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Identifying Tasks

2:59 with Dan Gorgone

Making a plan means identifying specific tasks you need to do to accomplish your goal or complete your project. Instead of thinking only about the ultimate result, consider all the individual steps and moving parts.

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    Now, after you've identified some goals for yourself, it's 0:00
    important to focus on them one at a time. 0:03
    It doesn't mean you can't work on a bunch of goals concurrently, it does mean 0:05
    that you should take the time to evaluate and make a plan for each one. 0:10
    And this requires some focused attention. 0:14
    [BLANK_AUDIO] 0:17
    All too often, many of us identify a goal and 0:18
    we rush into trying to accomplish it without making a plan. 0:21
    We wanna lose weight so we buy a bunch of healthy 0:25
    food or we buy a workout device like a Fit Bit. 0:27
    But a week later, there's a bunch of uneaten, no longer fresh food in 0:31
    the fridge and the Fit Bit has been sitting on our desk, totally unused. 0:35
    Well even though our intentions were good, we acted 0:39
    without thinking, and now, we've lost time and resources. 0:42
    This could happen at work too, but instead of wasting our own personal 0:46
    resources, we might end up wasting other team members' time or company resources. 0:49
    We don't wanna do that. 0:55
    Making a plan means identifying specific tasks that you need 0:56
    to do, to accomplish your goal, or complete your project. 1:00
    Instead of thinking only about the ultimate result, 1:04
    consider all the individual steps and moving parts. 1:07
    I want to write a blog post every day. 1:11
    I wanna volunteer more in my community. 1:13
    I wanna save money and buy a house. 1:15
    I mean, these are all wonderful goals, but what 1:17
    steps will you actually take to accomplish each one? 1:19
    A good place to start is to consider the classic 1:23
    group of questions, who, what, where, when, why, and how. 1:26
    If we're going to evaluate a goal, and identify tasks, let's begin. 1:31
    The who, who is going to work on accomplishing this goal? 1:36
    And I assume that's you, but also make 1:41
    note of who else might have to be involved. 1:43
    Who you're going to be waiting for if you're part of a bigger 1:46
    process, or who you might have to ask for approval, or questions from. 1:49
    The what and the how. 1:54
    Identify what actually needs to be delivered, and 1:56
    then break down the steps leading up to it. 1:59
    Do you have everything you need to get started, 2:01
    or will you need to acquire assets or materials? 2:04
    Do you have the expertise to accomplish each step? 2:07
    What order will tasks need to be done in? 2:10
    Without this step, you could end up focusing on the wrong tasks. 2:13
    The where and the when. 2:18
    Where can you work on your task, and how much time will you need? 2:20
    What kind of deadline do you have, or milestones 2:24
    along the way, when you have to show progress? 2:26
    Without a deadline, there's no motivation to 2:29
    finish something within a certain amount of time. 2:31
    The Why. 2:35
    Hopefully, you've already considered whether your goal or 2:37
    project is important, but it's vital to ask again. 2:39
    Is this a priority? 2:43
    Will completing this goal be a positive thing, or are 2:44
    there other goals or projects you should be doing first? 2:48
    By going through each question and identifying individual 2:52
    tasks, the scope of your project becomes clearer. 2:55

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