Goal setting | Unhappy in your job and know there must be something better?

First week back at work – make it a good one

Monday, January 4th, 2010

For many people this will be the first day back at work after a 2 week Christmas break, and with poor weather you might not be feeling highly motivated.

So you need to think of ways to get you through the day, and you can do this on the days to come

Set some objectives

What do you need to do today and over this week. Take some time to prepare before you get sucked in to tasks and at the end of the day realise your priorities were wrong.

A quick review of your emails

just because you have been on holiday doesn’t mean that others have as well so you may come back to a huge inbox, and before you know it half the day will have gone. So act smart, and anything that will wait as its a nice to read rather than an urgent to do can go into a folder to be read once you have some spare time. Don’t get sidetracked!

Think about time trials

Often we take our time, but when the pressure is on we can often work much faster so if you have a lot to do why not do some ’sprints’ and work at a brisk pace, not for all day but as you move onto a task, decide how long it should take and see if you can do it quicker.

Review – both at lunch time and the end of the day

It’s worth taking some time out before you go to lunch and think about how the morning went and how you are feeling. If all went well you should be feeling positive so enjoy your lunch. If not feeling so great think about whether things were outside your control – if they are then don’t beat yourself up! Better to think about what changes you can make that are in your control. If you have got distracted by the emails in your inbox then this afternoon is a fresh start. Don’t forget to review at the end of the day as well.

Think about your career future

If it’s a busy day today this may have to wait, but schedule some time to think about how happy you are at work and where you would like to be in your career this time next year and also in 3 or 5 years time. Having a plan means you can get focused on things that will help you to achieve them

What will help you get there?

Will this be to

· Seek out a meeting to discuss your future with your boss?

· Become more proactive at work and go beyond your job description?

· Start a course or do some self directed study

· Seek advice and support from a career coach?

At the end of the day why not let me know how it has gone? Or if I can help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – www.amazingpeople.co.uk

Posted in CAREER MANAGEMENT, Goal setting

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A new year – a time to look back and look forward

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

This is not just a new year, but also a new decade. Have a think back to the dawn of the new millennium; what were you doing this time last year, and how far have you come? Did you set yourself goals and create plans for what you were going to do? Regardless, in what way have things changed and how are you now?

Think about what has gone well for you, and make sure you do more if this.

Think about what hasn’t gone well, what your part in them was and what you can learn from this

Think about the future and what you want to do. Do you have dreams you have abandoned, what would help take your life to the next level? What are you tolerating that you want to get rid of?

Are you where you want to be in your career? Do you know where you want to be in 1, 3, 5 and more years time?

What about your health – is it as good as it can be, what baby changes could you introduce? Should you be looking to make changes that are more radical?

Think about your relationship with others – family, friends and the wider community. We all differ in what we want; do you have the relationships you do want?

What about your personal development – your interests, your passions, they way you grow and develop as a person.

Some of us will set goals, just because it is the start of a new year, and for most people within a week the goals will have been forgotten. But you don’t have to set a goal on the 1st of a year, you can set them at any time, and better to take some time to set the right goal for you. Too often, we can look back and wish we had started something back then, but we can’t change the past, but we can get started on a new future.

3 months ago, I got on the scale and was full of regret for the 3 stone I’d gained in less than 3 years, but wishing it hadn’t happened wasn’t going to get the weight off. I decided to make massive changes and did a radical over haul of what I ate and were focused on exercise with a personal trainer. It’s certainly not been easy but to lose 2.5 stone in 3 months is right on my target. Having a target has really helped, and telling my trainer each week and writing on my blog has helped me keep focused, the last thing I wanted to do was to have to write about putting weight on!

So if you decide to set some goals here’s some advice

1. Write them down – it begins to take more of your attention.

2. put the list where it is visible – a post it note on your bathroom mirror, on your computer or both?

3. If you have a big goal, like my weight loss, break it down into smaller goals so you have mini rewards along the way.

4. Tell people – once you start talking with others you will feel more accountable.

5. It’s good to have stretch goals but make sure you have an intermediate goal you can reach.

6. Feel good for the progress you make and don’t be discouraged by an occasional set back just get back on track again.

7. be aware you might be sabotaged by other people so keep your focus strong and learn to say no!

8. You will probably have more than one goal so have some that are easy and that can quickly be accomplished, this will then help you get focused on the more long term goals.

9. Put some timescales around your goals and prioritise what you want to achieve.

10. Think about support – I have a personal trainer to help with my health and fitness goals, what sort of support will work best for you?

There is no moment like the present. The man who will not execute his resolutions when they are fresh upon him can have no hope from them afterwards; they will be dissipated, lost, and perish in the hurry and scurry of the world, or sunk in the slough of indolence. -Marie Edgeworth

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Goal Setting – Denise is going to get fit and healthy, week 13

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

As we come to the end of the year I can review my progress against my health and fitness goals – I’m fitter than I ever expected to be, and I’ve lost 2.5 stone (35lb) in 13 weeks which is bang on target.

People ask me how I’ve done this and I tell everyone that it hasn’t been easy, even though I’ve a substantial amount of weight to lose, but I set myself goals, monitored progress and got advice and guidance from an expert.

So many people say ‘I want to lose weight’ but they aren’t specific. They don’t say how much and by when and they don’t monitor progress. So whilst I have an overall goal (to be able to comfortably wear size 12 clothes) I have set myself a series of targets – so I have a target of 2lb a week but also work towards a series of goals, I’m 6lb away from the weight I was when I got married (as a fat bride) and then 2 more stone and I’ll be the weight I was when I met my husband, then just 2 stone to go! At that point I may seek to lose more but as Ben, my personal trainer tells me it’s the size I am that’s more important than my weight and I’d certainly rather be fitter and heavier than thin and unhealthy.

I go to the gym and work out with weights 4 times a week, and do cardio once or twice a week as well. People have asked me what I’ll do when I reach my goal – duh! I’ll set another one! I do not intend to go back to old eating habits and to stop going to the gym, this is a lifestyle change that will ensure I’m in great health and looking better than ever.

With goal setting it really is important to set SMART goals. So think about your own goals

Are they SPECIFIC? Do you know what it is that you want to do?
Can you MONITOR progress – you need to know where you are now and where you are going and how you are doing
Is your goal ACHIEVABLE? We can lose weight, we can gain muscle but we can’t make our self grow 6 inches in height, so we must ensure it is something we can achieve if we put our focus there
Is it REALISTIC? My goal of 2lb a week weight loss is achievable, but to aim for 5lb a week is not – better to take a bit longer and get there then be disappointed as you fail to reach an unrealistic goal
Finally is it TIME BOUND – when do you want to achieve it by. You need to have an end goal to focus on and a time to complete not a vague I want to lose 30lb with no clear reason why.

What can also help is having someone to hold you accountable – for me this is posting my weekly diary on line and also having to report in to my personal trainer each week. Of course having regular personal training sessions ensures that I’m doing exercises properly and i’m being stetched to work to my limit.

I also write things down – both what I eat and the amount of repetitions I do with my exercises and make commitments for when i will exercise, so it’s not something that I’ll do if i have the time, but something in my schedule that I will keep to.

As we move into 2010 I know I’m going to meet my fitness goal this next year and I’ll continue to monitor progress. What about you? What goals are you going to set for yourself? What will you look back on this time next year?

week 13 – 3lb weight loss; total weight loss 35lb

Posted in ABOUT DENISE, Goal setting

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Getting things done – Denise’s story

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

It’s Christmas Eve, and I’ve realised I’ve been a bit tardy in writing my blog, and in tweeting. I’d expected this to be a quiet week, it has been in the past but Monday and Tuesday were very busy days with 2 clients getting a great start on getting a brilliant job next year through going through the first half of the Gold Programme – this is the 3 hour session where we discuss the results of The Highlands Ability Battery, Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Strong Assessment. I’ve also undertaken a telephone interview ready for The Career Change Formula which starts in January. I’ll pass on more details when I here.

Yesterday and today I’ve focused on getting straight. Like many people I have a huge pile of pending, all those little jobs that should get done but are not essential. I have a big project I want to work on next week and I could have started this yesterday but these tasks will just sit in piles around my office, so I decided to focus on them and am really pleased to get many of them out of the way.

Most books on getting things done talk about dividing work into important and urgent – so you do the important and urgent stuff first and leave the not important and not urgent stuff – but eventually these need to get done and also I think it makes people feel good to get things done and out of the way. So I’m feeling good to have cleared out a load of tasks and as my husband won’t get home till 6 tonight I’m aiming to clear out more.

I do like having these sorts of days as it gives me time to think – and I’ve been thinking of putting some structure to my blog writing. what I’m thinking of is:

Monday: – Motivational stuff to set people up for the week

Tuesday: – Career discovery type articles

Wednesday: – Job search articles

Thursday: – Assessments

Friday: – Career Management and my fitness update

I may also add other posts, but I think this should be useful for my readers, so I’d be very interested in what you think. Do either email me or make a comment below.

Almost forgot, I sent my newsletter subscribers a Christmas message and never posted it on the blog. Here’s a link there’s some very interesting web links you might like to see: http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/newsletter/christmas.html

Happy Christmas

Denise x

Posted in ABOUT DENISE, Goal setting, Social Skills

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Goal setting – if you want to set a goal why put it off – get started today

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

Why wait until the New Year? If there is a goal you want to achieve, why don’t you get started today?

Too many people are putting everything on hold until the New Year – whether it is getting a new job, losing weight or seeking out a promotion, but why?

We have 2 weeks until Christmas, 3 weeks until the end of the year, so why not get clear on your goal and focus on reaching it. It may take time, so best to start now.

The people that start today will be the winners.

If your focus is on losing weight, starting today will mean that you will start the New Year lighter than you are now, not with an extra 5 or 7 lb to lose as you have gone crazy on mince pies, sausage rolls and chocolates.

If you know you want to get a new job, use the next 3 weeks to get very clear on the work you want to do and why you will be successful. You may find my ‘10 steps to a job you love eProgramme’ very helpful and you can access this via my website.

If you want to be promoted, start today looking for ways to help your boss and to learn more about your company and industry.

Putting in the time and effort will help you to succeed. Yes, it takes up energy, but visualise your goals, make it clear and get focused.

And make sure it is a BIG GOAL – big goals make you focus big and think beyond tiny steps.

Need some help in achieving your goals, then get in touch with Denise

Denise Taylor is an award winning career coach and job search strategist, With an MBA and years of business experience Denise is renown as a creative problem solver. Visit her on line at http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk

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The importance of setting goals

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

You have read above that I’m now committed to getting fit and healthy, and losing a significant amount of weight. This is a goal, just like my clients have the goal of finding out what they want to do or in finding a new job.

The most important aspect of achieving a goal is setting a clear goal – I know exactly how much weight I want to lose and roughly how long it will take. I know that if I stay focused I’ll reach my goal much quicker than if I have set backs and allow these to take me away from my goal. Some of my clients find it hard to achieve their goal as they get distracted. It’s hard work, and sometimes its easier just to let things be and carry on with life as it is. But you need to think of the future.

I’ve been on diets before, lost weight and then put it back on. I’m then full of guilt and remorse and saying ‘if only’. What makes the difference this time is that I’m totally committed to achieving my goal, and I’ve got a personal trainer to ensure I am stretched to achieve goals and to keep me motivated. But I can’t rely on him. He’s an external resource, like I am to my clients, but for me to be successful really depends on me.

So if you are looking for a new job – is this something that you are committed to? Truely? It really has to be a 100% commitment – will you do whatever it takes to get there?

Then think about what will help with your level of commitment – will it be keeping track of goals – writing down what you want to achieve and monitoring progress. Would you work well with other people – either one to one with a career coach or as part of a group? I never got on well at Weightwatchers, but other people do and the equivalent, my on line job search club might be right for you. I’m still working out how it will work, and think that January will be a great time to start, so more details next month.

ACTION:

Why not check your commitment to achieving a task using the exercise below. I’ve focused it on job search but it could be adapted to any goal you want to achieve, from identifying your ideal career to writing a novel.

Many experts will tell you that looking for a job is a full time job. Indeed, if you are not in work at the moment you can devote many hours to this process. If you are working full time you are going to want to plan your time carefully so you have the time and energy to devote to this task.

Can you give up any activity such as watching as much TV? How can you find say 2 hours a day to spend on the job search process? The job search needs to be a high priority, and having a routine can help with this.

If you begin any task in a half-hearted way, you are unlikely to succeed. What will happen is that you will stumble at the first sign of difficulty and the decision to get the job of your dreams will just fade away.

Think about your level of commitment. Make a note of how committed you are to this job search:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
_______________________________________________________

If something else is going to take priority. How will you achieve your job search goals? Think about your level of commitment. If it is below 7, you are just playing with this. Sorry to be blunt, but if your commitment isn’t high, there will always be excuses and reasons why you don’t get started. If you have too many other commitments, what can you give up to allow you time for job search?

You may want to list your current hobbies and interests here and list the amount of time you spend on them.

Activity

Time spent per week

Where can you save some time? Could you stop watching some TV or get up an hour earlier? Where can you find the time?

How committed are you now?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
_______________________________________________________

If you are not at a 10, what can you do to take it to a 10? Are you ready to make a personal commitment, why not comment below? Might lead on to something helpful from me!

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Denise is going to get fit and healthy – week 1

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

If you read my newsletter you will know I have a very full life and do a lot, especially this past year! Writing 3 books in 8 months has led to a lot of sitting at the computer and alongside working with my clients, something had to give, which was going to the gym. Writing seems to entail a lot of eating, and chocolate did help me find the right phrase, but it lead to an increase in weight – so less exercise and more food could only result in one outcome.

I had lost 6 stone in weight, but putting on 2 of these is very disappointing, but I know it was all done to me.

I talk to my clients about having clear outcomes and getting focused, so that’s what I’m doing now. I also discuss about being accountable and so telling your goals to someone like a coach – so I’m going to write a weekly blog entry on this.

My regular diet was unhealthy so I made a commitment to change

Breakfast porridge; mid morning an apple, a lunch such as smoked mackerel salad with bread; mid afternoon protein bar and an evening meal of e.g. chicken, veggies and a jacket potato with yoghurt and fruit in the evening. Significantly more healthy than what I had been eating and drinking.

I also arranged to see a personal trainer. I chose Ben because I liked his website and felt confident that he would help me to achieve my goals. Our initial meeting confirmed this and I’ve arranged to see him twice a week between now and Christmas.

Last Friday was my assessment day. Ben took 12 measures with callipers, tested how far I could squat and took various measurements with his tape measure. I told him what I had been eating, definitely not good, and my past weeks food intake which was much better. But he suggested I ditched the starch so out has gone the bread and potatoes and in comes even more veggies. So now my typical eating plan is:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs and poached mushrooms (no butter)
Lunch: smoked mackerel salad
Dinner: Chicken and a big plate of vegetables
Snacks: Fruit and yoghurt

I’ve booked in for my 2ce weekly sessions and am going to monitor my progress and blog at the end of each week.

Wish me luck, and tell me your healthy eating and living stories

Archive for the ‘Goal setting’ Category

First week back at work – make it a good one

A new year – a time to look back and look forward

Goal Setting – Denise is going to get fit and healthy, week 13

Getting things done – Denise’s story

Goal setting – if you want to set a goal why put it off – get started today

The importance of setting goals

Denise is going to get fit and healthy – week 1

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