Completing the Personal Goals Matrix
What do we do when we have more things to do than we have time or money? Prioritize them, of course!
Preamble
If you have been following me through the Afterburner Success Partners course, by now you are very familiar with the priority matrix. We first used the priority matrix for our financial goals and then our professional goals. As you’ve learned, the priority matrix is a sound way to determine which tasks we want, or can, complete in a logical and structured manner. By carefully considering all of the things we need or want to do, then factoring in time and cost, we can reach a conclusion about what we can do in an order that makes it more likely we will complete them all. In the same manner, things that once seemed important may fall out of our list of things we want to do. I’ve used an example of wanting to purchase a Corvette, and I held onto that dream for 50 years until I finally decided I really did not want one after all. So, let’s take the list of fun things you want to do in your life and prioritize them, shall we?
Introduction
In the picture, you will see a copy of the personal goals priority matrix, and it’s labeled “Prioritizing AND Achieving YOUR Lifetime Personal Goals.” You will notice that the words “AND” and “YOUR” are capitalized and colored. The reason is to draw your attention to these two words, and here’s why: “AND” is the most important word at Afterburner Success Partners. The reason is that we don’t want to put limits on ourselves by saying, “I can only do this or that,” but rather we say, “I can do this AND that.” We all know that we can be doing and being more. This simple little trick, how we talk to ourselves and frame our thoughts ensures our mind is of the proper attitude to achieve more. Second, the word “YOUR” is important because these goals are yours and yours alone. Because you are a unique individual, no one can tell you what you can or can’t do and the only limits are ones you impose upon yourself. So what this means is you have your own individual life plan and you can achieve more than you originally thought possible. It all starts with this mindset. OK, let’s get going!
Completing the Priority Matrix
Like we did previously, please go ahead and label each of the personal goals you listed during your brainstorming session with a number, or even a letter. It does not matter what number or letter you put on which goal because the purpose of completing the priority matrix is to determine some type of general order of what you want to do and when you want to do it. The final ranking will come when you complete the life goals template later. We will complete the personal goals template next and we will do that when we finish with the priority matrix. Pay attention to what I just said. Although we will complete our financial, professional, and personal goals templates today, we are not yet finished with our goal and accomplishment planning. That is because when we take all these three categories of goals and combine them into one big plan, we may find we have to make adjustments. Don’t worry about that now, I’ll show you how to account for all of that at the right time.
Notice that each of the four boxes is numbered and labeled. The horizontal axis is labeled Urgency, and the vertical axis is labeled Importance. Notice that Box 1 is in the upper right corner, indicating that anything in this box is the most important. Conversely, the lower left box is numbered Box 4 and labeled as well. Even though Box 4 is labeled “Do Never,” that does not mean that at some point in the future, an item in Box 4 might not move up on the priority list. What it really means is that “at the moment, I have too many other things that are more important to me that I want to do and I can’t see when I can fit this in at any point in the immediate or near future.” Obviously, the item is important to you, otherwise you would not have listed it during the brainstorming session. So we will still use this box and it is possible that sometime in the future you will move any or all items higher as your circumstances change. I hope this makes sense to you.
OK, so now I would like you to draw the priority matrix on a clean sheet of paper. Then, in pencil, not pen, place the corresponding number or letter of each item you identified during personal goals brainstorming in the appropriate box. It’s OK to have multiple items in each box and the placement within the box is a priority indicator in and of itself. The higher and the more to the right, the more important it is. Here is an example. You may really want, or need, a new car, but you want to send your child to camp this summer and you can’t do both this year. You usually get a pretty good bonus in the Spring so this is some cash you typically don’t plan on. So sending your child to camp would be listed higher and more to the right in Box 1 and buying the new car, while still very important to you, is listed lower in the same box or even in Box 2.
Summary
Once you’ve completed the personal goals priority matrix, stand back and admire your work. Getting to this point in your journey means you have accomplished a lot so congratulate yourself. Here, hold on a minute while I take a congratulatory sip of my coffee for you. There, OK now we can go on.
Like we did previously, I want you to take some time to ponder what you have accomplished and maybe run it by some important people in your life for their input. Again, be careful who you share this list with as some folks can be jealous that you have done this and they have not. When you are satisfied that the list is what you want, we can go on.
Important note: You may remember when we were discussing financial goals, I cautioned you about sharing them for the same reason I mentioned above. It’s the same with personal goals. We don’t want to provoke envy or bad feelings from others so it’s best just to keep these among yourself or some trusted family members, mentors, or advisors. As you complete your goals over time, things will speak for themselves. You may even be asked how you made it happen! Then, you can tell them about Afterburner Success Partners! On the other hand…When it comes to professional goals, you need to ensure that those above you, and in particular the person you report to and your mentor(s), understand that you desire to advance. That you are ambitious. There are a lot of meetings that go on that you don’t even know about, both formal and informal, where individuals within the organization are talked about, even ranked. This is how future promotions come about. It’s also how individuals are selected for layoff, if and when the time comes for that. Performing at a very high level and ensuring the decision makers know your plans is important to your future success. Everyone wants the ambitious individuals working for them because they know they will do an outstanding job and make them look good. I think you get that, right?
That’s all for this week!
The Personal Goals Priority Matrix
Afterburner Success Partners
http://absuccesspartners.com/
What’s in it for me?
If you want to get ahead in life, if you want to achieve your dreams and live your best life, you must take meaningful, deliberate action that follows a proven path. It does not matter if it is a financial professional or personal goal. That’s what we do at Afterburner Success Partners!
Call to Action
Just. Do. Something. Make a decision on what you want or need to do, define the path, and get after it. Do it today.
Recommended Resources
See notes below for either of my books.
Up Next
Completing the personal goals template.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ