Do you know the ART of achieving your goal?
Most of us learn and know how to set a SMART goal. But, not many of us know the art of achieving the SMART goal. In fact, I have seen many people who have set the best SMART goal but fail to achieve it. And this is because they have not applied the art of achieving goals. Which is, get it D.O.N.E.!
I have personally found the D.O.N.E. method a wonderful tactical model to guide anyone to achieve any goal they have. The thing though, is that you need to be committed to change, otherwise no model will be a good model.
Get it DONE
How to apply D.O.N.E.?
To illustrate, I shall share how I have successfully applied the DONE model to achieve my goal.
GOAL: I want to be able to put my son to bed at his bedtime routine at 8pm.
Challenge: I was 29 and grappling with the challenge of being a new mom and breastfeeding. In addition, I was working in on average 60 hour work week.
Following the D.O.N.E. art of achieving goals:
D: Define and decide the ONE thing
Being a new mother, I had to deal with many self struggles particularly as a not good enough mom. I want to be a good mom, but I also want to shine in my career. I focused on one thing that I really want to do for my baby. And, that is to be able to spend quality bed time routine with him at 8pm.
O: Organize my life
At that time, I used to work 15 hours in the office. But, there will be no way I could achieve my goal if I do not re-organize my life. Hence, I started to define the changes I need to make in order to leave the office at 6:15pm and be available for my baby until he goes to bed at 8pm.
N: Learn to say NO
With my new priority, I had to say no to several requests and demands from time to time. And, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with it. There were times where a meeting invite comes in at 6pm, or my boss coming to me with an “urgent” request as I was about to pack up. In fact, this happens so often, that if I did not say No to, I would not have been able to achieve my goal.
But, don’t get me wrong. It does not mean that I keep saying no. I evaluate the situation, and offer alternatives. For instance, I would tell my boss that I can see that it is urgent and I could start working on it later and complete by 9pm. I would ask him if my suggestion will work. Trust me, most of the time, it works (unless your boss is an a**).
E: Execute
I have seen people who has their goals set and plans all thought of, but failed to execute. And there would be 1001 reasons why we fail to execute. I could be thinking to myself that I am not senior enough in my company to have that flexibility. Or, I would be worried about how my boss and co-workers would view me if I were the first to walk out the office. But, the truth is that there will never be the best time to execute. So, do not procrastinate and do it NOW.
So…
Do you know why people fail to achieve their goal? The key point here is no matter what your goal is, you need to be committed to it. The D.O.N.E. art of achieving goals will guarantee results, if you stay committed to change.
Elynn Teo | Creator | The Mind Studio
From a finance-leader to a coach, Elynn is passionate about empowering others to become a better version of themselves and live a flourishing life. Elynn spent 18 years working in highly dynamic and fast-paced corporate environments and held various global leadership roles. During this time, Elynn had the privilege to lead and serve global and virtual teams. And, it is through these beautiful souls that Elynn discovered her passion of empowering others to become a better self. Elynn holds a Bachelor in Accountancy, Graduate Diploma in Applied Positive Psychology and Graduate Certificate in Counselling. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Counselling.