Goal Management Command Post

    Hello! In the last article, we examined why task managers do not make us productive. This will be only practice: we will try to plan things in such a way as to really achieve our goals.

    A short note: in my program My day planning , the most basic functions are implemented so far, so we will use Trello and Excel besides it . Trello requires registration, but is available on different devices. We need a free version of this program. If there is no Excel, you can use LibreOffice Calc, tables in Google Docs or OnlyOffice . Another option is to have Yandex Disk or Mail.ru cloud. These services not only allow you to store files, but also create and edit in the online free version of Microsoft Office.

    Action plan:

    1. We set goals.
    2. We determine the main task for the day.
    3. We plan a day or part of a day.
    4. We control the movement to the goal.

    Setting goals

    Competent planning begins with goals. In a previous article, we discussed that we need a vision and goals that are grouped by time and areas of life. To do this, create a tablet as shown below:



    For convenience, I created an Excel file in advance: Objectives.xlsx .

    Each column corresponds to one sphere of life. The spheres of life should not be more than 7. This is not only because a person can process a maximum of 7 elements in his mind. If there are many areas of life, then you will be sprayed, and control over affairs will be difficult. In the tablet, I already wrote 6 areas of life. You can use ready-made or create your own.

    In the first line we write how we see ourselves in a particular area of ​​life. Vision is our secret dream. It does not need to be limited by any framework. For this reason, we don’t need to think about whether we have enough time and our abilities for its implementation. Many ideas initially seemed to people delirium, but over time it came to understand that if there is a desire, everything is achievable.

    On the next lines we write long-term, medium-term and short-term tasks. It is important that long-term goals serve the realization of the vision, medium-term goals serve long-term goals, and short-term goals serve the medium. Such a subordination of goals to each other and vision allows you to stay on track and choose the right one.

    This table allowed me to see weaknesses and even white spots in my goal system. In some areas of my life, I had no goals, no vision. After I nevertheless filled out the table, there was a feeling of increased control over life in general.

    Using the goal table allows you to see weaknesses in the goal setting system.

    The goal table only works if you regularly contact it, re-read and refine the goals. In My day planning, I plan to add an additional reminder to regularly review the table, as well as checking that each goal meets the criteria, for example, SMART .

    We single out the main task for the day.

    After creating the goal system, My day planning enters the scene . For each day, one and only one task should be distinguished, which will bring the greatest result and serve the speediest achievement of the goal. This task should be allocated most of the day, always in the morning.

    1 day = 1 most important task.

    Let me explain what the trick is. Unproductive people are far from being lazy. Just different things not only have different values, but also bring different results. There is the principle of "20 to 80", otherwise called the "Pareto principle." According to this principle, performing only 20% of cases will give 80% of the result. Just think: we can not work on the vast majority of tasks and get almost the whole result!

    But we will be trickier: out of 20% of cases, we again single out 20% of cases that will bring us the greatest result. We will repeat this process until 1 task remains. For example, we have 100 tasks. We identified 20 tasks. Of these 20 tasks, 4 are tasks. Of the 4 tasks, one was chosen. It is sometimes difficult to do 3-5 important tasks in a day, but we will surely cope with one.

    The main task should be recorded in My day planning in the section "Goals for the day." There you can write down less important tasks that you must remember to complete.

    We plan a day or part of a day.

    In the last article, we discussed that one to-do list is not enough - you also need to evaluate how much time is allocated for each task. After evaluating the time, it usually turns out that we will have time to do less than we would like.

    I advise you to plan a new day in the evening, so your brain will tune to work during sleep, sorting out tasks and selecting biorhythms of the day. In terms of the day, we allocate time for the main task, family and relaxation. The rest of the time we fill with less important tasks.

    To have time for family and relaxation, this time needs to be planned.

    To make the plan of the day flexible, it is advisable to set small breaks between tasks. In this case, it’s not scary if we finish the work a few minutes later.

    My day planning has a section "Plan of the day", which fit the task, how much time they will take, and their value. There are 4 values:

    1. Tasks that are directly related to the goal. For example, the goal is to “launch an online store” and the task of “creating a website for a store”.
    2. Tasks that indirectly help achieve goals. For the purpose of “launching an online store,” this could be “learning marketing from Book X”. Learning about marketing is not part of the store’s launch work, but it’s easier to achieve the goal.
    3. Tasks that do not advance towards the goal, but are necessary for implementation. Unfortunately, we cannot move to the goal 24 hours a day: we need to eat, sleep, relax, spend time with family and friends. Sometimes problems arise that require our intervention and cannot be entrusted to others: a program or computer breakdown late in the evening, a pipe has leaked and an urgent need to fix it before the plumber arrives, etc.
    4. Tasks, the implementation of which leads us away from the goal. For example, you need to work on a project, and we are sitting at the TV.


    Planning a day in high uncertainty.

    Ideally, you need to plan the whole day. However, there are situations when the uncertainty is too great to estimate the time for the task. In this case, you can usually make a plan for half an hour, one, two or three hours in advance. Accordingly, we plan a part of the day in My day planning and make sure that the main task for the day is completed, and most of the day goes to tasks 1 and 2 of the value.

    You can plan a part of the day, but make sure that the main thing for the day is completed.

    The main thing in this situation is to first figure out what is best to do, and then to act. Otherwise, you will grab onto the first task that comes across.

    First, planning, then action.

    Control of movement towards the goal.

    When we walk along the street, we look where we are going, whether there are obstacles on the way, etc. If we drive in a car, we follow the road, road signs and the navigator. Also with planning: it is not enough to simply set goals and objectives, there should be feedback.

    How do we evaluate our or someone else's work? According to the result: is it or not. We ask: “What did you do? How are you? Does it work or not? ” This is natural for us, so we will control the movement towards the goal through the achievement of results.

    Here we need Trello, which we will use for electronic reporting. Imagine a blackboard with several columns of cards pasted. The whole board is dedicated to achieving some goal. Each card corresponds to one job or a small goal. Columns of cards answer the question "How are you?" One column of cards is the scheduled tasks, the other is the tasks that are being worked on, the third is the tasks completed. The structure of the cards is shown schematically in the table below.



    We create a board in Trello, and give the name “Reach Goal X” (“Save X rubles for an apartment”, “finish university”, etc.). On the board itself, create the columns:

    1. Scheduled
    2. In work
    3. Delegated
    4. Performed

    Typically, the card is initially in the "Scheduled" column. When the work has begun, it is dragged into the "In Work" or "Delegated" list. When the goal is achieved - falls into the list of "Done".



    In addition to these lists of cards, I additionally create two more: “Information” and “News”. In the list of information I put cards with a detailed description of the goal or sphere of life for which I created the board: why do I need this goal, what do I want to get. The purpose of the card in this list can be any. For example, you can create cards “Why do I need this goal”, “Criteria for achieving the goal” or “General plan for achieving the goal”.

    The list of “News” cards is news for your beloved: I record the main or important achievements on the way to the goal. This list is reminiscent of Twitter, and each card in it corresponds to one news item. Example card "Jan 25, 2016 Published an article in Megamind."



    Now you can create cards. Card Name — The name of the goal or task. After creating a card, click on it to open it. The card has a “Description” field, which is located immediately after the title. Usually I use this field to describe the task in detail and the criteria for achieving it. If the achievement of the goal can be divided into steps, add a list (Checklist button) and prescribe a plan. Comments (section Activity) I use as a log. When I did something on the task, I immediately write it in a comment. Then I see the story of my work. When I see the log, I understand that the work is going on, and the time wasted not in vain. This fact allows me to maintain motivation.



    Please note: you do not need to write every small task in Trello - write large ones. We use Trello as a reporting or logbook to control movement towards the goal. You can tinker with small tasks in the task manager - it is ideally suited for this.

    Now I have described the very minimum of actions in Trello so that I can control my work. If you are not too lazy to determine the boundaries of the task and write to the log what has been done, then it will be very easy for you to report to the leadership and yourself. More information about working at Trello will be in one of the following articles.

    A few words about self-motivation.

    Our system will not be complete if we do not pay any attention to motivation. Motivation serves as fuel for accomplishing tasks and self-discipline. If there is no motivation, then everything that I wrote above is useless.

    We need to write about motivation and self-discipline separately, and now I will share a simple but effective technique. Create a note “My achievements in 2016”. Estimate that the first can be written there. Have you figured it out? Write it down! I did this. In the past tense, as if it had already been done.

    Despite its simplicity, the reception is working for the following reasons:

    1. When you re-read what was done during the year, strategic planning will automatically work: you will try to achieve the goals for the year in advance, and not in the second half of December.
    2. What would you imagine reading a list of upcoming achievements? That's right: a festive table, a Christmas tree, Putin and, most importantly, the fact that you yourself are happy with the past year. Well, how can you not try for yourself a loved one, especially since this picture will cause pleasant emotions?

    It is good to make such a list not only for a year, but also for a month and a week. When you see that the goals are fulfilled or are being fulfilled (the log in the card in Trello), there is a motivation to continue the work and bring the work to the end.

    That's all for today. I sincerely thank you for your interest in my article. On the basis of its achievements, a My day planning program is being developed , which should help a person plan correctly. I created a board in Trelloso that everyone can follow its development. To view this board registration is not required. Frankly, I am still very far from calling myself productive. But I do not want to waste my life. I would be grateful if you help me in testing the best practices for managing time, share what has taken root and what has not. It is important for me to know the weak points. My contacts are in profile .

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