Posts Tagged ‘computer’

Most people underestimate the importance of setting goals. But learning to set goals can be one of the most important things to achieve success that you do. Setting goals helps you to realize what it is that you are really trying to achieve. It also helps you to see what is really important to you. Just writing down your goals makes them more clear and therefore obtainable.

Below I have created a small list to help you set your goals. I have also created a sample using a single achievement.

1. Write the things you want to have, do, and achieve in a list. ( Be specific as possible, the more specific, the easier it will be to achieve)
2. Arrange the list in order of importance. 1 being the most important thing you want to accomplish
3. Create a time span for each goal. ie: I want to speak conversational Japanese in 3 months
4. Create a a list of tasks you must complete to achieve your goal (focus on the most important and efficient tasks.
5. Number your tasks according to importance. 1 being the most important.
6. Put your tasks on a schedule and stick to them. The most important part in achieving your goals is to create behaviors that allow you to complete the tasks.
7. Have a backup plans when needed. ie: if you are trying to lose weight and miss a day of exercise due to some unforeseen circumstance, have a plan that allows you to do a longer work out session the next time.

Example:

(The below example only covers a single achievement. The process will be a little longer when you consider all of your goals.)

1. Speak conversational Japanese within 3 months
2. (This step will be skipped as I am only focusing on one goal)
3. Within 3 months
4. Research internet and purchase basic Japanese language book or computer program, learn 500 vocab words, listen to Japanese language CD, watch movies in Japanese with English subtitles. Find and speak with Japanese friend.
5. 1. Purchase Japanese language book or computer program (must have� 2. Memorize 500 vocabulary words/create flash cards 3. Watch movies in Japanese 4. Speak with Japanese friend. 5. listen to Japanese language CD

• May 24: Spend 1 hour on web tonight from 6:00pm researching a good book or computer program.Order book online and ship next day air or pick up at nearest book store after work. Also purchase 500 cards to create flash cards
• Every Sunday starting from may 25 10:00pm: Create 100 flash cards using vocabulary from book (approximately 2 hours) 5 Sundays total
• Weekdays: Listen to Japanese language CD in the car during work commute
• Weekdays: Study book for 1 hour everyday during lunch at work noon-1pm
• Weekdays: Review vocabulary flash cards every night for 30 minutes before going to bed. Speak out loud (If arrive home to late from work, wake up 30 minutes early and practice in the morning
• Saturday and Sunday night at 6:00pm: Watch movie in Japanese with English subtitles
• After one month, find a Japanese friend on Skype to practice with. Practice with that person 3 times a week for 30 minutes per day (Tues, Thurs, Sat)
• During last month practice 4 days a week for 45 minute per day (Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun) Okay to change days, but must complete at least 4 per week
• Write down new words learned during practice
• If master material early, purchase higher level book and create more flash cards.
• August 29-Leave to Japan!!!!!!!!!!

This is just an example of what a list might look like. You can create your list however you like. The important thing is to get it down in writing. Just the act of writing it down seems to make it concrete in your mind. It can be difficult to do the first time, but it does get easier the more you do it.

For more in detail reading, I recommend you you read Brian Tracy’s book titled Time Power. He covers in great detail how to set and achieve your life goals. Another great one is The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. you can also find his blog here.

One last note, don’t start out to big. If you start with a schedule that is too intensive you can get burnt out. It is better to start off a little slower and then build up. Once you get yourself in good habits it gets much easier.

With all the options to connect to people, save links and blogs, read articles, store data, search for information, and do just about anything else on the computer, it is all starting to seem a bit overwhelming. Too many ways to access data means too much time on the computer and lack of efficiency.

To be honest, I love technology and am usually one of the first to try something new. Lately though, the options have become too numerous and it is hard to keep track. It is no longer just finding something that is better and using it. Programs and applications on the web (especially networking sites) change with fads. A good example is Myspace and Facebook. Myspace was one of the largest networking sites growing at an amazing rate, and then it stopped being popular. It is true that it wasn’t really that well designed, but more than that it just wasn’t “cool” anymore. People started switching to facebook.

On one hand all the options are good. It means that you can communicate he way you like. The bad part is it means that you will spend more time on the computer and internet keeping track of your contact and making sure that you are using the same applications and sites as your friends. It takes time to get design your site the way you like it and build up your fiends, and then when a new site starts you have to do it all over again. Then there are others like LinkedIn or Plaxo. No one wants to keep 3 or 4 address books, but that’s exactly what we are doing.

Then there are all of the websites that allow you to track and share links make various functions easier. These would include Evernote, Del.icio.us, twitter, Stumble, and Digg. You can see a full list at Go2Web20.net.

Having to many options makes the web and the computer much less efficient. People are building a lot of niche applications that have a purpose, but aren’t important enough to fuinction alone. So many of them become popular and then fade away.

I think what we should work towards for what everyone is calling web 3.0 is consolidation and simplicity. Less signing up and more efficiency.