Don’t Just Set Goals, Take Action

People talk a lot about the value of setting goals. But just setting them won’t get you very far. If you want to achieve anything, you have to take action. That’s where a lot of us get tripped up.

Do you have days when you just don’t find the time to cross much off of your to-do list? That may be because you aren’t taking the crucial next step of scheduling the most important item from your list on your calendar.

I was not one of the smartest people in my college class, but I made good grades because I was very disciplined about studying. I scheduled time to study each day and I kept to my schedule. I’ve done the same while writing my book. I scheduled writing time on my calendar each day, Monday through Friday. If something came up, like a meeting, I would move my writing to another time, but I rarely took it off my calendar. I remember thinking I had no idea how long it would take me to write my book, but I knew that if I committed to writing every day it would eventually get done.

Taking consistent action is the way to achieve your goals. Some days you may not feel very motivated, but having the discipline to do it anyway will pay off. Working on something consistently creates momentum, which makes it easier to keep going. Making progress is motivating. Even small amounts of progress on a consistent basis will add up to a lot.

Setting a few big goals will inspire you and give you a sense of purpose. Just don’t stop there. You need to break those goals into smaller action steps that will move you in the right direction. But even that isn’t enough. Schedule time on your calendar every day when you will commit to taking action. Be consistent. No excuses! If you can’t find a lot of time, that’s OK. Consistency matters more. Remember: the tortoise does eventually win the race!