Setting Goals
cianestro: Rules I live by to get things done (that work for everyone):
1. Figure out what you have done.
2. Decide what task demands your immediate attention NOW.
3. Stop debating and devote yourself fully to doing #2* and disregard time* completely while doing so.
4. Repeat.#'s 2-3 constitute a task or procedure but can scale to either smaller or larger scales.This could be anywhere from taking your next breath to factoring a complex polynomial.Always live within the lowest common denominator (subroutine) within any given procedure.Use your internal clock. Work accumulators (internal clocks) are better measures of elapsed work whereas clocks just measure elapsed time. (How many times have you stopped to look at the clock and say, "Wow, I've been working for 2 hours! Better take a quick break." This is how you lose your mojo juice and start looking for crap like SMART goals or self-reflections as a cure for laziness. Work is the only known cure for laziness--and goal-setting is a symptom.)Never waste energy thinking beyond the next task. This is because the distant future is uncertain whereas reevaluating the past per iteration of a task provides a clearer picture of where you're heading. However, this model works best in an environment where your work is predetermined like in school or a day job. In a startup you would have to devote a small fraction, say no more than 10% of your time, to developing a mental "big picture" and the rest to the model presented here. As we all know, while ideas change, work stays constant.