Jean L. Serio

A very successful woman I met, earlier in my career, said "If You don't manage your time, eventually your time will manage you". That said, it will run you ragged if you ignore it. Especially if you're an entrepreneur starting up a new business.

Yet the topic of goal setting, to help manage time to better manage business, has been so over-talked business owners simply ignore it. They believe they know what direction they're heading. And think keeping it in their head, or on scraps of paper spread across their desk, is enough.

The problem with this - failing to write down what you want, what action must be taken to reach that, and a date on which you want it to be completed, creates lack of focus. Lack of focus then creates mistakes, wasted time and loss of money. Without goals you can wind up working on far less important issues. Which can throw you off course indefinitely. Taking you much longer to reach those important goals you've failed to write down and are you're keeping in your head.

The sin of "believe you'll get to it":

Once you've left a day job, with set hours, meetings and other functions, the hardest thing to do - especially if you work from home - is to properly manage time. There may be children, family and other responsibilities to deal with daily. So you set your business aside, believing you'll eventually get back to it, picking up where you left off.

You're not alone if you think this way. Many new business owners do. Unfortunately, what it amounts to is putting off the very goals you're so passionate about attaining. When you do this, your goals keep piling up. Unreached and unfulfilled.

No single goal is reached overnight, with a wave of a hand. Each long term goal must be reached through a systematic completion of many smaller goals, which precede it. Those completed goals then become the foundation on which you build toward your larger, more important, goals.

Once you write down your goals - daily, weekly, monthly and long-term - you can see, at a glance, just what's ahead of you. Now you're not only more prepared, you can plan your time wisely.

5 Important Reasons to Set Smaller Goals:

1) Failing to set smaller goals makes larger goals seem out of reach. Reaching them, requiring more work, money or time than you first thought.

2) By breaking down larger goals, to smaller, easily attainable goals - you can stick to - allows you to focus on and reach your goals with less effort and expense. Plus you're reach them faster.

3) Each time you setting a smaller goal, and attain it, it will give you the greater confidence to move on to your next goals.

4) Continuing to set smaller goals allows you to quickly determine if there are other steps or goals you've forgotten, or overlooked, which are necessary to reach your larger goals.

5) Smaller goals allow you to strip away unnecessary issues, allowing you to spend more time on those larger, more important goals which slowly - but surely - push you toward your larger goals.

To start, identify your goals:

To begin to get control of your time, identify your goals. And write a clear description of each:

* Short Term Goals - You can write lists of short term goals daily, write them as you recall them, planning tomorrow's list today. These short term goals may take you a day or two to complete so you may not feel this is a necessary step. However, setting them down can also illuminate other smaller goals which must be completed before moving on to more important goals. With this daily list you can better plan each day, or week. Anything you were unable to get done, schedule for the next day. When you write down what needs to be done, you're not only more likely to accomplish those goals, you'll end up with more free time to work on other projects or goals.

* Medium Term Goals - These are goals which can take a longer time to complete, often 2-3 months. They can also be goals needed to be met every six months. Or set by season, holidays, or vacations. Setting these goals allows you the flexibility of changing or adjusting them to better meet larger goals.

* Long Term Goals - these are those dreams you have. Goals you're driven to accomplish. Writing them down keeps you focused and moving more certainly toward their realization. Plus, if you've written them down, each time you review them you can refine them. In some cases you may reach them earlier than expected and cross them off your list. allowing yourself to set and confidently move on to even larger goals.

Creating a your goals list, allows you to move steadily and confidently ahead, daily.

Once you've created your lists, recheck it regularly. Determine whether each item a) needs to be done or deleted; b) be delegated to free up your time for other more important things; c) can be modified, taking less time. Cross out the deletes and decide how to make changes to modify others.

Here's a Tip: Determine what small or medium goals can be combined, and accomplished, saving you even more time. Eliminate each goal when completed.

Separate your personal goals from your business goals:

Set your personal goals, like visiting the dentist, exercise classes, getting a hair cut or nails done, for time which doesn't interfere with your work day. Schedule time either before or after work, or set aside specific blocks of time for those things. Mark those hours on your calendar as personal time.

Many who start up a business, even some home business owners, are so happy with their new-found freedom, they forget the importance of scheduling a normal work day. Once you regularly start taking time off in the middle of the work day, for personal or social commitments, it's hard to get back on track. If you've left in the middle of the day, and it's four PM when you're done, there's a good chance you won't return to work, and pick up where you left off. While all of us occasionally have personal situations, needing immediate attention, or business and community meetings to attend, when you don't regularly divide your personal and social commitments from business, you not only risk losing profits, but risk losing the very business you dreamed about, due to lack of focused attention.

Organizing your goals to create more time:

Once you've organized your goals - and stick to them - you'll not only make better use of your time, you'll have more time for other important projects, and free time for yourself and your family. Don't, and you'll fritter away the better part of each day. Valuable time spent working toward important goals, lost forever. On the other hand, when you clearly set your goals, time is usually on your side.

Jean L. Serio, Copyright 2007. Are you one of the 1.2 million women tired of working the 9-5 grind, sick of worrying about making ends meet? As you know, starting your own business still remains one of the best strategies for providing you financial freedom. Discover how to start your own business today with your own step-by-step Action Plan. Plus, to ensure you receive all the details FREE, and learn how to harness the power and resources you need to start, first sign up for your Free Newsletter "Start Up A Business Today" and receive your Free Bonus Report, "5 Mistakes Women Make Starting Up a Biz" - go to: www.womensmarketingandbusinessnetwork.com "We help you make it happen!"

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