5 Good Ways to Make Steady Progress on Your Goals & Projects

1. Schedule a specific time and day to work on the goal ? just as if it were an appointment. Don't just wait for "someday" to work on it. It will always get bumped by more urgent (but not necessarily more important) tasks unless you make it a priority. Carving out a specific time to work on the project will make sure it finds its way onto your to-do list.

2. Do a little at a time. How much progress could you make if you had 36 hours to work on your goal? If you work only 10 minutes a day on a goal, that's 36 hours a year!

3. Write this note on a post-it: "What have I done today to work on __________ ?" (write your goal on the blank line)

Put it where you'll see it right before you go to bed, and ask yourself what you have done that day on the goal. If your answer is "nothing," get up the next day and resolve to work harder and smarter.

4. Work with a partner. Make a wager that you have to buy him or her lunch if you don't complete certain tasks by a specified date (deadlines give us structure and focus).

5. Ask yourself: "How will I feel if I never complete this goal?" Remind yourself that you deserve the success and happiness that comes from setting & achieving interesting goals.

Shari Peace is an international speaker, an author, and the president of Peace Talks, a professional speaking firm that helps organizations and people to get more done. Her book, Crank It Out! How to Get More Done ? At Work & In Your Life, features tips for smart time management and improved productivity. Reach her at http://www.sharipeace.com