Achieving Your Big Hairy Audacious Goals with Brain Surgery Time

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

As discussed last week in my post on challenges, BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) are the goals that get you up early and keep you up late. Very often I find that people who set the biggest of the BHAGs are the ones that have other things on their plates ... other jobs, responsibilities and distractions. In order to achieve your goals in record time, use a strategy known as Private Work Time (PWT), or as I call it: Brain-Surgery Time (BST).

Here’s the analogy: five minutes from now you fall to the floor, unconscious. After being rushed to the emergency room, doctors run tests and determine you need brain surgery. Good news! The most respected and highly skilled brain surgeon in the world is available to work on you (and miraculously, he’s covered by your insurance). He’s available tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. to complete the five hours of surgery necessary to save your life. Can you think of any reason you would miss the opportunity to have him do your surgery? Of course not! You would be there, regardless of any other phone call, email or interruption that might come up.

When you schedule time to do what needs to be done, time working on your business, working in your business, and quality time with your family, your kids, and yourself, you must treat it like “BST,” or, an action item that simply must be done, cannot be missed.

Of course you can be flexible – and you can also learn to stay focused on what is truly important to you. When an opportunity to close a deal or pitch a prospect arises, simply reschedule your blocked time so the important goal-achieving activities get done at your next possible opportunity. When the phone rings or email dings, wait until your next break to answer it so you don't break your flow.

To execute: Use BST in the form of time blocks to make measurable progress toward your goals. Schedule an hour each week to do your planning. Turn off the phones, pagers, cell phones, email and television. Block out time for what’s most important, and you'll find that as you close the door on your week, you will be closing in on your BHAGs.

“We all have the same 24-hours each day. The difference between your future success or failure is up to you, your attitude and where you focus your time.” ~Honorée Corder