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	Top Ten Motivators
	By Ramona Creel

Feel free to use this tip sheet / checklist as you tackle your own ""do-it-yourself"" organizing projects. If you would like to REPRINT or DISTRIBUTE this information, please click here for reprinting instructions.

• most goals are abandoned because they are too big and vague
• break your goal down into smaller tasks
• choose a concrete and measurable action
• have a solid idea of what successful completion looks like

• you don't have to commit hours at a time to accomplish a goal
• the greatest advances are the sum total of a series of small efforts
• commit to spending just 15 minutes a day
• do something that moves you closer to accomplishing your goal

• repetition is the mother of success
• remind yourself of your goals every day
• turn your most important goal into a one-sentence affirmation
• phrased as though you have already accomplished your goal
• repeat regularly and it becomes your natural way of thinking

• try to get friends to help out with your project
• offer to reciprocate and help your friend in return
• two can get more done in a shorter period of time than one
• you hold each other accountable to accomplishing your goals

• make yourself accountable by telling others of your plans
• they become interested in your progress and check in with you
• inspires you to keep going and overcome your obstacles

• the worst deadline you can set for yourself is "this year"
• too vague, too broad, and too much room for slacking
• make a commitment to someone else to add some pressure
• knowing that others are counting on you often gets you going

• if you write a goal down, it is more likely to come to fruition
• you invest time and energy writing your goals down
• putting goals on paper makes you more committed to the outcome
• plus it's therapeutic to cross items off when they are completed

• ask yourself some hard questions about each goal
• ask why you haven't made more progress and what's in your way
• ask if the goal is still important to you
• if your priorities have changed, drop it from your list

• as you plan your goals, attach a specific reward to each
• the reward should be commensurate with the amount of work
• be consistent about rewarding yourself for every accomplishment
• each completion deserves a reward, no matter how small

• take time to acknowledge the fact that you accomplished a goal
• don't simply charge into the next task or you will burn out
• remember the time and effort you invested
• savor the feeling of completion
• refresh and renew your enthusiasm to continue

 

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