Section 7.1. The Secret Trick


7.1. The Secret Trick

The big secret is to write down your goals. When they are in your head, they aren't as fleshed out as you think they are. They are nebulous. They can't be evaluated, shared with others, or worked on.

The process of writing them down forces you to make them concrete. It's also a lot easier to prioritize a list that is written down.

Written goals can be shared with others. If you have a significant other, you can share your goals with him or her and discuss them. We forget that our loved ones aren't mindreaders. By sharing our goals, we get support and a reality check. We are more likely to achieve a goal if we have told others about it. There's something about telling someone our goals that motivates us to act on them.

It is easy to accidentally write vague goals. You can make a goal significantly more concrete by answering these questions in each goal statement:

  • What do I want to achieve?

  • When do I want to have achieved it?

Everyone forgets the when. It's easy to never begin if you don't set a deadline. In the chapter opening, I was careful to include a specific deadline for each goal.

It is also important that goals are measurable. The goals in the chapter opening were mostly measurable. "Living comfortably" could be more specific: a retirement income of 70 percent my current income. Learning "more" about Linux kernel internals isn't measurable. I can fix that by adding a milestone to be achieved, like writing a simple device driver.

There are other people you might want to consult when setting goals. Your family, religious leaders, boss, neighbors, close friends, and so on. Each person reading this book has a different list of who she thinks is appropriate to consult with. Who is on your list?


In preparation for writing down your goals, take a moment to think about your values . What do you see as your personal mission? Do you believe in helping others or letting others help themselves? Do you want to be rich or happy (or can both be achieved)? Do you value independence or cooperation? Do you value community or self-interest?

Your work-life and home-life values may differ. At home, you may be the nurturing parent, loving all your children equally and helping them to succeed. At work, things may be more competitive or role-oriented.




Time Management for System Administrators
Time Management for System Administrators
ISBN: 0596007833
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 117

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