You know you should do it, and I know we all should do it. It sounds like great advice – set goals to really put in perspective what you want out of life. We all have gone to the goal setting seminars, read the chapters of goal setting in all the self help books and have thought to ourselves, that sounds like great advise. But, as with everything in life, goal setting is sent to the back burner of our daily routine and we never set them. Well, because it just makes sense to spend a little time thinking about what we would like from life and how we can get it, I’ll share with you just four easy steps to set your goals and actually stick to the act of goal setting and achieving.

1. Think about what you want – This seems like the easy step but it is really the hardest one. The one step we would like to avoid and move right along to writing our fantastic goals. But it is the most necessary. Just sit down alone, with a blank piece of paper or your computer notepad – whatever works for you, and just write what you would like to achieve, accomplish or whatever it is that you want to happen in your life.
2. Write it down – Now that you have thought about it and written anything that came to mind – however long or short- this is where you have to put it in cons ice, simple and clear words. Let me give you an example, I once thought about what I want it to do with my talents, how I wanted to grow and learn professionally. So, my thoughts were all over the notepad document, and I had summarize a page of rambling in just three or four words. I realized from reading my thoughts that I wanted to earn my living writing, so that became my professional goal. I phrased the goal like this “I want to earn my living writing.” That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. The statement is powerful and cons ice.
3. Visualize and focus – Print the goal, write on a sticky note. Whatever works you. But put it in at least two places where you will see it many times during your day. So every time you see it you will have to focus on what you decided that you wanted to accomplish.
4. Give it a timeframe and break it down to sub goals – Now that you know the goal, to make it easier to achieve, give yourself a timeframe and take the goal and break it down to the smallest elements. Those small elements will become the tasks or actions you will need to take to achieve this goal.
5. Enjoy the sense of accomplishment – Once you have reach your goal, enjoy the moment. Feel proud and accomplished. You made a choice and acted on that choice and hopefully you achieve it.

We all know these steps, but we need to be reminded of the good things that come from goal setting and achieving. Goal setting, goal achieving are all fancy words for just figuring out what you really want from life and creating a list of actions that you can take to make it happen. So, as Captain Picard in “Star Trek: Next Generations” used to say, make it so.

A new habit takes 30 days to form, which means in 30 days you can either start a new bad habit or change a bad habit into a good one. If you have ever tried to change a bad habit such as be more organized, eat better, or start exercising, you probably tried to do it all at once and failed. A war is won by winning many battles, if you want to win the war on your bad habit, let’s start by winning little battles.

You know the routine, you say to yourself; “from now on I’m going to be more organized, I’m going to eat better and start exercising. I’m going to start on Monday and I’m going to do it this time!” Monday comes around and you’re motivated to start your new good habits. You grab an apple and some toast for breakfast, you organize your desk, and you take the stairs, you started off right, but as the day winds down you find yourself falling back into some of the old habits, maybe you hit the vending machine in the afternoon, soon you take the elevator again because your just too tired, by the end of the day you’re back to square one.

Why does this happen? You say to yourself I just can’t stay disciplined enough to change what I want to change. The answer is you are trying to change too many things at once, remember little battles mean little victories.

So today , not tomorrow or next week , pick one small thing you want to change, for example keep an organized desk. That is going to be your focus for the next thirty days. Don’t worry about diets, exercise, or anything else. Everyday before you leave be sure to clean off your desk. Trust me it will pay off in the morning when you walk in and have a clean slate to start on.

Now take this and apply to every other thing you want to change, except only do one thing at a time. Remember little battles. If it’s a diet you want to change start by changing only one meal in the day, breakfast for example. Rather than trying to change your entire eating habit at once, start with one meal. Do that for 30 days, by the end of the 30 days, if you have been having something healthy like grapefruit, it is very unlikely that you will go back to something fattening such as bagels or bacon. By this time your body won’t want it anymore, when your battle with breakfast is won, now its time to attack lunch.

The plan I have laid out is not a quick fix solution, there rarely are. Bad habits form over time and so it takes time to undo them and form good habits. One day at a time, in 30 day succession and you can overcome anything.

Modern day culture and American culture in particular stresses hard work and long hours. We need only look at the bustling American economy to see the fruits of our labor. And what does it take to work so hard? More energy.

Fighting Fatigue

The number one thing that can hold us back from working longer is fatigue. Fatigue can be a sign of exhaustion; sometimes all we need to do is take a 15 minute cat nap in the afternoon to help energize us.

Drink More Water

Dehydration can contribute to fatigue. If your feeling tired, coffee can help but coffee can also be the culprit in causing dehydration. Next time you feel fatigued, drink 2-3 glasses of water and you’ll notice a quick pick me up.

Quick Exercises

Go out for a short brisk walk, the combination of walking and a burst of fresh air is sure to reignite your alertness.

Stimulate More Adrenaline

Adrenaline is what gives us that flight or fight rush. Even though we don’t want something so exhilarating, a little stimulation to the adrenal gland can go a long way in fighting fatigue. Open either one of your hands and about 1 inch below your middle finger, there is a round bone. Rub it in circle motions for 20-30 seconds at a time in each hand and this should pump more adrenaline.

Sleep

Finally, if you are feeling fatigue all the time it usually can be remedied by sleeping more.

You may have your priorities straight but still, many Americans struggle daily with a lack of motivation that can hinder their productivity at work and in their daily life. Many times, their lack of motivation can be falsely diagnosed by medical professionals as ADHD, nutrient deficiency, and even depression. However, sometimes all the person needs to get out of their funk is to implement simple steps in their daily life that will put drive back into their routine and help them become more productive, successful, and happier individuals. Here are some of those steps:

Set Goals

This first step follows the old advice and question of, “If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there?” Research studies have continually asserted the notion that goal-oriented individuals are far more likely to be productive and happy in their professional and private lives simply because they have something to get out of bed for each day. Goals can be as small or as large as you wish, but it’s best to have a conglomeration of the full scale. Long-term goals help a person to look forward to the future and keep their eye on the prize on where they want to be in the years to come. Long-term goals typically apply to five, ten, or even more years down the line. Medium-term goals are set for three to five years away and help the person keep perspective on how their short-term goals will eventually affect their long-term goals. Short-term goals can be set as soon away as the next day or as long away as several months to a year. Short-term goals help the person keep focus day in and day out on what they are doing to reach their medium and long-term goals, keeping the person motivated and driven throughout their life.

Get Exercise

Not only does exercise make you look and feel better, but it actually can help tremendously in bolstering your productivity and motivation. Like setting goals, exercising keeps the person focused on activities and takes away the stress of thinking about how big their work or private life problems are all day. If you are exercising effectively, chances are you aren’t thinking about that major project at work that is coming due in the next few days. Exercise gives the mind, as well as the body, a much-needed workout in that it enables the mind to relax thinking about “work” mode and allows other areas that focus on physical exertion a chance to work.

Get Organized

If your work area is so messy that you can’t find what you need to get done, much less actually work on it, you are going to get highly stressed about it and, eventually, become less motivated to get it done. Experts agree that organization is a top priority for working individuals that wish to pick up their motivation. A clean, precise methodology of precision organization helps workers stay focused on their tasks and successfully completing them instead of devoting precious mind resources and time into finding the items they are missing multiple times throughout the day. Take some time to clean up your computer files, your paper files, your desk, and your inbox each week and you may notice a world of difference in keeping motivated on the task at hand.

For so long we have heard; “I need to balance home and work”. Well, I say baloney, it’s not really about a balance so much as it is about priorities. When we have our priorities straightened out, balance will follow.

To prove my point, think about this: Would you spend an equal amount of time in a spa as you would taking care of your kids? No, unless you’re a horribly self absorbed parent, in which case you probably wouldn’t be reading an article about “priorities in life”. So there, it is a bit simplistic but it proves my point, it’s not about balance but rather about priorities. The priority in this case would be taking care of your children, then when time permits a trip to the spa.

Many people struggle with prioritizing because it usually only comes to mind when you are too busy. The key is to ask yourself “What is the most important thing in my life?”

We do our to do lists by priority, why not run our lives the same way?

Trust me when I tell you that that having your priorities figured out will not only bring the peace you want in life, but will actually make you more successful overall.

There are days when you just can’t focus or get it together. You feel tired, can’t think straight, and are probably feeling sorry for yourself. You are in what is known as a mental rut and it really sucks.

When you’re down in the dumps, this can affect your relationships, your work, and even your leisure time.

Many people confuse being in a mental rut with being depressed. Depression is a serious disease and if you suspect you do have clinical depression, then you should seek professional help.

In contrast, lacking focus and being in a mental rut is only temporary and usually subsides within days or weeks. Below I will list five things you can do to focus better and get out of a mental rut.

1.Sleep- In my experience, the first thing I ask myself when I start losing track of things and I start feeling like I can’t focus is “how have I been sleeping lately?” Lack of sleep is probably the number one culprit in not being able to focus well.

Don’t think that you are lazy because you feel the need to take a nap. Personally, I love to take naps every chance I get. This is probably the single greatest factor in helping me be more productive. It doesn’t have to be a 2 hour siesta (although those are nice), a 15 or 30 minute powernap followed by a shot of espresso usually does the trick for me. You can do this almost anywhere, in an office, a car, or at home. Even if you don’t fall fully asleep, simply closing your eyes in a meditative state will refresh your thinking and boost your energy. Just in case, set the alarm on your cell phone.

2. Exercise- I know it has been said a thousand times, but it’s true, nothing helps you focus better than working up a good sweat. For me, a combination of jogging, walking, and weightlifting does the trick. A good long walk will do for most. Exercise also does something else; it helps get the creative juices flowing, this is good for brainstorming projects and new business ideas. Additionally, exercise helps keep your weight down, which is a big factor in helping you feel physically and mentally better.

3. Food- Speaking of weight, food is a big contributor to being in a mental rut. If you are on a high carbohydrate and low protein diet, you’re probably not feeling mentally sharp. The reason is that the brain needs protein to function. Don’t believe me? Try a strict Atkins diet for 5 days and you’ll see just how much you will sharpen your ability to focus.

4. Sight seeing- If it’s the weekend, jump in the car and go somewhere different. Sometimes just changing scenery can do wonders for your state of mind.

5. Party- Finally, nothing beats a mental rut, like a good party. Find some friends, go dancing, and get drunk (for me getting drunk usually precedes the dancing). If anything, you’ll wake up hung over and think “oh the hell with it, there’s nothing wrong with me” and go on about your business on Monday morning having forgotten how depressed you may have been the week before!