As I sat in the library today, furiously typing out my philosophy paper, I took notice of the gorgeous weather outside and a sudden desire to wander down to the Tidal Basin and sit in the presence of the monuments overwhelmed me. After wrapping up my draft, I set about to satisfy my desires. I was immediately faced with the question of how I would reach my destination: would I hop on the shuttle bus to the Metro station and take the subway down? Would I grab a taxi? Would I walk the most direct way through town? Or would I take the scenic route along the Potomac River? All four alternatives would lead me to the very bench that I now sit on as I type this post; the difference would be the experience of the journey to reach my goal.
Whatcha Talking ‘Bout Kevin?
Just as with my adventure down to the Tidal Basin, many times in life we discover several different avenues down which we can chase our goals. In the end, we’ll accomplish the same goal we set out to achieve; but the difference will lie in the experience. Today I want to introduce a couple of different strategies that we can take to accomplish what we set out to achieve. I’ll apply them to schoolwork and financial goals, as these are the two areas of my life that I’m currently focusing on. These strategies can also apply to other aspects of life, such as personal development, physical fitness, anything really.
1) One Thing at a Time: the simplest of all the strategies, this strategy, as you probably have realized, involves focusing on one goal or project at a time. For short-term goals, this can be a very effective and successful strategy. Say, for example, I have a math problem set and some short reading assignments for 2 other subjects due tomorrow. The assignments are short enough that they can get done in just one sitting, or maybe two at the most. In this case, doing one assignment at a time and one after the other will end up being the simplest and most efficient way of getting things done.
2) Divided All At Once: This strategy involves allocating your resources (time, money, etc) in set amounts while planning for everything at once. Say, for example, you have 3 items you want to save for: a new digital camera ($400), a new pair of shoes ($120), and a new laptop ($920). You put aside $120/month in savings and divide your savings equally among all your goals. After 3 months, you’ll have enough to buy those new shoes. At the end of the 8th month, you’ll have enough for the digital camera and you’ll put the extra $20 toward the laptop. Finally, after 12 months, you can afford that new laptop. After a year, you have your new shoes, new camera, and new laptop. Not too bad.
When it comes to school, imagine that you have 3 projects due in a month and, like your savings goal, each will take a different amount of time to complete. You have 3 days a week that you can dedicate completely to a project. You decide to spend one day a week on each project. When a project is complete, you split that extra day between the other two projects, etc. At the end of the month, your projects are all complete. Again, not too shabby.
3) Divided In Cycles: This strategy involves the same goals as before, but you cycle how you allocate your resources. Say, for the first 3 months that you’ll put all your savings towards the shoes and digital camera. After 2 months, you now have enough money to buy those new shoes and $240 put toward the camera. For the next 3 months, you’ll divide your savings between the camera and the laptop. After the 5th month, you now have enough money to buy your camera. You put the extra $20 toward the laptop. For the rest of the year, all your savings goes towards the laptop, which you can afford at the end of the year.
With the example of the school projects, you’ll divide the 3 days a week dedicated to project work between 2 projects at a time. You can switch things up every week or after two weeks. This strategy can help if you find a particular project either boring or really challenging. By varying when you’re going to work on it, you won’t dread it or be wiped out by it each week. Instead, you can feel relief if you don’t have to work on it that week or look forward to not having to work on it the next week.
4) The Snowball Effect: A method of paying off debt popularized by Dave Ramsey, the snowball method can also be used for your savings goals. The premise is that you save for the lowest balance first, then attack the next lowest, etc. Using this method, you’ll have the $120 for the shoes after the 1st month. At the end of the 5th month, you’ll have enough for the camera and at the end of the year, you’ll have the cash for the laptop.
With the example of the school projects, you’d simply work on the least time intensive project until you finish it. Then, you’d move on to the next least time intensive project until you’re done and then onto the last project. This strategy is very similar to the One Thing At a Time strategy, but the emphasis is to work on the least time intensive goal first. The satisfaction of completing a project is a psychological boost for your next project.
So, what’s the best strategy? That would be:
5) All of the above. Some strategies work better for certain goals than others. You might experience laser like focus and plow through assignments one after the other (#1). Other projects might challenge or bore you and you’ll find that dividing the time you spend on them is the only way you’ll get them done (#2 or 3). Other times, you might just want to get the small stuff out of the way and have your accomplishments snowball until you’ve knocked them all off (#4). The key is to experiment and find what works best for you. If it works, use it! If it doesn’t, don’t try and put a square peg in a round hole; try another strategy until you find that round peg.
Uhh, this ain’t gonna work
Got a strategy that you’ve found useful? Post it!
