Goals from Your True Self

In 2015 why don’t you do something different, why don’t you set some goals that come from your true self. Too many goals that you set are not really from your core self, rather they come either directly or indirectly from others, and they don’t really match your inner priorities.

Think of all the things that you are chasing in business and in personal life whose need has been defined by others. You need to work even faster to impress your boss. Or you need to look good so that others like you. You need to make more money so that you impress your family and your friends. And maybe you want that new job title for the same reason. These reasons are not terrible if they lead you to improve yourself, but every so often it’s good to pause and ask yourself what you really want. Stop letting others define your life.

So, if you can clear yourself from the indirect control others have over you, even if just for just a few minutes, then do that now. Take a few minutes and focus purely on what you want, deep down inside. With that in mind, what goals would you set in 2015?

Commit to Getting Control of E-mail in 2015

These days, many of the goals that I set are about simplifying my life. One of the most important ways to simplify your life is to get control of e-mail. I know people who get 400 e-mails a day and spend almost half their workday rehashing them, looking for important ones.

To get control of e-mail you really need to do two things. First, you have to have a to-do list approach that absorbs the actions from e-mails so you don’t hang on to them in your inbox. And second you need a way to quickly file your mail out of your inbox. Both the MYN and One Minute To-Do List systems teach you how to do this.

Once one of these systems is in place, you can automate and speed up e-mail processing, like automatically categorizing e-mail for easier filing or deleting (see Lesson 23 on this page), or using Defer to Review to postpone actions you don’t need to consider for a while (Lesson 13 same page).

Commit to getting one of these systems in place in 2015.

New Video for MYN Outlook Video Class

If you own the MYN Outlook Video Class, a new video segment has been added at no charge. Simply log into your class page and scroll down to the brand new Lesson 25—it’s available and free no matter when you bought the course.

This new lesson shows you how to limit Outlook 2010 and 2013 email notifications to only certain people or topics, so you get fewer blue-box email notifications popping up.

If you don’t yet own the MYN Outlook video class, read more about it here.