Whats the Next Action Step?

Nothing gets done unless an action is completed. Everything we do is an action step. Of course some are so routine they don't really need to be written down or remembered. They are simply habit or ingrained in our daily lives. Wake up. Go to the bathroom. Say your prayers. Read the sports section of the newspaper. Take a shower. Brush your teeth. Get dressed. Drive to work. Do you have these tasks written down in your planner? Of course not. But they are still action tasks. You don't get cleaned until you wash up. You don't know how the Phillies did last night until you read the sports section.

The trick to moving forward and accomplishing goals, dreams and completing projects is, you guessed it, action steps. Let's say your goal is to bill a million dollars. How are you going to do that? What steps are necessary to achieve this goal? Working from the goal itself backward to today you might list these steps to bill one million dollars: increase sales staff to 10 people, train new sellers, hire new sellers, interview candidates, schedule interviews, review applications received, advertise sales openings, call newspaper for ad rates/info. This example clearly shows what steps need to be taken to reach the goal. And most importantly it tells us what the very next action step is - call the newspaper for ad rates and placement info. Do you treat your projects this way?

Taking the time to identify your projects, goals and dreams and then breaking them down into bite sized steps will help you become more productive. Let's talk about planning your business goals.

Mike Shannon is the owner of Shamrock Business Coaching, a coaching practice that helps business owners increase profits. You can visit Shamrock Business Coaching on the web at: http://www.ShamrockCoaching.com.

Latest News


Record setting night for Blades in 12-0 rout of Lynx
OurSports Central (press release), WI - 7 hours ago
In goal Anton Khudobin (6-1-1) won his sixth straight and recorded his second shutout of the season and seventh blanking of his career by stopping all 20 ...

3A Girls' Soccer: Seattle Prep back in state final, setting up ...
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Nov 21, 2008
While the senior had some memorable moments there -- like her goal on the final penalty kick in last year's 1-0 state semifinal victory over Holy Names ...
Seagulls sail into championship HeraldNet
all 11 news articles

Washington Post

Clemson's Win Over UVa Keeps Bowl Hopes Alive
TheTigerNet.com, SC - 13 hours ago
... a Verica pass and returned it 31 yards to Virginia's 36-yard line, setting up Buchholz's second field goal of the game that produced the final score. ...
Two fourth-down stops prove critical The State
Cavs’ bowl hopes are dwindling News Virginian
all 57 news articles

Today is goal-setting day at Whole Child summit
Tallahassee.com, FL - Nov 17, 2008
This morning, the group will make plans for its new phase by prioritizing and setting measurable goals it can accomplish. "We are looking to have a better ...

Routt to hold goal-setting meeting
Jacksonville Journal Courier, IL - Nov 18, 2008
31 date for a goal-setting conference at the school, when parents, teachers, volunteers and others interested in the school will meet at Routt and spend the ...

New faces on Council discuss goal setting
Ypsilanti Courier, MI - Nov 12, 2008
With Council's goal setting sessions beginning Saturday, many members - old and new - said Water Street is first on their agenda. ...

HIGHTSTOWN: Onochie reaches goal of record-setting goals
Packet Online, NJ - Nov 22, 2008
(In soccer, a player gets two points for a goal and one point for an assist.) Onochie broke the record for most goals in a career by scoring all three goals ...

Bleacher Report

Red-zone blues sink Stanford
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 4 hours ago
To a man, the Cardinal players and coaches believe they have only themselves to blame for failing to reach their team goal of a bowl invitation. ...
No other rivalry has anything like 'The Play' FOXSports.com
Cardinal Bested Inside Bay Area
all 356 news articles

MadFriars.com

Padres Prospect Interview: Beamer Weems
MadFriars.com, CA - 8 hours ago
Riddoch, he also gives us some handouts on hitting and goal setting, we just got one today. I really like the information on them.

Sydney Morning Herald

Can Obama create 2.5 million jobs?
BloggingStocks - 20 hours ago
But setting the goal and achieving it are two different things. In the next two months, Obama's economic team -- which will reportedly be announced on ...
Video: Obama Outlines Job Creation Plan AssociatedPress
Obama Vows Swift Action on Vast Economic Stimulus Plan New York Times
all 1,447 news articles

Resources


    Sorry Currently Unavailable