What’s your modus operandi when it comes to completing goals and tasks?
How often have you started something and not followed it through till it was completed? Most of the time, some of the time, rarely?
If you’re notorious for starting activities but rarely sticking to them until they’re done, take a moment to stop and take a look at what’s causing this habit of incompletion.
Conversely, if you are really on point when it comes to completing goals, tasks and action steps what’s the strategy that you adopt to keep you on top of all of the components until you have achieved your outcome?
Let’s take a deeper dive!
If you’re not inspired by your goals, if they’re not aligned with what your passionate about, your purpose and true nature the likelihood of you doing them is zero or perhaps you’ll make a half-hearted attempt that will inevitably grind to a rapid halt.
The first step to ensure follow through, is to make certain that whatever goal you have, it needs to inspire you. It also needs to be aligned with your purpose and what you’re passionate about.
The next step is to have a plan in place. Know your end result or outcome you want to achieve and then plot out the milestones or sub-goals that are needed to keep the momentum going from start to finish. Make sure each milestone is something that is achievable within a 1-month period, that way you can gauge your progress in monthly increments.
Are there other people that can assist you with some of the tasks along the way to streamline your plan or lighten up your workload so that you get to focus on the action items that require your creativity, experience or expertise in order to achieve the best outcome?
Do you have a backup plan for dealing with distractions, non-related activities, phone calls, emails, meetings and social media? This way you can carve out time that is dedicated to the task at hand and use it productively no matter what.
When you’re feeling fatigued, agitated, your mind begins to wander or you’re just burned out, what are some short burst “pick-me-up” activities you can incorporate into your plan to help you to relax, clear your head, get more energy, recharge and refocus?
What I’ve found to be helpful is to take a couple of minutes to jump around on my Cellerciser® (it’s like a mini trampoline.) It boosts the lymphatic system, immune system and cardiovascular system. It calms the nervous system, is good for balance and coordination, it takes you out of your ‘head’ and puts your attention back into your body so it’s a great stress buster! It’s also fun and after a short workout it floods you with body with endorphins to heighten your mood and stimulate vitality.
You can also put on your favorite music and dance around, go for a run or walk, do a short burst of resistance training, do some yoga poses and stretches.
Moving our body makes us feel good and adds short breaks in between whatever tasks you’re doing. This is an excellent strategy to incorporate into your plan to help with refocusing or calming you down to prepare for relaxation and sleep.
Another of my favorite things to incorporate into a plan is celebration. Each time you achieve one of your milestones do something to acknowledge your achievement. Even if you do a little “Happy Dance” celebration reinforces your habit of “completion” behavior. It brings joy, a feeling of pleasure and accomplishment as you continue along your journey of following through to achieve your goals.
Follow through is a step-by-step strategy for integrity (you demonstrate your word is your bond), success (you move from achievement to achievement) and growth (the magnitude of your accomplishments continue to grow.) Follow through is a vital aspect of being a leader and role model for others.
How are you using follow through in your life?
