Steps

Setting up goals gives a direction and a purpose to what you do. You can plan what you need to learn to reach these goals. It  helps to keep major things in perspective when plans don't work out the way we anticipated.

01 Decide your priorities in life

The most important choice each of us has in life is to choose our priorities. What you do, and the outcome you achieve, is a direct result of the choices you make and the priorities you give to every task and project you encounter.

02 Make a list of hobbies, activities that brings you happiness

03 Set up financial goals short term and long term that will allow you to do these activities

04 Set up time-based goals, mainly how much time do you need to spend working in an office. At first, this might probably be an ideal figure

05 Set up health goals: do you still want to be active or running with your kids when you are 50-60?

06 Plan your retirement: activities you will want to do and the money to afford them

07 Once you have defined your goals, plan projects and the single first action to start them

Brainstorming

The following ideas should help you formulating your goals.

Areas of responsibilities

We all wear so many hats in our life. First make a list of every areas that needs your attention: family, relationships, work, personal growth. For each of these areas, you can then brainstorm your goals.

Find meanings

Setting up goals is also about finding meanings in life. I don't know what come first meaning or goal, but they certainly complement each other. So brainstorm them together.

Don't give up

At the beginning of ThinkingRock development, a user shares with me the following: he had investigated many people that had been successful and his findings was that the trick is to persevere and to do something that is a hobby at the same time. I have learnt a lot while working on this product and I am still enjoying it. If you haven't not read the "Talent Code" book, I recommend it. Its main point is that talent is not enough, practise (10,000 hours) is also required. But I believe that you can only put that number of hours if you enjoy what you are practising. So I agree you are not born with the talent but you still need to be born with something that makes you like the activity (sport, music instrument, maths) you are practising.

But if you don't enjoy the process, then learn your lessons, and re-adjust your goals.

What is important, it is not what happens to you, it is what you do with what happens to you, how your interpret it.

Enjoy the present

While it is important to set-up goals and progress towards them, take time to enjoy the present.

Nobody on their death bed wishes they had spent more time in the office.

Podcasts

I chose to not have a TV so I listen to Australian radio ABC Radio National a lot instead. I encourage you to listen to the following podcasts. They are maximum 10 minutes long. I hope they will inspire you.

 People-London-Escalators

Copyright Guardian - Eyewitness

Food for thought

About ThinkingRock

ThinkingRock is developed by Avente Pty Ltd, an Australian registered company.

ThinkingRock is not affiliated with or endorsed by the David Allen Company.

Getting Things Done® and GTD® are registered trademarks of the David Allen Company.

Read more about the ThinkingRock team in this interview on the Netbeans website

Get organized Links

We have compiled a list of useful resources if you want to get organized.

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