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Tasks or Goals? Which governs your LIFE?

By
Real Estate Agent with StepStone Realty, LLC

Blogs are great things and sometimes wake you up.  Reading a blog today about setting goals and accomplishing your goals was eye opening.   I am sitting at an Open House for one of my listings and wanted to be productive if the pace was slow so I brought my computer. 

Do you have those days where you feel like you have gone in circles?  Don’t we all……….  Well, I am always busy but I don’t know if it is always a productive busy.    Then there are those times when you get derailed from your tasks but just being in the office.  Don’t want to be anti-social and there is a wealth of information to learn from your office buddies but there are times when the talking has to be put on the back burner.  So I am slowly learning to let go of the unnecessary tasks I do.  I read goal setting books and motivational books such as Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” but do I  implement what I have read?     

So doing my reading today, I had one of those light bulb moments:  

Do a prioritized task list every Monday (or Sunday evening) for the week.   Then as you look at each task ask yourself:

Does this task take me closer to accomplishing my goals?   If not, WHY am I doing it?   Who/ what  do I need to manage on a daily basis?

I am my most important asset to be managed. The secret to time management is this:   MAKE AN APPOINTMENT with yourself (whatever you need 1 hour,
2 hours, 3 hours a day) to get the most pressing things DONE each day.  Focus on finishing the list.

Turn off the phone and the computer. Don’t look (NO PEEKING) at your email account.  This will prevent ANYONE from stealing your time.   Use the standard message to reply to calls or emails that you return calls or emails between the hours of xx and xx or text if it is an emergency.   Do not set that time until AFTER you finish your list time or you could get sidetracked and not finish your list for the day.

Focus on the list. Whatever happens today can be answered  after today’s list is done, and put on tomorrow’s list, next week’s list, or delegated to someone else’s list, or no one’s list.

But today…today’s already booked.

Successful people work toward their goals;  failures work at tasks.

Posted by

Faye Y.Taylor

StepStone Realty, LLC

210 216-7722

Email Faye

https://www.FloresvilleRealEstateAgent.com

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Comments (9)

Frank Castaldini
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Realtor - Homes for Sale in San Francisco

My goals govern the direction of my life in terms of direction, my tasks guide the actions I take in the moment that are, if wisely chosen, in the direction of my goals.

Dec 20, 2009 04:13 PM
Peggy Chirico
Prudential CT Realty - Manchester, CT
REALTOR® 860-748-8900, Hartford & Tolland County Real Estate

I had to laugh at the "no peaking" - I think it's worse than a ringing phone.  It does take up more time than we would like so I think it's better to pick a different room so I'm not tempted.  Great post.

Dec 20, 2009 11:06 PM
Tim Ludemann
Ochopee, FL

Well written and yes I agree sometimes we have to shut off all distractions and finish our list.

Dec 20, 2009 11:31 PM
Dianne Bartlett
Brightside Realty, LLC - Austin, TX

Great distinction between tasks and goals!  Being a task-oriented person by nature, this is a good lesson for me.  Thank you for sharing your insight.

Dec 21, 2009 01:29 AM
Team Honeycutt
Allen Tate - Concord, NC

You're right! Sometimes you get so busy doing task that you miss the important things.

Dec 21, 2009 01:50 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Great points... I think we often get busy at being busy and forget to ask if what we are doing is furthering the action.

Dec 21, 2009 04:17 AM
Rick Schwartz
William Raveis Real Estate - Danbury, CT

Goals and tasks are not mutually exclusive. Tasks represent what you are doing.  Goals represent why you are doing them.

  • If you don't define your goals you will never reach your goals.
  • If you don't determine the individual, specific, physical actions  (tasks) needed to accomplish those goals you will also never reach your goals.
  • If you don't DO the tasks, you will also never reach your goals

Every task you perform must be associated with a goal or else, as you say  - why bother doing it?

A goal without tasks assigned to it is just a dream.

 

Dec 21, 2009 04:29 AM
Faye Y. Taylor
StepStone Realty, LLC - Floresville, TX
Country Living with City Convenience -Wilson Co TX
Thanks everyone. I have to really concentrate on my end goal as I am really detailed and want to know / understand EVERYTHING so can really get bogged down in the details. Hence the ?? does this task help me accomplish my goal. I think I could actually read active rain all day because there is so much info out here. I LOVE the other agents and their ability to give us all information that is beneficial. The same with my email; it has so much good info coming in I can get bogged, hence the advice to myself to do my tasks first to get to my goal. Thanks Rick, your list is great and so to the point.
Dec 21, 2009 06:02 AM
Andrew Chong
Realm Real Estate Professionals - Houston, TX

Good topic. I learned just this year, through coaching, that I'm very task oriented. I've set goals before but never really achieved them. When I turned my focus to actions/tasks, my productivity improved dramatically. Keep up the good work, and Merry Christmas.

Dec 22, 2009 07:10 AM