Now I’m no Luddite. Quite the opposite, actually. I love technology and there is no arguing that it makes our lives so much easier. But to totally get rid of manual processes so that we are 100% dependent on technology may not be the best idea. I personally like to have a “Plan B”. If one of my customers calls me and wishes to place an order, I like to know that I can process the transaction even if my Internet connection is down. Now I may not be able to process the charge immediately (although I now can now do so via my smart phone) but I can at least take down the information (yes, with pen and paper) and run it through later on, once the system comes back online.

Likewise, I have never been comfortable with the idea of moving ALL of my information to “The Cloud.”  I am aware of people who no longer store any of their information locally on their computer but rather everything is saved to someone else’s servers – such as Google or MobileMe. I do use the cloud to store my important files but only as a backup solution – my only copy is never stored on the cloud. In fact, I use several different online backup solutions, in addition to storing my information on my computer’s hard drive. I also perform regular backups to an external drive that I store away from my computer. I do not see the cloud as a suitable replacement for local storage.

So while I definitely embrace technology, I believe it should not be our only solution and recommend having a Plan B – and even a Plan C and D – especially if it could result in the loss of a sale. This reminds me of a blog comment that I recently read where the reader stated, “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, especially if it’s someone else’s basket.”

Photo by landofnodstudios

I write computer training manuals for my print-on-demand courseware company and each day, I tell myself that I will write at least one section, no matter what. To ensure that this is done, I do not allow myself to go to bed at night until I have written my one section. Now, I admit that there has been a night or two where I found myself at my desk at 1:00 am, frantically pounding away at my keyboard so that I could go to bed. Now, this doesn’t mean that I cannot write more than one section – in fact, most days, I write 4 or 5. But the point is, that I must write at least 1.

A few years ago I began the task of transcribing my paperbound journals into an electronic journal application. I have drawers and drawers of journal notebooks. But as part of my daily routine, I key in one entry. By chopping away at this a little at a time, I have almost completely finished entering them in – that’s 30 years of journals we’re talking about.

I have also written two novels the same way – by writing them a little at a time. I agree that writing 300 pages certainly sounds like a lot; however writing 1 page a day certainly seems manageable. Just think – if you write just one page a day, by the end of the year, you will have written 395 pages – an entire novel.

5 ways to accomplish goals “a little at a time”

1. Make a promise to yourself that you will do your daily quota – no matter what. Tell yourself that before you go to bed, you must have kept your part of the agreement.
2. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Make sure your daily goal is reasonable. Planning on writing 25 pages a day may not be an attainable goal in the long run.
3. Put it in writing. For many of us, if it isn’t written down, it doesn’t exist. Put your daily goals on paper or in electronic format so you can review them later.
4. Review your list regularly. This is the key in making regular, daily progress on your goals. Post your list where you can see it or send yourself an e-mail reminder to occasionally to review your list. Some people may want to add a daily reminder on their electronic calendars.
5. Don’t add too many daily “to do’s” on your list. If there are too many goals on your list, you may become frustrated, short on time and end up abandoning your list completely. I recommend including no more than 3 items on your daily “must-do-no-matter-what” list. When one goal is accomplished, add another.

By using the “little at a time” concept, you can easily accomplish your goals – even the big ones.