How to Make Goals Specific & Measurable

Posted on December 24, 2005 by dailyplanit

Goals that are clearly defined are specific and measurable. Measures motivate as they enable us to see progress (or a lack of it).

The best measures are:

• Meaningful
• Evidence of accomplishment
• Target key drivers of change
• Reveal results
• Include sensory descriptions
• Clear and simple language
• Specific

Meaningful measures are relevant to results. They are clearly connected to the desired outcomes or results. Learn more about objectives and key results at How to Choose VIP AIMS.

Evidence of accomplishment. Anything that is observable can be counted, and if it can be counted, it is measurable. – from “How to measure anything” by Douglas Hubbard. See 7 Simple Principles for Measuring Anything

Target key drivers of change. The most significant actions with the greatest impact.

Reveal results. Explain how to achieve the desired outcome.

Include sensory descriptions. Choose sensory words that describe evidence of the result. Use language that describes what we and others would see, hear, feel, do, taste or smell if our result was happening now. – From Stacey Barr, author of “Prove It!” See Five Steps to Find the Right Measures.

Clear and simple language. Choose simple words that are very clear. Try entering your value statement into the simple writer tool at https://xkcd.com/simplewriter/.

Specific. Define goals and measures in definite terms. Ask the right questions.

Learn more about objectives and key results at How to Choose VIP AIMS.

I struggled with making goals specific and measurable until I discovered a simple formula at this Small Business Success website. “I will (goal + performance measure) BY (specific actions).” Here is an example of how it works:

I will (lose weight)
By doing what? (by exercising)
When? How often? How much? How many? (Every morning I will do aerobic exercise that will increase my heart to 155 beats per minute for 30 minutes) Note: for information on how to calculate your own target heart rate zone, visit MissouriFamilies.org
Measured by (heart rate monitor, mark calendar)

What we measure improves (Pearson’s Law)- “That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”

If you can not measure it you can not improve it. – Lord Kelvin

MEASURES MATTER – Use MEASURES to quantify results

Metrics – provide a quantitative assessment of performance, like these examples for two of twelve life areas. Find more ideas for goal metrics at An Annual Review.

Physical: weight, body mass index, blood pressure
Financial: Income, savings, investments, net worth

Explain how much, how many – think of STAMP to Always Be Communicating Value

Saved, served, sold, supervised
Time
Amounts
Money made
Percentages

Add checkmarks to a chart – an example would be a Seinfeld chart to track progress in developing a habit.

Steps to completion – a measure of productivity is how many tasks per day are completed on your to-do list.

Use numbers – like “10 % increase in sales,” “supervised 5 people,” “saved $50 a month for a year,” etc.

Rating scales – a rating scale can be used to measure abstract values. One kind of rating scale is the Likert scale.

Some goals are downright difficult measure. If you want to be a better parent, how do you measure that? It can be helpful to do some research. What actions are most likely to get you closer to your goal? What do good parents do? Or look at parents who do not excel at it and turn it around to do the opposite.

Examples of challenges met – use CARE to describe a time that you faced a

Challenge and took…
Action for a…
Result to find…
Examples

Success file – keep a success file of projects completed, and remember to celebrate before you choose a new goal in the planning process.

John Doerr talks about Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in his book “Measure What Matters” and his TED talk “Why the Secret to Success is Setting the Right Goals” (11:51).

Find charts and forms to track progress at the Goal Toolkit, This post is part of the How to Set Goals tutorial.

Posted in goals

Get Real

Posted on December 18, 2005 by dailyplanit — Leave a comment

To get real means to apply complete honesty to yourself, and to see the world as it really is. It means facing the truth about everything in your life. It means taking the time to really look. It means acknowledging that maybe you aren’t in actual fact exercising as much as you say you are, and maybe you’re eating more unhealthy foods than you’d like to admit. Are you really happy with your job and your relationships? Are you truly being the best you can be? The truth can hurt, but we can only change that which we see. If you’re fooling yourself, that makes you the fool. The truth will set you free.

Posted in personal development

15 little words to make your spouse happy

Posted on December 15, 2005 by dailyplanit

Today’s entry is from an Ann Landers column. The 15 words for husbands to keep their wives happy are: I love you. You look great. Let’s eat out. Can I help? It’s my fault. The 15 words for wives to keep their husbands happy are: You’re so sexy! Dinner is ready. I hate shopping. You’re a genius! Here’s the remote.

Posted in love & relationships

Organizing Recipes

Posted on December 13, 2005 by dailyplanit — 3 Comments

Recipes are difficult to organize because they come in so many different sizes and shapes. I have two sizes of card files and also use a computer program and print out recipes to keep in a binder. It’s good to have a “recipes to try” file and select one to try each week. Keep only the ones that are really excellent.

CookBookRecipeIndex

An idea from the book “Totally Organized” by Bonnie McCullough is to make a recipe index by listing favorite recipes with the page number and name of the cookbook they are in. You could set up a database searchable by type of recipe or ingredients if you feel very ambitious, but even a simple wordprocessing document is helpful. A Cookbook Recipe Index is included in the Simply Dinner Cookbook.

See also: Household Binder Notebook and Free Printables @Pinterest: Household Binder Notebook – Meals

Posted in productivity

Dr Harley on Needs

Posted on December 11, 2005 by dailyplanit — 1 Comment

My recent interest in the subject of needs led me to read the book “Give and Take” by Dr Willard Harley. It was an eye-opening experience. Besides talking about Love Busters and the ten most important emotional needs, he says there are two illusions. The first illusion is that care and protection in marriage should be given unconditionally. The reality is they are given when they are received. The second illusion is that spouses should love and accept each other as they are and shouldn’t try to change each other. The reality is that love and acceptance depend on the changes made to accommodate each other. “It is the epitome of selfishness to assume that we should be loved and cared for regardless of the way we treat others.” The policy of joint agreement is “Never do anything without an enthusastic agreement between you and your spouse.” The interests of both people are equally important. His Marriage Builders website is packed with useful information.

Posted in Books, love & relationships

To Get Clear on Goals, Look at Needs

Posted on December 9, 2005 by dailyplanit — 1 Comment

Looking at what we need and want is a way to bring goals into focus.

Background image created by Waewkidja – Freepik.com

Needs are essentials for survival, while wants are things that would be nice to have. As basic needs are met, higher needs become more important. Look at what you need and want from yourself and from others, as well as what others need and want. Identify needs and wants in all life areas.

AREA:	POSSIBLE NEEDS & WANTS:
Mental (to learn)	Information, challenges, freedom
Spiritual (to grow)	Meaning, purpose, principles, character
Emotional (to receive & to give)	Recognition, respect, affection, support, understanding, kindness
Relationship (to share)	Appreciation, consideration, love, romance
Social (to connect)	Interaction with others, communication, friendship, family, belonging
Physical (to care for)	Food, shelter, rest, exercise
Financial (to work)	Contribution, achievement, security
Recreational (to enjoy)	Fun, new experiences

Look at each area in the context of the other areas. A needs analysis will help you get clear on your needs in a relationship.

Posted in goals

Time Table

Posted on December 9, 2005 by dailyplanit — 5 Comments

3-things-x-4-methods-

3 x 4 = Time management. Here’s how to manage three things: activities, spaces (home, office, desk and the objects within them) and information with four methods: evaluate, simplify, increase effectiveness, and increase efficiency.

Peter Drucker said: “Efficiency is doing the job right. Effectiveness is doing the right job.

Efficiency-is

Evaluate

Activities-What do you want to do?
Space-What do you want to have?
Information-What do you want to know?

Simplify

Activities-Eliminate time wasters. Delegate. Learn how to say no.
Space-Declutter to eliminate things you don’t want.
Information-Select the best information.

Increase Effectiveness

Activities-Set priorities. Do the most important things first.
Space-Focus effort on the most important areas.
Information-Focus on the most important information.

Increase Efficiency

Activities-Determine peak time. Focus and concentrate. Change habits. Set up routines and systems.
Space-Organize the things you do want. Use prime space for valued and frequently used items. Keep things near where they are used. Design an efficient workspace.
Information-Organize the information you do want. Set up a file system.

TimeTable

Check out more ways to set priorities and find the sweet spot. See also the Productivity Board at Pinterest.

Posted in productivity

The joy of giving

Posted on December 8, 2005 by dailyplanit — 4 Comments

Not so Random Acts of Kindness

Sharing is one of the building blocks of positive shift that have been shown to make us happier. It doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Make it easy to remember to share with these simple gifts of appreciation that can be used for Random Acts of Kindness.

GiftTags

Download a printable copy of these tags for Gifts of Appreciation

Here are a few of my favorites:

You always come through in a CRUNCH! Thank you! (with a Nestle Crunch bar)
Just donut know what we would do without you! (with donuts)
We love how you roll! (with cinnamon rolls or Rollos)
You are Extra special! or Thanks for going the Extra mile! (with Extra gum)
You are the bear-y best! (with gummy bears or Teddy Grahams)
Have we told you Reese-ently how much we appreciate you? (with Reese’s peanut butter cups or Pieces)
Congratulations! Egg-celent work! (with Cadbury egg)
Thanks a latte for all you do! (with Starbucks gift card)
You’re a lifesaver! Thank you very much (with lifesavers)
You did a tea-rific job! or You are tea-rific (with assorted teas)

These profound lyrics from a Christmas song sum it up:

Giving (Santa’s Theme) by Johnny Mathis (on Youtube 1.55-)

In this whole world that we live in,
There is one pure joy that ev’ryone can share:
The joy of giving
To the people for whom we care.
When you give love in small ways,
You’ll know it’s always there.
To be giving and forgiving
Is to understand the joy of living.
What’s so hard about giving?
It’s a perfectly simple art.
The trick is to give with love from the start
And to give with an open heart…

More ideas at the Gifts of Appreciation Pinterest Board

Posted in personal development, positive shift

Blogger vs WordPress

Posted on December 7, 2005 by dailyplanit — 1 Comment

I began blogging with Blogger, which is very easy to use. But I wanted categories. I wanted categories bad. As someone who likes their information organized this was important. I looked for something similar to searchenginewatch that would chart the features of different blog sites, to no avail. So when I stumbled across WordPress I was quite excited! They have categories! Yeah! You can even make new pages with tabs! Whee! But I discovered a few things in WordPress that are oddly not easy at all: Adding “Subscribe” buttons, lack of access to html page templates, inability to add a tagline to the page title. Or maybe it’s just that I’m still learning. Anyway, the plus of categories outweighs all else as I happily switch to WordPress. A happy ending, or a happy beginning?!

Posted in information management

Daily Planning

Posted on December 4, 2005 by dailyplanit — 18 Comments

Planning is thinking, and the ability to plan is one of the skills employers want. Planning is an important skill for setting goals, planning and evaluating projects, and one of the elements of producitivty. Having a Weekly Plan and a Daily Plan will help you get off to a great start. (a free printable Planner Checklist can help.)

PLAN your TIME today!

Plan for the day by reviewing your calendar, to do list, and weekly plan.
Look at your value statement and guide your choices based on your values.
Act on priorities. If there are extra moments, choose items from goal and project plans, work goals, and master list.
Note your peak time and use it to get important stuff done. The Science of Productivity shows that for most people this is for about two hours an hour after waking. Try a time audit to see how you are actually using your time.

Tend to focus.
Include new incoming tasks in your system (see how below), and delete completed ones.
Manage your energy with a regular routine and mindfully motivate.
Examine progress:
- In the afternoon, check that all regular repeating tasks have been done. Check off completed daily goals on a habit chart.
- At close of day, celebrate what you have accomplished and plan for tomorrow. Make a daily to do list for the next day, adding items from your calendar and weekly plan.

Incoming Tasks

Capture incoming tasks and add them to your system:

Due date or deadline – calendar
Act on now – to do today list. If it is more than one step, develop a project plan with action steps
Tackle later – to do later list or a follow-up system
Explore options – idea file or maybe someday list for GTD

Planning is also part of reviewing…

Morning Questions

What’s on my calendar?
What’s on my to-do list that must be done TODAY? Which are the Most Important Tasks?
If I can only do ONE of these tasks, which should it be? Start with that one, then go to the next one.
What is the best use of your time right now? (Alan Lakein)
Which quadrant of Stephen R Covey’s time management matrix is this task in?
What actions can be taken today to move a project or goal forward?
Which actions are top priority?
What’s the next action required? (David Allen) …learn more at GTD Essentials
What activities am I not doing, that might help me reach goals if I did them? (Brian Tracy)

See also Time Management Questions and 10 Productivity Questions to Ask Yourself Every Day from timemanagementninja.com

Evening Questions:

Did I begin the day with a plan for doing a few MITs?
Did I choose the top priority one and begin with that one?
How many tasks were accomplished today? How many were carried forward? How many were added?
Did I use my high energy time for tasks that needed thought and creativity?
Did I leave my workspace organized and ready for tomorrow?
Have I reviewed my calendar, to do list, and weekly plan, and picked MITs for tomorrow?
What interruptions and time-wasters were encountered? Could they have been avoided?
Did I spend enough time with family and friends?
Did I spend enough time on fitness, leisure and spiritual activities?

Everyday Reflections for Effective Time Management from rightattitudes.com

A book called “The Personal Efficiency Program” by Kerry Gleeson really gave me a better understanding of how planning works. (Affiliate link: I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase with an affiliate link. Thank you for your support!)

Studies have discovered:

we can’t store much in our memory, and it drains energy if we try.
Be aware of the Planning Fallacy: we tend to under-estimate how much time tasks will take.