You have goals? You need checklists

It can be helpful to have goals.  We're not going to disagree with that.  

Knowing what you’re aiming for focuses the mind and helps you identify opportunities to make your goals a reality.  

One thing to always keep in mind though is that, by their very nature, goals are part of the future rather than part of the present.  

Something we are growing into rather than a part of the life we’re living right now. 

Which can sometimes create unforeseen challenges to consistent motivation. 

A potential downside that we observe sometimes with goals is that, because they are future focused, they can leave people feeling dissatisfied with the present.  

It makes sense.

If we were totally happy with the present, we wouldn’t feel much need to identify and make changes.  

But if we’re dissatisfied with the present, and the goal is something we’re waiting to realise in the future, what about the time in between?

We know we’ll feel good when the goals are achieved but what about every day until this point?

How do we make sure we feel good for each of these days?

Because one thing is for sure. If we don’t feel that we’re making progress every day, we’re far more likely to give up on our goals. 

This is where checklists come in.  

Not sexy perhaps, but very effective.

While goals might be a bit abstract in relation to when we’ll achieve them and how good the pay off will be, checklists provide the opportunity for immediate gratification and a powerful sense of achievement. 

Checklists can be as long or as short as works for you.

They can be separated out in relation to specific goals or you could put everything together in one master checklist.

Let’s use a few straightforward examples...

If you want to sleep better

Daily checklist:

• Get some morning daylight

• Max 2 coffees per day

• Finish work at 1800

• No more than xx-minutes of evening Netflix (you decide the amount that suits you, but decide in advance)

• Read at least 2 pages of my novel before sleep

If you want to improve your energy levels

Daily checklist:

• Drink 2-litres of water a day

• Walk outside for 20-mins

• Eat clean for lunch

• Consume a healthy mid morning or mid-afternoon snack

• Practice 5 minutes of mindfulness

If you want to improve work-life balance

Daily checklist:

• Review my meeting schedule for tomorrow to ensure which are m essential, which could be shortened, which could be removed in the future 

• Review my to do list and work out what could be delegates or removed in the future

• Make sure there’s something for me happening today 

• Make sure there’s something for my partner / family happening today that I will be part of 

If you want to maximise your effectiveness

Daily checklist:

• Review my to do list each morning and confirm priorities 

• Take a break mid morning to review priorities and progress so far, and course correct when appropriate 

• Take a break mid afternoon to assess priorities and course correct when appropriate. 

• Review my to do list at the end of the working day and set priorities for tomorrow 

• Update my stop, start continue framework. 

You get the idea. 

Why do checklists work better?

If you have goals you tend to remember them periodically and then quickly try to find opportunities through the day to take action towards the goals. 

If you have checklists, you already know the actions you need to prioritise, you make time for them and the more consistently you take action, the more automatic these actions become.  So you are unconsciously moving yourself closer to your goal every single day.  

And most importantly, feeling good about yourself every single day. 

So if you’re serious about your goals and want to speed up your progress and achieve and celebrate success every day, set yourself up with some checklists today!