What is it that separates you from your dream? Why do you always have plans that never come to fruition? How is it possible that you don’t achieve your goals? Let’s start by taking a look at the clock, what time is it? You will agree with me that the day has 24 hours, not one more and not one less and the moment you wake up you have already consumed a few.
Tell me how you spend your time and I will tell you if you will achieve your goals
A very interesting report from the United States Bureau of Labor has allowed us to see how we spend more or less of our time: an average employee with children spends an average of 16 hours working, sleeping and doing activities at home such as paying bills, going shopping, cleaning or cooking. We spend approximately 1.7 hours paying attention to others (partner and children) and about 2 hours watching television programs that are usually garbage. The rest of the time is spent exercising, socializing and, for some people, watching more television since the North American average is 5 hours a day.
What does this all mean? That you probably have dreams but you don’t know how to achieve your goals because you waste a good part of your time doing activities that have nothing to do with your goals. And the interesting thing is that you don’t even realize it. That’s the trap.
For example, you want to write a novel, you dream of being a writer… but how many hours a day do you dedicate to this dream? Probably none, because your goals, objectives and dreams (it doesn’t really matter what we call them) remain up in the air.
How to achieve your goals – really?
Stop for a moment, grab a pen right now and write down what your goals and dreams are. You’re sure to have a few, so choose one of the simplest ones, check it off, and commit to achieving it in the next 90 days.
Depending on the goal you have chosen, you will need more or fewer hours a day to achieve it. Therefore, take your calendar and, without excuses, mark the hours you will dedicate to achieving this goal.
Let’s continue with the example of the writer. Obviously, you won’t become a famous writer overnight, but you can set an easily achievable goal: write a novel. Write it down and write down in your diary how many hours a day you will dedicate to this dream.
Three tips that will help you achieve your goals
1. Be persistent
Once you have written everything down in your daily planning, you will surely be tempted to postpone this activity from time to time, perhaps because you think that the others are more important or because you are tired. Perseverance is one of the key characteristics of successful people, those who achieve their dreams. Therefore, do not procrastinate, stick to the calendar that you yourself have written.
2. Don’t wait for the perfect moment because it will never come
There are many people who remain paralyzed throughout their lives simply because they have been waiting for the perfect moment to dedicate themselves to a passion, to leave that job they don’t like, to ask a girl to go out with them… However, actually waiting the perfect moment to do something is simply an excuse, probably because we are afraid or don’t feel safe enough.
3. Set real goals
The ability to set goals that can be met in the short term is essential to carry out a great project because this way you will be able to see how much progress you are making. Don’t set out to be a successful writer, take one step at a time. First set the goal of writing a novel, then look for a representative or publisher, and then readers will decide if they like your work.
P.S. 90 days is a reasonable time to achieve a goal, especially if you divide your dream into small objectives. In addition, it is the time necessary for you to create a habit. However, if you don’t achieve it in this time, it doesn’t matter, maybe it’s just that you dream big.
Source:
Dorinda, M. & Janes, M. (2009) Time use of working parents: a visual essay. In: Bureau of Labor Statistics
