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GTD Hack: Set Micro-Goals

By Becky McCray

Chris Brogan is still Getting Things Done. His latest post is on setting micro-goals. It’s like the old saying, you can eat an elephant one bite at a time.

The key is to set the goals JUST high enough that they’re not meaningless and trivial, but they’re not so big a bite that you’ve got a great excuse not to follow through.

Chris walks you through the whole thing, all the way to evaluating results and adjusting course.

A related concept is to keep your goal setting in the present moment. Wayne Dyer explained this on a really old audio book I found. As you set each goal, you keep it in the present moment.

  • Just for today, can I spend one hour on planning?
  • From now until closing, can I put extra effort into customer service?
  • Right now, can I choose to focus on only one task?

And the answer is, “of course!” Of course you can do it for one day, one hour, right now.

By using micro-goals to keep the steps small, and by focusing on the present moment, you can turn some of those larger ambitions into meaningful actions.

small biz rural entrepreneurship GTD goals chrisbrogan

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
  • In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020
  • Economic self defense for small towns  - June 7, 2020

April 14, 2006 Filed Under: planning

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