Is there a better way for you to do each?If you have to, redo the table and this time add tasks you know you can do, not impossible ones that you should but cant! Keep chunking down and adapting them until you get a series of thing you know you can and will do. Its not a matter of always going out of your comfort zone, there is quite a bit within your comfort zone you can do and do really well. Use that for now.EvaluateWhat other ideas do you have about using SMART goals, prioritising and chunking by yourself to realign your tasks now?
 
What have I discovered?
This resource was uploaded by: Shaf