Are you writing resolutions for 2008? Even if you’re not, you probably have some goals or at the very least some projects that capture your dreams for the future. Here are 7 ways to keep track of the things you want to make happen in your life — which one suits you?
Sticky note on your mirror. Write your two or three most important goals or resolutions on a Post-It note, and put it on your bathroom mirror, where you’ll see it every morning and evening.
Social goal setting site. Try Goalmigo, 43 Things, or AimsVille. All these sites let you record, track, and share your goals with a supportive community of people going after their own goals.
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The popular 80/20 rule says that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. But the future’s uncertain, so it can be difficult to know which 20% of activities will lead to the lion’s share of benefits. Look to your past for lessons about what business activities hold the most promise for you.
As an example, consider conferences, which are touted for their networking and educational opportunities but often require big investments of time and money. Information Architect Stephen Collins muses that they aren’t always worth it:
You know, conferences, for all their imagined value sometimes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. The signal to noise ratio ends up being way out of whack and you walk away after two or three days thinking you’d have been better off saving your money and staying at work. There are more than a few conferences that strike me as being mostly noise.
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