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Define Done

My professional tip is this. If you have a project, draw a finish line. Do it almost anywhere. A guideline, list, or something that says very clearly what “done” is. Done is not just when you’re satisfied. Done is when you can pass the project off to someone else and you don’t have to touch it again. This can be for a meal, a drawing, a business, a poem, a website, or your laundry.

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The “Self” in Self Efficacy

A few thought leaders have been promoting how SMART goals don’t work, that thinking is obsolete and their new revolutionary systems are trending a bit. I want to make it clear what’s actually going on.

First, SMART goals are still valid and are still being proposed through these new systems. What they are doing is distinguishing that SMART goals are an adequate tool for goal *setting*, but not for goal *achieving*, which is entirely different.

Second, all the new acronyms and systems that you might buy into, no matter the coach, author, or organization, are just the scientific method with buzz words and a brand.

In short, don’t throw SMART goals out of the window. Just frame your goals with testable patterns, a system of note taking, and honesty when reviewing what failed and what didn’t.

I’m not saying not to get a coach. I use two of them, but I use them to keep focused, not to tell me something that I already passed a test on in high school. There, I just saved you all thousands of dollars.