I’m glad you enjoyed the read. Everyone has their approach at accomplishing things, I just put forth my take on the subject and hoped that it would inspire others to start to organize their visions on some level. Your comment leaves me feeling that it did it’s job!

Instead of “tasks” I tend to think of these as “action steps,” because it reminds me that I have to take action on each step before the task is completed. I know it’s just semantics, but it works for me. (I tend to want to complete an action step, but somehow dread the thought of undertaking a task.)

I tend to break the action steps into even smaller sub-steps on most things I do. The more action steps I can check off in any given time, the easier it is to maintain motivation and momentum.

I tend to agree with Mitch that we have to be flexible and frequently what we’re doing to reach a goal may change drastically with no warning.

Still, I find it easier to sit down with my action steps and modify them on one or more pieces of paper before changing the direction of what I’m doing. That way, even if it takes a few minutes (or even a few hours), I’m armed with a definite set of steps that I must do to move in the new direction.

I learned to do this a long time ago, because it is very easy when planning how to complete a project to get distracted and pulled off course. By having all my action steps (or tasks) defined ahead of time, it is easier to resume where I should be if one part of the project falls apart and has to be redesigned.

Even for relatively simple goals, I find it useful to define precisely what I want to accomplish before I sit down to work.

Of course, different strokes for different folks still applies.

For a large project, I drop paper and pen and move to the computer. That’s where a real project management program comes in handy. I like to work with timelines and critical paths if more than one person is involved. Being able to define tasks and milestones, along with deadlines and assignment of responsibility can make a mess much more manageable.

I know that’s way outside the scope of what you’re talking about, but I wanted to mention it because it has pulled my bacon out of the fire more than once.

Thanks for a thought provoking post.

Act on your dream!

JD

John Dilbecks last blog post..Have you seen Twitter Me Fun?

In regards to details, I feel that you need them to measure your accomplishment. Of course goals are just lists of things you want to accomplish so they are never set in stone and they are 100% flexible but if you don’t have a set standard it’s way easier to cheat yourself.

I understand where you’re coming from though. Even now as I am re-designing this blog I have had to be flexible as ideas and flow through and I already can see me making changes even as the design goes live. The point of the post though is that goals give you a standard to aim for. The road to get to that standard will change and things won’t always go as you plan but having the details will give you a starting point.

Mitchs last blog post..Maintenance Day