The 'END' Planning Tool

Take a look at your diary/planner this week. How's it looking?

Take a pen & put an E, N, or D by each item. Both work and play.

• E - Energising: does that item bring you joy? life? smiles?

• N - Neutral: those things that don't have too much impact either way

• D - Draining: will this sap your energy? leave you tired?

Now look back at your week. Have you got a good mixture? Or is there a heavy weighting on E,N or D?

If you're spotting a lot of D, I would encourage you to see how you can bring more E activities in to help you stay focussed and operate out of over flow.

Get the job done the S.M.A.R.T way

Anyone else gone through 'Adult Learning'?

At school & university I was a late night crammer and last minute hander-inner. But, at least I had teachers, lecturers and deadlines. However, these were deadlines were set by the institution and the pressure was on! Now as an adult learner, I am left to my own devices to get the job done, and frankly, sometimes I slip behind when I don't have a plan.

S.M.A.R.T goal setting helps us with our goal setting by bringing accountability, structure and purpose.

What is S.M.A.R.T?

Specific: 

What exactly do I want to achieve? By when?

Measurable: 

How will I know I have completed it? What will I be saying Thinking? Doing?

Attainable: 

Can I actually do it? Do I have the time, resources & energy?

Relevant:

Know my why. What is the purpose of the goal? What impact will it have on the rest of my life? How committed am I?

Timely:

When do I want this by? Is the timescale realistic? Am I challenging myself?

Finally, ensure your goal/target is positive. For example, instead of "I want to watch less TV" think about how you might replace that with a positive goal such as "I want to take up a new hobby".

Tell me what you like about S.M.A.R.T goal setting. What do you find helpful?