Smart Women Get Their To Do List Done
Posted on Wed, Apr 15, 2009 @ 05:32 PM
In preparation for our upcoming event, "Getting Your To Do List 
DONE", I thought I'd post something shared with me by Kirsten Mahoney of Insight Out Life Coaching in her newsletter. Kirsten previously led a very successful "Juggling vs. Balancing" event for FWL last fall, and will be leading the "Getting Your To Do List DONE" event on April 28th. She recommends applying SMARTS steps to your to do list to help you start getting things done:
Specific--Make sure the "to do" item is as specific as possible. I will eat one serving of vegetable per day for three weeks.
Measurable--Make sure you can measure if the item is completed so that you can celebrate your accomplishment. By the end of the day, if I ate a vegetable, I know I have accomplished my goal.
Actionable--Make sure you aren't just thinking about the goal but have made a plan of action to do it. I am not just thinking about making a plan to eat vegetables, I have made an actual action plan.
Realistic--Make sure your goal is realistic. It would not be realistic for me to go from no vegetables in my diet to having five servings per day but one serving seems realistic.
Time-bound or Time-Specific--Make sure you set an end date if your "to do" is an ongoing practice or a specific date if it's a one-time activity. Setting my goal for three weeks seems a lot less daunting and doable than if I said "every day for the rest of my life."
Support--Make sure you engage the support of other people to help you reach your goal. Even declaring my intention to other people to eat one serving of vegetables per day makes me more accountable to carry through, as well as it provides me with emotional support and encouragement that is invaluable to effect change in our lives.
Do you have a to do list that rivals the list of menu items at The Cheesecake Factory? Or are you just tired of not getting things done? Bring your to do list to our April 28th event, and you'll walk away with a plan of attack. Interested in hearing more tips from Kirsten? Sign up for her mailing list.