Adept Goal Setting and Time Management for Happiness and Strong Relationships

“Trouble knocked at the door, but hearing laughter, hurried away.” – Benjamin Franklin

Life lessons can come from any direction. Even in seemingly unremarkable subjects such as goal setting and time management. We don't mean to discount the value of the topic of this page, but rather to highlight how self-improvement in one small area can have a big impact in other parts of our lives.

The big lesson in this page affects every person and every relationship. Regular readers know our editorial team consists of different personality types. We see things differently, but some things are universal. The hidden gem in this page that is meant to be a follow-up to our previous post about step by step goal setting is one of those universal truths.

Finding Balance

This particular page topic offers a look at contrasting viewpoints that have similar results. Our page about step by step goal setting was written by our editor with a personality that loves fun and hates lists. My own personality is the opposite. I thrive on details, order, and productivity.

My co-editor gave a good step by step goal setting plan that will work for anyone. Especially people who don't like lists. But the other part of the message was that there had to be some commitment to doing the work.

For me, all-out commitment was not a problem. Almost to the point of blinders to anything outside the task at hand. We'll be giving you five suggestions to effective time management and goal setting in the next block. The most important of those five is finding balance. Balance in life is essential to productivity, and also to healthy relationships. Finding balance might be one of the most important skills in every part of life.

So lets begin with some great advice from an expert on leadership development. John Maxwell sets the standard for teaching leadership skills. I remember hearing him state that time management is really a misnomer. We can't manage time. Everyone gets 1440 minutes every day. The clock ticks along, no matter what we do with those minutes.

Our job is to prioritize our time while keeping in mind that balance is vital. In the next block, we'll share what John Maxwell teaches about goal setting and time management. 

As a side note, he wrote in my opinion, the very best book on leadership development. Short chapters, perfect for reading a little each day. We use it over and over.

21 laws of leadership

“Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

5 Characteristics For Goal Setting And Time Management

John Maxwell suggests we think in terms of "time stewardship" rather than time management. In these five characteristics, you'll see how they have influenced other pages on our website. Good ideas mesh with other ideas to form a life plan.

People who recognize that time is our most precious commodity and use time wisely follow these characteristics:

1.) "They are purposeful. People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose in life. By consistently channeling time and energy toward an overarching purpose, people can fully realize their potential." This quote explains part of the purpose of our website.

2.) "They are committed to values. People who understand the characteristics of time management underscore their values with the time they spend. By acting in accordance with their beliefs, they find fulfillment. Failure to identify values leads to a rudderless existence in which people drift through life, uncertain as to what they hold dear. Clarity of values is like a beacon of light, guiding the way through life’s twists and turns." Our core values direct our goal setting and time management objectives.

3.) "They are attuned to their strengths. People who use time wisely play to their strengths. By doing so, they are most effective...You are blessed with a unique set of skills and talents. Find them, refine them and let them carry you toward success." We use the different skills and personalities of our editors to offer the best viewpoint possible for every topic. We also share our failures along the way because failure is part of success.

Here is the most important one!

4.) "They are choosers of happiness. People who use time the right way choose happiness by prioritizing relationships and recreation...Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness. Prioritizing time to cultivate relationships is a hallmark of a healthy leader. Likewise, scheduling leisure combats stress and allows us to delight in the hobbies that bring us joy. In the end, happiness is an inside job." This lesson above any other, had the biggest impact and still helps me to this day.

5.) "They are equippers. People who use time properly equip others in order to compound their productivity. They realize the limitations of individual attainment, and they build teams to expand their impact. By developing an inner circle of leaders and investing in them, wise time-users multiply their influence." This is why one of our core values is to simplify leadership development.

1440 Minutes! Remember Number Four!

We get 1440 minutes every day. Goal setting and time management will help us utilize those minutes in the most productive manner. That includes finding happiness and building lasting relationships.

There is nothing any of us can do to buy more time. But we can learn to use our time wisely. Spend some of those 1440 minutes to build in things that make you happy and involve those closest to you in that happiness.

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