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February 04, 2005

Tip #19: Immoveable Deadlines

Why is it that a class reunion, a wedding, or a boss's work deadline gets us motivated to lose the ten pounds, plan the event or achieve the goal? It's an immoveable date.

So, one trick I've used over the years to be winning at working is to create that same motivation by locking in dates, then doing the work. So, for example, rather than do most of the project work and then set the project deadline, I believe in doing it the other way around. Set the date, then do the work. It's amazing how much you can get done when you have a deadline for achievement.

When I wanted to launch a new website, I hired the web designed, set and published the date for launch. It would have been easier to do the work and launch the site when it was ready. But, setting the goal made it happen quickly and on time. That way, we both made it a priority.

Napoleon Hill, best-selling author of Think and Grow Rich, put it this way, "Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement, and its lack is the stumbling block for ninety eight out of every one hundred people because they never really define their goals and start toward them."

Setting immoveable deadlines are powerful goals that can create personal and team motivation

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Posted by Nan Russell at February 4, 2005 10:07 AM