Most people – myself included – rush into a task headlong, deal with it, then move on to the next one… like working through an in-tray that’s constantly filling.

The problem with this is that your day can be taken up with fire fighting (doing what’s necessary to keep the workload down) rather than achieving your goals. But by following a plan, you’ll get petty tasks out of the way quickly, leaving more time to progress towards important goals.

So here’s what you need to do:

Grab a pen a paper write LIFE GOALS across the top. Divide it into 3 columns and mark them clearly: IMMEDIATE  - 3 MONTHS – LONG TERM.

Now, IMMEDIATE will be the things that are clogging up the coming week. Even writing them down will make them seem less overwhelming and more manageable.

Your 3 MONTHS list will include longer projects. If you’ve been given that much notice chances are they’re going to take a fair bit of effort to sort out.

But it’s your LONG TERM list that’s most vital to you. You see this list reflects your deepest personal ambitions. This is where you see yourself in five years time – your own boss, financially independent, ten kilos lighter etc. These are true life goals – but often they get swamped by the clutter of smaller, immediate tasks.

And that’s why it’s so important to map everything out.

Once you’ve completed your columns, get to work tackling the immediate goals. Pick the most unpleasant task and crack it. Your sense of achievement will inspire you to get through others.

But ensure you work towards one 3 month goal and one long term goal EVERY DAY. The idea is to start breaking them down so that a LONG TERM GOAL becomes a series of 3 MONTH and IMMEDIATE GOALS.

For example – starting your own business. Spend an hour figuring out how you are going to achieve this, then split the task down into, say, ‘write an ad’, ‘create a business plan’ and ‘find investors’. By breaking the larger tasks down and incorporating them into the more urgent columns, you’ll get more done in less time, without ignoring the things that are most important to you.

Stick to this system, and within 6 months you’ll see your life goals beginning to take shape.

6 Ways to slash your business' advertising costs...

To run a successful new business, it’s important to cut unnecessary costs. One of the best ways to save money is to cut the amount you spend on promotions and advertising.
 
Here are six ways you can boost your bottom line without sacrificing profits… And even advertise your products and services for free:
 

    * Arrange to insert your advertising material in other companies’ mailings, such as statement runs. It saves on postage and other costs for both companies, making it a win-win solution. You can also jointly promote a sale or swap mailing lists with businesses that sell similar or complimentary products.

    * Insert promotional fliers in the bag when customers buy your goods.

    * Find satisfied customers and get their testimonials. Use that to create promotions and advertisements. Encourage these happy customers to refer friends and colleagues to your business through incentives e.g. loyalty programmes.

    * Promote an idea that’s of interest to the local radio or newspaper. Try a fundraising event or fun community event, exciting enough to get covered for free. Try a fun run, competition or talent show, for example.

    * Offer your expertise to others. If you have a specialised skill... Anything from mechanics and accountancy to marketing and customer services... Why not try and teach a class or offer your services at conferences? You could even try and write an advice column or article for the local newspaper. By doing this, you show your business in a good light and spread the word amongst peers and potential customers.

    * Commission your sales people. Use incentives, fringe benefits and expenses to motivate your sales representatives. The more they sell, the more they get. You'll find they'll promote your business more effectively.

In the name of wealth, happiness and success!
 

Pascale Barrow
Managing Editor of Personal & Finance Confidential