Time to Set Goals

Time to Set Goals

Posted on by Matthew Laker

How can you hit a target you do not even have?

Some times we can feel lost in direction and think life is just hard.  Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. We may wonder what is the point, or I can never get out of this?  

Even worst is that some never understand that life could be better, and it can be.  Life has beaten them down told them they are nothing. Yes, we can not do everything in the world.  However, within all of us is excellent potential.

Do you have your target?  Are they written down?  

Have you taken the time to ask yourself why?  Why do you want to reach them? How will your life change?

What is the reality of your circumstances?  What are the obstacles? Have you created steps to overcome those obstacles?

What limits must you accept?  What boundaries do you have that give you an advantage?

You need a plan of action to get there.  To hit the target, you got to pick up the bow and arrow. 

This week what is your top three?  

Gaining focus is going to take energy and time.  It is going to be hard. Life is going to be challenging.  If there are none, good chance, you are not living.

So the choice is yours, what is your next step?

 Get the commitment, get the foundation, reach your goals. 

Limits

Limits

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Over my summer vacation (2019) with my family, I read three books pictured below.  After finishing the books, I realized there were some similar themes found in each.  One such topic was around the idea of limits. In the book by Peter Scazzero chapter 8 is entitled “Receive the Gift of limits.”

“Understanding and respecting our boundaries and limits is one of the most important character qualities and skills leaders need in order to be long-term lovers of God and others.” (Scazzero, Peter “The Emotionally Healthy Church,” p. 141)

 Some often see limits as a negative thing, but what if they also can serve a positive role in our life.   Peter Scazzero see limits as a spiritual issue as well.  

I put a limit on my life so that my kids do not grow up without a dad around.

I put a limit on what I eat or where I spend my time so that I can receive other benefits. 

God puts limits around my life that serve as guard rails to lead me to wholeness.  

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 shares there is a season for everything, a time to plant, a time to grow.  Given the season of life, you are in what are reasonable limits you need to embrace, to not miss the beauty of life around you.  

Scazzero comments that “anger, depression, and rage, for example often function as oil lights in our lives, informing us that something is not right on the inside of the engine of our lives. (Scazzero, Peter “The Emotionally Healthy Church,” p. 148)

Where are you at?

Limits have this way of reminding of us of our need for others in our lives and that we are not God.   

In my life, I often expect too much from my self and admitting my limits is hard.  At times the needs or perceived needs of what needs to be done are higher than my supply.  In my life, this leads to anger and loss of focus. I have found my productivity system is essential here to help me know my limits and set them.  It helps me to celebrate what does get done and gain focus. 

Accepting and knowing our limits is a humbling experience and can lead to lower stress and anxiety.

At the same time, we should ask ourselves are there limits I need to break through because they are as Scazzero puts it “Character flaws?”(p.155)

Questions for reflection

To be a better father, I need to …?

What limit do I need to accept in my life?

What limit do I need to breakthrough?

How could the limits I have be good?

In my business, what limits are good, and what are bad?

4 Rhythms to strengthen personal productivity – Part 2

4 Rhythms to strengthen personal productivity – Part 2

Posted on by Matthew Laker

I was halfway through my day, and it was one of those days that was not going as planned.  I had a long to do list, and looking back not enough time. On top of that, there were a few unplanned interruptions and the day was getting away from me.  It is in these moments I am learning the importance of what I call the daily rhythm.

My daily productivity rhythm allows me to gain focus and remember what I need to focus on for the day.

There are 4 Rhythms that I have developed that are not unique to me.  However, when I stick with them, these rhythms help me reach my goals, accomplish my work and stay focused. Check out part one here

My Daily Rhythm

Each morning at some point I will take a look at my day and ask by the end of the day what are my big three?  Yes, this is not something unique to me, but it is something that when I do not do it.  I find myself just running from one task to another.

There are days I change it to become my daily big four.   

But I have learned that some times in trying to accomplish more I do not accomplish much.  By asking my self what are the three big things that at the end of my work day I want to achieve.  I have found that this keeps me on track. What this means is I have to say no to other tasks to do these first.

I will at times turn to the day’s page in my planner and find that one of my big three is chosen for me.  This comes from some planning ahead, but I will cover that in the next post.

In 2019 I have started to wrestle with the number 4 being part of a big daily goal.  This goal is not work-related but is a personal goal. For example, I need to pay the bills today.  On my days off I still think through what are the big 3 for today. Those days I will write down rest, to remind myself to take a break.

Tasks and appointments

I have moved from analog to digital and back and forth over the years. My sweet spot seems to be a combo of both in this area.  I have a digital tool that I put my tasks into, and this helps to track all the tasks, a big picture if you will. In that software, I can set due dates for those tasks, but each day I do still write in my planner what would be nice to finish.  My reason is this lets me prioritize my tasks.

I use google calendar to set my appointments and even book some of my longer tasks.  In the third quarter of 2018, I started writing down in my planner how I use my time. If I meet with someone that goes in the planner, even if it is in my google calendar, this allows me to go back at the end of day or month or quarter and see how I used my time.  This also helps when I have to send reports in, I can look back and know what I did and where I was.

In planning my day, I have also learned to give some margin. My problem is trying to jam too much into the day or time.  Margin allows for unplanned interruptions and even some thinking time in the day. Alongside this for some personalities, we need to give ourselves some grace and celebrate what has been done.

Next post I will share my weekly rhythm.

What tools or systems are helpful in your life?

Check out the other post in the Series

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3