If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, How Will You Know When You’ve Got There?

When you arrived at your workplace this morning, did you know exactly what you wanted to achieve today?
Did you know what key outcomes you needed to accomplish before leaving this evening in order for you to congratulate yourself and say “that was a great day”?

Go on…be honest
At my trainings, when I ask the question “when you arrive at work each morning what are your objectives for the day ahead, some people immediately say things like “to sell 10 xxx’s”, or quote other specific firm objectives.

Yet, as often, I hear things like “just to get through the day really”. Honest – but not ever so helpful!

Who do you think has the more productive day? Who gets more done? And who goes home knowing exactly what they’ve achieved — and feeling better for it? Of course, the ones who’ve thought through their outcomes for the day beforehand.

And it’s not even close…
…there’s always quite a gap between those who set up their outcomes for the day…and those that just drift into each day.

So I urge you, to take a few moments, every day when you start work, to think about your outcomes for that day. Focus on what you want to achieve by the end of the day – and be specific. How many calls do you plan to make? How many meetings to you plan to book? How many sales do you plan to close? Whatever they are for you personally, do what you need to do.

The Psychology?
The psychology of doing this on a daily basis is that it sends a definitive intention to the brain, which then unconsciously helps to make these things happen. You’re more likely to take those actions that build the momentum to bring your specified actions to fruition.

Better still; work out your daily outcomes the night before just as you leave work — this will send an early instruction to your unconscious mind so it can be working on them overnight. All you have to do then is bring your outcomes back into focus as you start work — and hit the ground running.

Avoid days where you have no goals
If you haven’t thought about targets beforehand, how can they happen? As they say – “if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you’ve got there?” Without an end goal you’ll drift. Control the day, don’t let it control you. You need to know what the ultimate aim is, otherwise how will you know if you’ve succeeded?

If your glass is half full…
If you tend to be a positive, ‘towards’ person in the work environment, check in with the bigger strategic goals you have (you do have those don’t you?) — and home in on what you need to do today to move you towards those long term goals. Clarify the big stuff you need to do — and the smaller but necessary stuff too.

If your glass is half empty…
If at work you tend to be more ‘away from’ in your outlook, a good way of setting your goals is to quickly imagine it’s already the end of the day — and home in on how frustrated, disappointed and stressed you are that you didn’t complete projects xxx and tasks yyy. Really home in on your pain. Whichever unfinished projects and tasks give you the most frustration, they are the ones you need to work on that day – to prevent those feelings from coming to pass.

Sometimes some of the most powerful results generators are the most simplest — so never underestimate the power of setting yourself some daily outcomes.

Know exactly what your outcomes are for the day, before the day starts. It’s all about sales psychology.

Until next time.

Leigh