Time Management Skills with an emphasis on Goal Setting for Pivot Point Learning

People tend to neglect goal setting because it requires time and effort. What they fail to consider is that a little time and effort put in now saves an enormous amount of time, effort and frustration in the future. I must admit that I am one of those people. I have a tendency to create in my head, and throughout the process, things become a bit jumbled and lost up there. To improve my Time Management skills I need to prioritize the goal setting aspect of the process. If I take the time in the beginning to do this, it should save me time and effort later in the process. Mind Tools has two great articles on goal setting that gave me a blueprint writing objectives and action plans. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you'll realize that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. In the article "Action Plans: Small Scale Planning" they clarify the definition of a successful action plan. Action Plans are simple lists of all of the tasks that you need to finish to meet an objective. They differ from To-Do Lists in that they focus on the achievement of a single goal. "Action plans are useful, because they give you a framework for thinking about how you will complete a Project efficiently. They help you finish activities in a sensible order, and they help you ensure that you don't miss any key steps. Also, because you can see each task laid out, you can quickly decide which tasks you'll delegate or outsource, and which tasks you may able to ignore." I am currently planning a Tuff Mudder experience for the eighth grade Physical Education classes at my school. The SCHEMES* mnemonic gave me a method to check that my plan was comprehensive. It gave me a better incite into all of the areas in which I need to consider. I also downloaded the To Do List (file:///C:/Users/owner/Desktop/Pivot%20Points%20Curriculum/PrioritizedToDolist.pdf) to assist me in prioritizing the Urgent/Important list that Michael Hooker alluded to in the "Time Management" video. By following the SMART guidelines for goal setting I can see where my time will be better spent in the long run. By Including precise amounts, dates, and so on in my goals, I should be more ready to measure each degree of success. Without a way to measure my successes I could miss out on the celebration that comes with knowing I have actually achieved something. The feeling of accomplishing the "small steps" of the big plan of action will keep motivation high! So in the words that B.J. Fogg shares: I will be able to check off each success and celebrate with an "I am AWESOME!"