I hate conflict, personal conflict that is. More to the point, I hate fighting with my wife and kids. Most, if not all, of these heated “discussions” are due to improper planning or poor communication…the common signs of the lack of being proactive.
However, be more proactive is not a SMART goal. It is generic and immeasurable. To make it SMART, I need to break it down into a list of specific objectives that can improve my reactive skills. So here is my list:
- Re-read David Allen’s book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
by the end of next week (1/13/2012). I read his book years ago and even attended his 1-day seminar, but I failed to apply what I learned. I consider myself my own worse critic, and with that revelation, my planning skills stink. And one of the first steps to planning is know what to plan, and the key factor to GTD his gathering and trapping that which needs to be planned.
Implement my GTD system by the end of this month (1/31/2012). An iPhone-based system is a must. One that I can also use on my computer is ideal. So, native-iOS required, with computer or web-based backup or synching system being ideal. I don’t expect the system to be working at 100% efficiency by the end of the month, but I do want the tools to be in place and working.
Read 2 communication-related books by 5/31/2012 and write a review for each. One book should cover verbal interpersonal communication skills. The bigger goal here is to improve how I communicate with my family and close friends. I am an independent loner by nature, which suits me just fine but not the rest of my house. The second should cover what I would consider professional communication, most likely presentation skills. I like attending technical conferences to improve my development skills, but I’ve been developing an itch to start presenting. Having the technical knowledge and presenting it are two different skills, and both are required for great tech talks.
So there are my 3 SMART goals to make me a more proactive person this year.