My Sharing Part 2: Goal Setting

Now that you have learned the “To-Do List” method to manage your time properly, I hope you put the "To-Do List" method into practice.

In this post I’m going to share with you about SETTING YOUR GOALS the "SMART" way.

If you haven't read the Time Management post, you can read it at My Sharing Part 1: Time Management.

If you want to REALLY succeed you need Smart Goals

There is this saying: ‘Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.’ — Licius Seneca

The meaning of this quote is that, whenever you want something, you need to have a target to aim for. For example, if you want to break the 100M World Record of 9.69 seconds, what do you have to do and what is you aim? Your aim has to be 9.68 seconds or faster. It must be as specific.

You might be saying to yourself “Setting goals are very simple” Right? NO it’s not.

For those that have been to business school or read books on goal setting you might be familiar with the acronym SMART, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable or Attributable, Realistic or Reasonable, and Timed. Let me explain briefly what each letter of the SMART Goal formula entails.

S = Specific
Your goals mustn’t be vague and they must be as specific as they can be. For example, a goal to “Be more successful in 2009” is too vague as it doesn’t define what success is. For one person success might be to pass their exams, for another it might be to retire from their job, and yet for another person it might be to earn over $10,000/month.

M = Measurable
As well as being specific your goals should be measurable. If your goal is related to money you might set a goal to “Earn over $100,000” or maybe to “Increase your monthly income by 25%”. If your goal was sports related you might say “To knock three seconds off my personal best time” or “To win three major tournaments”.

A = Actionable or Attributable
There’s no point in setting goals that are not actionable or attributable, if you have no direct control over the outcome. For example it would be silly to set a goal for your favorite sporting team to win the league if you cannot directly influence that outcome. But if you are the team coach, the owner of the team or even one of the players this could be a goal that is actionable, but if you are just a fan there is nothing you can do that will have any impact on the outcome and so it is not actionable or attributable.

Likewise, you couldn’t set a goal to “Win the Lucky Draw” as it is not a goal that you can directly influence. Yes, you can join the lucky draw, but you cannot influence the numbers that will be drawn out and so it is not actionable.

R = Realistic or Reasonable
When setting goals you need to be realistic. Setting a goal such as “To be the world’s best-selling singer” is not a realistic goal if you’ve never made a record, don’t have a recording contract and you sound like a cat being strangled. Even if that was your ultimate goal it’s best to break it down and take several smaller steps. For example, you might start off with a goal of taking singing lessons, forming a band, writing a song, recording a song, or maybe getting a recording deal, but having a goal to be bigger than Britney Spears or any other singers is not a great first step.

T = Timed
A well thought out goal must include a timescale and must not be open ended. For example “To get promotion” is too vague. It would be far better to have a goal that said “To get promoted by 1st July 2009”.


Yea I know you might confuse, but don’t worry. I have an example of a "SMART" Goal for you all.

Here's the "SMART" Goal Example

To be a "SMART" goal your goals must meet all of the above criteria. It must be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timed. If any one of the criteria is missing then it’s not a SMART goal. Here’s an example of a simple well thought-out goal that makes excellent use of the SMART formula.

GOAL: To be promoted to the position of Senior Manager by 1st July 2009

This goal meets the specific criteria because you are saying you want to be promoted to be Senior Manager. Not just promoted, but promoted specifically to the Senior Manager position. This gives you razor sharp focus as to exactly what you want to achieve.

This goal is measurable because you have stated exactly what constitutes success, which is reaching the position of Senior Manager. If you get promoted to be the Senior Manager’s Assistant you have not reached your goal as the standard you have set yourself is the position of Senior Manager. Being promoted is not good enough, it must be a promotion to the Senior Manager’s position if you are to reach the goal you have set.

This goal is actionable because you are in control of whether you get promoted or not. If you work hard, take any necessary classes, and bring yourself to the attention of the people who hand out promotions then you can reach your goal. Yes, the ultimate decision may lie with senior members of staff, but if you go about things correctly then you should be able to influence their decision in the correct way.

Obviously, if there is no possibility of being promoted to Senior Manager then this is not an actionable goal. For example, if there is only one Senior Managers role available and that job is being done by someone who has no plans to move on, move up or retire then this wouldn’t be an actionable goal.

If you are currently working as the janitor it may be unrealistic to set a goal to be a Senior Manager within a year (not necessarily though if you are willing to put in a LOT of hard work), but if you are already on this career path then the goal would be a sensible one and so would pass the realistic test.

This goal is timed because you have put an exact date for achieving the goal. Putting an exact date takes away any open-endedness and lets you know exactly when the goal must be achieved by. Yes, you might get the promotion several months earlier, in which case you have surpassed your goal, but if the date of 1st July 2009 comes and goes and you have not got the promotion then you have not achieved your goal. Having a specific deadline adds urgency to your goals and allows you to create smaller sub goals that will help you reach towards your major goals.

Using this clever acronym means you can easily remember all of the attributes necessary to set SMART goals for yourself. As soon as you start to use this method of goal setting you will see an amazing transformation. Gone will be the vague goals that you set and then forgot about. In their place will be highly targeted goals that give you razor-sharp focus that will let you hit your goals like a heat seeking missile.

Inspirational Quotes for Goal Setting

‘High expectations are the key to everything.’ — Sam Walton

‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’ — Oscar Wilde

‘You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.’ — Yogi Berra

‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.’ — Les Brown

‘The moon is the first milestone on the road to the stars.’ — Arthur C. Clarke

‘Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.’ — Leonardo Da Vinci

‘Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.’ — Henry Ford

‘You can’t rest unless you set goals that make you stretch.’ — Tom Hopkins

‘Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.’ — C. S. Lewis


After reading both of the post, I hope that you will put what has been shared into practice. For example, the To-Do List method and the "SMART" Goal Setting formula.

For the To-Do List if you have your own method of setting one and it suites you well, continue using it.

But for Setting Goals, I recommend that you use the "SMART" formula. This is because it's been proven to work by business schools and successful people.

To wrap things up, I have a last quote to share with you.

'SYSTEMS DON’T FAIL, BUT IT IS US HUMANS THAT FAIL TO MAKE THE SYSTEM WORK.'

To Your Success,

Ben The Drummer

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My Sharing Part 1: Time Management

This post is regarding the materials of my Personal Management I shared during last Saturday's Ignite-Youth Service.

If I would to share all the materials in a single post, it'll be a very long post. So I've decided to split them into 2 parts - Part 1: Time Management and Part 2: Goal Setting.

In order for you to become successful, firstly you will have to know how to manage your time properly and set your goals. Without managing your time properly and setting your goals, do you think you can be successful? Maybe you might, but mostly not. Even if you happened to be successful, you will not be as successful as others or as successful as you want to be.

With these two aspects (Time Management & Goal Setting) also doesn’t guarantee that you will become successful, but it brings you closer to becoming more successful. Why do I say so? It’s because some people they don’t know how to stick to their goals or they fail to manage their time to work their plans. And for some people, half way through the journey, they get distracted and they get side-tracked from their goals and plans. Do you get what I mean? Great!!

Have you ever wondered why some people they can finish or accomplish so many things in a day? Do you think they have more then 24 hours a day? No, they don’t. Their biggest secret and skill from you is that they understand the importance of time and they know how to manage their time wisely.

So, do you think you really have 24 hours a day to do your work or study? If you were to minus away the time you spend one sleeping, eating, bathing, talking, traveling and lazing around from your 24 hours, how much time are you left with? Not much right? So how are you going to finish up the things you want to do if you don’t organized you time properly? You just think and see.

I'm sure you like stories. So I'll be telling you a story of a farmer. You might have heard it before from somewhere else but why not listen to it again.

Here The Story Goes:

Once upon a time, there was this farmer who got up from breakfast one day and said to his wife, "Honey, I am going down to plow the back 40 acres of land."
So he went out the back door and headed for the tractor parked out by the barn. On the way there, he noticed that the chickens had not been fed. So he went inside the barn to get some chicken feed.

Inside the barn he noticed that there was still some corn left out to be put away then he took the corn and went outside to put it in the silo. On the way he discovered that the door to the chicken house needed mending.

So he set the corn down and went to the garage up by the house to get his tool box. As he approached the house his wife called out and asked him what he wanted for lunch. He went inside to talk with her and she had just made a fresh pot of coffee. So he sat down to have a cup.

It just goes on and on, doesn't it? And you know the chickens never got fed that day. And the back 40 acres of land never got plowed.

I don't suppose that you have ever experienced anything like the farmer did in your life. Because I just know that you are completely organized in your daily routine and that you accomplish everything you set out to do each and every day. RIGHT!!!

See - if that were true, you won't be here reading this post. =)

Everyone in their live no matter how well you can manage your time, surely you will be in the same situation from the farmer’s story. It’s just that you noticed it or not and how do you keep back on track.

So, after you have heard the farmer’s story, some of you might be thinking “How Can I Not be Like the Farmer?”

Now I’ll share with you a method that I personally have been using for myself quite often and I find it to be very effective. It’s called – having “A To-Do List”. I believe you've heard of this before, but have you been using it? If you have been using it, was it effective?

For me I personally learned this from some readings and I know a lot of successful people they themselves are also using this same method but they have made some changes to suite them as long as they are kept on track and not wasting time on some other things.

Even schools they provide teachers and students with a timetable to follow. Why must they do that? If they don’t, the class lessons will not go according to schedule and it will be havoc.

This method I’m going to share with you does not only apply to working people, but it’s also very effective for students as well.

Let’s look at the proven method to organize your daily routine so that you are not like the farmer from the story:

1) Before you go to bed every night, find yourself a quiet place. Get a pen and a piece of paper.

2) Write down the things you have to do for the next day. (ex: clear your room, change your bed sheet, or anything) Just list them down.

3) From the list of things you listed on the piece of paper, prioritize them into A, B, C & D.
A = Very Important & Very Urgent.
B = Important But Not Urgent.
C = Urgent But Not Important.
D = neither Urgent nor Important.

4) You can also prioritize your list in such: A1, A2, A3 or B1, B2, B3 etc for those that have their prioritization in the same category. In this way, A1 will be the first and most important thing that you have to do on the list followed by A2 and so on.

Ok… please take not. DO NOT proceed to the 2nd task on your list until you have completed the number 1st task. If you do not finish the 1st task before you go on to the 2nd task, than you become the farmer. And you will continue to wonder why you never feel like you accomplish anything. At the end you will also be frustrated each day and you will never realize your dreams and have the life style that you desire.

So after finishing a task, just put a tick beside the task or you can also put an “X” beside it.

5) After listing your “To-Do List”, don‘t forget about the fun stuff. Be a little careful when you think about what is important. For example: That trip to somewhere that might not save you time or make you any money, but it will give you a fun time to relax. And it might not seem urgent, but if you only do the urgent stuff you never get a chance to live. Remember to give yourself a deadline and a high priority for some of the fun things on your list too.

You might even make a different list for your leisure activities, so you have something to look forward to on your days off. Sometimes the weekends slip by without our noticing because we just space out. Resting is good, but some more active fun can actually give you more energy.

There is also one technique that can work wonders for your motivation, which is to connect rewards with getting work done. For example, you can take your work list and match up each project or major step with something fun to do. When you complete that step, take your reward.

This technique gives you a good reason to complete your tasks, and reminds you that life is more than just work or studying. Make the work and the reward relate to each other if you can. With that, you can make the work more fun. If the task is something you really hate doing but it is important to get done, make sure the reward is something you really enjoy. Just give it a try. You may even find yourself looking forward to previously dreaded tasks because of the reward attached.

6) So what if you don’t complete the tasks for the day? It’s vey simple. Just take those tasks that were not finished and put it into the next day’s “To-Do List”. But make sure you set a dateline to finish up those things eventually. =)

7) What I can say is - the best thing to do is to always finish up your task for that day! And after you have finish writing your “To-Do List” pray over it before going to bed.

The advantages of maintaining a “To-Do List”

⇒ A to-do list helps us know the different things that have do be done so that we do not miss anything.

⇒ A to-do list is more dependable than our memory.

⇒ Once we have a written list of the things that we have to do, we can prioritize and decide which task should be done first.

⇒ Sometimes one or more jobs may require that we go to another office or section. With a to-do list, it helps us to avoid repetition of labor. For example, if we have to deliver a document at an office and collect a document from another office which is on the same block as the first office, both these tasks can be done together. It saves us the time energy and effort of going to the same place twice. But only if we have a to-do list can we know in advance that there are two jobs at the same place. This is the way post men operate when they deliver mails.

⇒ A to do list enables us to cross out the tasks which have finished doing and towards the end of the day when we see the list of things that we have crossed out, it certainly will give us a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It also has the effect of shocking us if nothing at all has been done and crossed out.

⇒ If anything remains on today’s list, it can be carried over to tomorrows list and that is excellent way of preparing a to-do list for the day, by examining the ‘to-do’ list of yesterday and carrying out any task that has been left out without completion.

Time Wasters Steal Precious Hours

Another important step is to understand what your time wasters are. Time wasters are all of the things we do that may seem important, but really rob us of the ability to concentrate on the critical stuff.

Some of the top time wasters are:
1. Shifting priorities.
2. Telephone interruptions.
3. Lack of direction/objectives.
4. Attempting too much.
5. Drop-in visitors.
6. Ineffective delegation.
7. Cluttered desk/losing things.
8. Procrastination/lack of self-discipline.
9. Inability to say "no."
10. Meetings.

That's all for the Time Management sharing. Stay tune for My Sharing Part 2: Goal Setting.

Part two is now available: My Sharing Part 2: Goal Setting

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5 Simple Steps to be More Organized and to Maximize Your Time

As you may know, one of the most important thing in our life is - our TIME !!

You may have also heard this phrase before - "Time = Money $$$$".

So how can you be more organized and maximize your precious time?

Here are 5 simple steps for achieving an organized routine to put your time to the best possible use.

1. Be Wary Of Getting Diverted

Most of time we get thrown off track by a distraction, it is not an emergency and usually something we can put off until a later time. If you find this happening to you, set yourself an alarm to go off every 20-30 minutes. Every time it sounds, make sure you are doing what you originally planned, if not get back on track. Always set the alarm to go off again to keep you in check.

2. Make A To-Do List

The most efficient way to do this is to make a list the evening before of the things you have to achieve the next day. Prioritize your list with the most important things at the top. When you sit down at your desk, start at the top and finish each task before moving on.

3. Check Off Items As You Complete Them

Make sure you are crossing off your list as you go. This will give a sense of accomplishment and keep you motivated to finish your list.

4. Confirm Your Appointments

Always call before leaving for an appointment. There is nothing worse than wasting time waiting for a client to show up when you could have spent the extra time working on your list.

*If you're still studying, this still applies to you, but just in a different manner.

5. Do A Final Check

At the end of the day, review your list and assess how many items you have crossed off. If you have a few not completed move them to the top of the next day's list. If there were lots not completed but you stuck to your plan all day/evening then you have too many things on your list. You will get an idea of what you can accomplish in your allotted time and then make your list to reflect this.

I hope this helps you get more use for your time.

P.S: If you have any thoughts in your mind about this topic, feel free to share with others here. =)

STOP WASTING YOUR TIME !!

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5 Tips to Become More Successful in Your Work

I just received an E-Mail about this 5 key tips how Gary Carson, the founder of SFI, has used to get to the top. Some of this you will have heard before but if you read all the 5 tips and put them to use they will make an impact on your daily life.

This 5 tips doesn't only apply to working people but it can also be applied by those that are still studying.

So, what are the 5 tips? Here you go...

1. Post Your Goals Where You Can See Them.

Review them on a weekly, if not daily basis. That way all your focus and activity is geared towards accomplishing what you really want in life. If you set your goals and never look at them again you may end up doing things that do not move you in the right direction.

2. Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan.

On a daily basis prioritize what is most important. Every evening make a list of every thing you need to achieve the next day. Then prioritize your list so that you are working on the items that will help you achieve your goals.

Assign time slots for each task and do not let things like emails and other interruptions get into your way.

3. Learn From Those Before You.

Just remember that you do not have to invent ways to get new people to look at your business or work. Make sure you ask your senior for help, if you get no help then ask the next person above them. They should be able to show you what is working for them and the things you can do to achieve results.

4. Expand Your Own Knowledge.

Take time every day to learn something that will move you forward in your life. Whether it is listening to an audio product or reading a book. The compounded effect over time will create massive results in your life long term. If you read on 10 minutes a day for an entire year, you will have learned more about improving your life than the average person will in their adult life. This slight edge will make all the difference to creating your own success.

5. Dream Big

A life worth living is a life worth fighting for your dreams. If you do not dream how, do you know what you are working so hard to chase down. When you come to the end of your life I bet you will feel much more at ease knowing you gave yourself every chance to lived your dream life. Never let anyone steal your dreams!

Hope this was usefull to you.=)


See Ya & God Bless

- Ben The Drummer

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7 Common Mistakes That Are Commonly Made In Listening

1. Prejudging people by assuming what their answer will be.

2. Spending too much time focusing on facts instead of feelings.

3. Ignoring the real meaning of the other person's words.

4. Letting your feelings block our sensitivity to the other person's needs.

5. Being distracted by our own life concerns and needs.

6. Pretending to listen while planning to take charge of the conversation as soon as they pause for a breath.

7. Going off on tangents which do not lead towards Christ.

Listening has been called the supreme communication skill.

P.S: So guys, if you've learned something from this post, just feel free to shoot me some Comments. =)

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Being A Listener

It is amazing how much you can learn about a person with some careful listening.

It can be the person's problems or anything else that others failed to listen to and the person with problems ended up with no help. It's goes the same as in our daily life. We tend to talk more then we listen and ended up asking back the other person " When did you say this? or Did you say this before? ".

Arguments or misunderstandings also happens when someone fails to listen properly.

There is a question we need to ask ourselves: In many of our sharing efforts, do people fail to listen to us because we have not first listened to them?

So if next time when some one doesn't listen to you, you have to recall back whether have you not listen to him when he's talking.

Sometimes it's very annoying when you're talking to this person and this person is doing his things. You will feel that don't know whether did this person heard what I just said. You feel very angry also right because this person has not shown you respect and you feel like just shouting or choking that person. =)

And sometimes there are people that just jumps into answering what you have said before you had even finished talking what you're trying to say and ended up they give you solution or answers that are totally out of topic or not related because they did not listen finish what you're saying. What a waste of time because you have to repeat it to the other person again. So let others finish talking before you give them an answer because this will save both persons time. =)

Most of us also reject people who won't listen to us - because we feel rejected by them.

You can not to agree with what the person is saying or their way of doing things but you must accept them as they are. Don't because that you don't agree with them and you ended up stop listening and respecting them because the other person might have their own problems that's why they are acting weirdly.

Listening is not an enduring quality, but it is a seeking quality that we have to learn slowly.

The quality of listening is also very important when we're trying to reach out to those non believers. This happens when you're trying to reach out to them when they are facing problems but you did not listen carefully to the problems they are facing. Ended up you giving them the answer that is unrelated to their problems.

So if you can listen properly to what the person is trying to tell you, it's much more easier to reach out to them through Christ.

The greatest gift we can give another person is our attention.

Here is a verse for you - James 1: 19 "... Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

By the way, I'm Not pointing out to anyone here ok. so RELAX la and don't be offended. It's just what came to my mind to write this post.

This is all I have to say about listening so take care.


P.S: So guys, if you've learned something here, just leave me some Comments.

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Learn To Love

Learn to love challenge, and you'll fill your life with accomplishment. Learn to love effort, and your skills will grow more valuable with each passing day.

Learn to love making a difference, and doors will quickly open for you wherever you go. Learn to love giving freely of yourself, and you'll receive more fulfillment than you ever could imagine.

Learn to love being the authentic person you are, and everything you do will be infused with integrity. Learn to love whatever work you're doing, and that work will bring abundant rewards.

Learn to love beauty for beauty's sake, and you'll discover a wealth of it in places no one else would even think to look. Learn to love unconditionally, and there will be no limit to what your love can accomplish.

Learn to love life just because it is, and each day will be a grand new adventure. Learn to love the moment you're in, and you'll find richness in every direction.

Learn to love the possibilities, and you'll make your way to whatever you seek. Learn to love no matter what, and you'll discover what a miracle you truly are.

Last but not least, learn to Love yourself and those that are around you.


P.S: So guys, if you think that this post was interesting, just shoot me some Comments.

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