priority

We have all been guilty of setting a goal and getting side tracked. But when it comes to your career progression it is important to break through the barriers that may be preventing you from achieving success.

So what are some of the main obstacles that could be holding you back from achieving your goals? Is there something that you can think of right now? More importantly, what can you do to overcome them?

While conducting research on the topic, I sourced an article on the top obstacles to your goals and added my personal perspective on ways you can overcome the obstacles:

1. Procrastination – Are there certain items that you have been avoiding and you notice the paperwork and emails are slowly piling up? Do you keep telling yourself – I’ll do it this afternoon, tomorrow or next week? Does it suddenly become urgent and you wish you had tackled it sooner?

Try this instead:

– Firstly, be aware of it, admit it to yourself, and take action to change it.

– If it is a tedious task that you don’t enjoy doing, get it out of the way first and don’t keep putting it off.

– Set up a list of tasks and put them in order of priority for the day.

– Set a timeframe in which to complete it, this will give it a sense of urgency and a deadline for you to achieve the task.

– Repeat this process for longer term goals as well

2. Lack of time – Whether it is work, family commitments, the daily commute etc. Different commitments will pull at your attention and dedicating time to your goals can be difficult. However, it is important to make sure that you are managing time to balance everything on your plate before you add more to your to-do list.

Try this instead: Firstly, establish what you currently have on your to-do list and narrow down your top three priorities of the day. By setting yourself three realistic priorities to accomplish you will feel a greater level of satisfaction completing those items as opposed to trying to tackle 54 items at once with no results.

3. Lack of organisation/motivation – Sometimes when we let projects and paperwork build it can appear overwhelming and you often don’t know where to begin.

Try this instead: Pick one project and work on a specific goal around it. Get clear on what you need to do to achieve this goal – do research, seek training, and then write out a time frame in which you need to achieve it by. And most importantly, hold yourself accountable for it so that you are continually driving yourself and not losing focus on the task at hand.

4. Distractions – Meetings, phone calls, emails, reminders, social media connections or a colleague or manager asks you to drop what you are doing to complete and urgent task. Does this sound familiar? Wish you could block out the world long enough to complete that project? But how?

Try this instead: Sometimes it can be as simple as advising your colleagues that you are working on an important assignment for the next hour or two and to approach you only if it is urgent.  You may need to divert your calls to voicemail for a period of time or put an out of office reply on your emails until you are done. And if your phone or other devices are set to make noises to remind you of appointments or when you receive a message, it may be best to set them to silent. Allocating the amount you wish to shut out distractions is up to you, as long as you can make the most of that time to be productive and achieve your desired results.

What do you find are some of the major obstacles that you find come up with goal setting or pursuing a goal in your career? What steps have you taken previously to overcome them? What did you learn from the experience?

priority

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.

–          Paul J. Meyer

We all need productivity; it is the driving force in our lives that leads to the results we want. Being productive encourages us and motivates us to strive for something better and to be better. But there can also be times when we say to ourselves, ‘I could be more productive than this,’ or ‘How can I be more productive?’

For those of you that need a productivity boost, here are some helpful things to consider from an article I found on Careerealsim:

1. Time Management

Find those peak times of the day where you feel most productive to get the important tasks accomplished. For example, if you feel more refreshed in the morning, take that opportunity to utilise your energy and show your personal best.

 2. Exercise

While it can be hard to find the motivation to exercise, once you begin a routine you will see the benefits. Not only does exercise make you look and feel better, but once you reach that level of accomplishment it creates momentum for you to strive for further achievement in your daily life. Plan a time that works for you, whether it’s before work, in your lunch break, after work or just planning outdoor activities on the weekends.

3. Being Reactive

While multi-tasking is a great skill to have, if you are the type of person that accepts each tasks and hops from project to project, chances are you are not going to be very productive. Taking on too many projects at once can also increase stress levels and be very bad for your health.

Take charge of one task and complete it before moving on to the next one. This will make you more productive and appear more reliable to management when it comes to allocating future tasks.

4. Priority List

It is very important to establish what needs to be accomplished first and what urgently needs to be focused on so that you can manage your time and tasks better. If you don’t prioritise, the tasks will most likely run you. Establish time-frames, set it out in your schedule, avoid distractions and get it done! This can also apply to tasks that you may not necessarily favour the most, if you get them done early, then you won’t dread having to do them at the end of the day.

5. Setting Boundaries

This links to the priority list, and will vary for every person. But if you want to focus 100% on the task at hand you can set out boundaries so that you are not interrupted during that period of time. For example, you can try not taking phone calls for an hour, or if you are in sales, allocate 10 calls you need to make within the hour etc.

If management or a supervisor approach you to ask you to complete another task, make sure to advise them of your current workload and availability. It is better that they are made aware of your workload so that they can advise you on how urgent the task is. It will also give them an indication on whether you currently have the capacity to complete it or if they need to delegate the task elsewhere.

 6. Commuting and Traffic

Delays commuting to and from work can vary, so try assessing timetables and possible scenarios the night before to avoid being late for morning projects. Taking that extra time to plan and get in earlier will save the stress and anxiety you would feel if the worst case scenario were to happen.

Some organisations may even provide you with the opportunity to work from home if you can access your emails and database remotely.

What are some of your routines that help you stay more productive at work? What steps have worked and what didn’t work?