How do you manage your commitments and, alternatively, how do you recognize when you have the capacity to fulfill a goal when you are establishing one?

I've attempted a lot of things in the past couple of years: hitchhiking across the country, learning languages, learning instruments, bio reactor, hydroponics, rooftop gardens,hiking the PCT, biking to Seattle, trading stocks, the blog, relationships, even things as simple as committing to keeping a clean house. I've stated that I would complete possibly thousands of things, and I've only fulfilled a handful of those obligations .

I guess the question that I'm asking is "Is this the norm? And if it isn't, how do you organize your goals, and more importantly, how do you realize a goal is achievable when you set it?"

9/10/2009 12:42:56 PM

I just set general goals. I have too much on my plate (pretty much 2 full-time, demanding jobs) to accurately set specific goals (as far as getting shit done by a certain time or saying I want to lose "this # of lbs" or go to the gym a certain number of times a week.

So I just tell myself that I'm going to stay in good shape, that I want to save money this month (not a specific amount), that I need to get around to cleaning the house by the end of the week (not a certain day), etc. Although I might be more productive if I set a certain amount of money to save for the month or a certain day to clean the house...I also feel that it might stress me out more or leave me more exhausted if I were to operate that way.

I still get shit done...but I'm also that kind of person. I've never needed a lot of structure.

9/10/2009 12:48:24 PM

Yeah, I have the same problem. So now I'm just trying to focus on setting and attaining small goals at first, and then building on until I can eventually get to my main overall goal. Like I knew it would be hard to completely change my diet, so I just focused on only cutting out soda and drinking water for a couple of weeks.

9/10/2009 12:53:46 PM

excel spreadsheets combined with a fair amount of excel ninjaing

9/10/2009 12:55:56 PM

its the norm.


You wont be able to accomplish everything you set out to do (especially when balancing multiple goals), its the ambition, the attempt, and the journey that constitute life (not successfully meeting your goals).

I recommend figuring out which goals are the absolute must attain goals and making them a priority, the others are just hobbies, etc.


also extremely goal oriented people are sorta lame. I know people that wake up and start making a TO DO list for the day. some days that might be necessary, but its unnatural to do that everyday.


just my $0.02

9/10/2009 12:56:44 PM

Ever since I got promoted to being a manager, this has been one of my hardest skills to learn.

I am still far behind where I want to be in regards to time/project management, but I have learned that there are several things I need to account for to be succcessful at it.

- I need to set realistic timelines and boundaries for what I want/need to accomplish. I now assume I will be able to spend X number of hours per day/week on my standing to-do list, because the rest will be filled up by things that pop up out of the blue. X is typically around 15 hours per week. I also am careful about planning things. For example, I am renovating one of our bedrooms to be a play room for the kids, and I have planned it to take almost 3 months, because I am being realistic about it. In my mind, its just tearing out some old chair rail, patching holes, painting, and building a wall unit, but when I lay the project plan out in Project and account for maybe 10 hours of time spent on it a week, it spreads it out pretty far. You could apply this to your goals, and actually make realistic timelines for what you want to accomplish.

- Keep a calendar, even if it tracks stupid things. For example, I have a Google calendar that my wife and I share that even tracks things like "Change A/C Air Filter - 30 Minutes". Because we have found that if we don't actually block time for things, we overestimate what we are able to accomplish and never get it all done. This just goes back to being realistic about what can be accomplished in a given time period. Doing this tends to point out when you have really overbooked yourself. If you go to schedule 18 hours of "stuff" on any particular day, you can be pretty certain you won't get it all done, and it will start piling up as it spills into other days.

- Develop a 5 year plan, and continuously evaluate where you are on it. Try to figure out where you want to be in 5 years, and which of your goals you want to have accomplished. Continue to measure progress against the plan, and re-evaluate it every year. I started doing this just this year, so I am not sure how effective this is yet, but it has helped me clearly define where I want to go and what I want to do. It helps when I need to make a decision, I evaluate which option will put me closer to where I want to be.

It sounds really anal and nerdy to think about your normal, outside of work life like this, but to be honest, it has really helped me get a feeling of control over my life and my time. I feel like I am able to spend a lot of time with my kids, and really enjoy some other things because of my scheduling.

9/10/2009 1:24:03 PM

I had to get organized to handle different aspects of my life because I am naturally disorganized.

I break things down into sections like below and keep a master list on Google Docs in monthly and annual fashion:

both meta and nitpicky details get organized into-

1) professional-what do I want out of my current job, what skills would make me more marketable in the workplace, etc.
2) academic-this would include applying to nursing school, taking pre-requisite classes and making time for my homework and studying, etc., researching colleges, etc.
3) community- how much time and energy can I commit to my outside and community projects- GLBTQ activism, fixing bikes, gardening, sewing, etc.
4) personal
a. financial - how much money can I save and what do I need to buy- lists are great for that
b. athletic- I have between 4 and 6 workouts/week to schedule in.
c. dogs- require time and energy to socialize- so I usually combine running with them, or training as I take them places
d. relationship- need to schedule 'personal time' with the bf
e. household- usually on the backburner, but we've worked on things like sewing curtains or building the chicken coop, or managing rent and utilities.


I plan pretty well by keeping a master calendar at work to schedule in appointments, workouts, meetings, etc., a calendar on me, and then a Google calendar.
Also I allow some 'float' time to get things done that pop up.

Hope this helps.

9/10/2009 4:10:45 PM

i put things on a big desk calendar, a planner and two online calendars as well as making a to-do list pretty much everyday.

i cannot get a good number of tasks done without a bulleted list of specifics; for instance, i could not go into a kitchen with a sink full of dishes, fridge full of old food, sugar spilled on the floor and a dirty oven and go in thinking "hey, i need to clean the kitchen," and actually get it done without a list that explicitly says:

-wash the dishes
-put the dishes away
-sweep the floor
-throw away the old food
-wipe out and easy-off the oven


whether it's a big task or a little one

9/10/2009 6:23:26 PM

Microsoft Onenote + Outlook

But it still fails to motivate me to do things I don't really want to do

9/10/2009 7:20:32 PM

as far as personal goals go, i try to reach for something im not sure i can do. what is the fun in going after something you KNOW you can complete? boring to me. so i set the goal and a deadline. then i tell everyone about it and it helps me stay on track because i know people will ask about it later. this is how i got into running. i chose to do something i did not think i could do but knew that if i worked at it, i could probably do it. i've surpassed my own expectations and continue to look for the next challenge.

i finished the san francisco half marathon in the worst pain of my entire life because i didn't want to be one of the people who were asked to stop the race and get on the bus because they had to open up the street. fear of public embarrassment motivated me to finish (and i was nowhere near the end). call it stubborn, i also wanted to finish and didn't spend 12 week training just to stop at some point in the race. i would have laid on my side and rolled to the finish line if i had to.

as far as work and life commitment and goals i live by one simple motto "you're never too busy to get what you want" so my priorities naturally sort themselves out because its what i find myself working the hardest on and making the most time for.

of course we all have work stuff and we have commitments to that we don't want to do. i try to do the least desirable task first, so i get it off my plate and head into the rest of the list with a greater sense of something already accomplished.

9/10/2009 7:50:29 PM

Quote :

"i chose to do something i did not think i could do but knew that if i worked at it, i could probably do it."

9/11/2009 2:56:42 AM

I put everything in my Blackberry calendar. It has made me so much more effective in everything I do...but I'm screwed if I lose it or it breaks. Unfortunately the older I get the less free time I have...do nothing weekends are a thing of the long past. All part of growing up

I also prioritize things. I have an ongoing list (to do App in Blackberry) that I adjust as I see fit. I also outsource time intensive weekly details...I have a housekeeper that comes once a week. She does my laundry, starches my work shirts, picks up my dry cleaning, puts up the dishes, cleans the bathrooms, kitchen and living room. You wouldn't BELIEVE how much time it frees up for me.

Anything worth doing takes time so don't give up.

9/11/2009 9:16:54 AM