Managing Goals vs. Projects

[Cikub]

I'm working my way through the humongous, but interesting thread on goal setting. I'm not sure if this issue is in there are not, but I thought I'd ask anyway: If you are a goal-setter, how do you you manage your goals? Do you differentiate between goals and regular projects? How do you manage goal vs. projects lists? Where do you manage them? What has worked best for you to make sure you accomplish the "important" things in your life, aside from the many mundane projects that you deal with day after day?

I believe the value of goal setting is naturally evident, and I want to pursue some things, but I'm not sure how to keep my goals from getting lost in the mire of my projects list. When I was using PlanPlus, I really liked the weekly planning function that put my goals in front of my face, but then I didn't want to fill up the Goals list with all possible projects because the important things would lose their visibility (and especially since it didn't link to my Palm to go with me).

Any thoughts would be appreciated, especially personal experiences, Especially successful personal experiences!

C

 

[andmor]

I use my Goals List (Palm Memo) for creating a mental environment for decision-making. That is, I don't necessarily structure Goals->Projects->NA, but I do write down the few concrete result-goals that are very important to me and I read them frequently to let them "sink in" so that they will be there somewhere in my thinking when I am organizing the more structured (lower-altitiude) GtD lists.

I think that it is important to make an intellectual and organizational distinction between life goals and those short-term goals that are really the same thing as Projects.

Andrew

 

[Anonymous]

LINKING GOALS TO PROJECTS

Do a search for STEVE PAVLINA! He has some excellent things to say about linking your goals to your next actions!

I am working on setting up a system like his! I love the way it all synchronizes.

Bridgette

 

[Gator Ash]

Goals

I use my Goals List (Palm Memo) for creating a mental environment for decision-making. That is, I don't necessarily structure Goals->Projects->NA, but I do write down the few concrete result-goals that are very important to me and I read them frequently to let them "sink in" so that they will be there somewhere in my thinking when I am organizing the more structured (lower-altitiude) GtD lists.
Andrew

I'm starting to do kind of the same thing, except I also have a GOALS section as a To Do category, with each major, large chunk goal listed as a separate item so that I can see it all at a glance. In the GOALS To Do list I also have my highest values and life purpose listed as separate To Do items, since in a sense they are goals as well. I set these apart using ** marks since they are "higher" goals. I do the his is because I find it easier to switch back and forth between To Do categories.

I also have a To Do section for Ongoing Actions, such as exercise. I do this because it is something I want to do on a nearly daily basis but I may end up exercising at different times due to circumstances. I also use this section for other things like reminding myself to "make the best decisions", "focus on the outcome", etc. Each is listed as a separate item so that I can see it all at a glance. So by looking at my Goals, Ongoing Actions, Projects, and Next Actions To Do sections I can quickly orient myself mentally/emotionally to have a strong sense of direction and clarity.