Research has shown that less than 1% of the population actually understands how to effectively set a goal. This is why so many New Year’s resolutions are broken and why we try but keep failing to reach our goals. It is why internet beginners show lots of activity but never get anywhere.

Here are five steps to follow to set an effective goal:

1) It must be meaningful to you

You have to be the person to create it – not your spouse, boss or brother-in-law. The things you are investing your time and energy into should be things you are passionate about. When you reach this kind of goal, you will be happy about it.

2) Make it specific, timely, and measurable

I will lose 10 pounds by July 31st, 2008 is a goal because you will know at the end of July whether you did or did not achieve it. Don’t allow yourself to procrastinate because you haven’t set a target date.

3) Make it attainable and realistic

We all need to stretch to attain goals, but if they are unrealistic they lead to discouragement.. For instance, earning one million dollars by next year is unrealistic. On the other hand, if your goal lose 5 pounds by next Christmas, you have not stretched enough. Also, have a few reachable goals you are working toward, then set new ones as you progress.

4) Always write it down

This is helpful because the can be placed somewhere you can see them every day, to keep them top of mind. Studies have shown that the success rate in achievement of goals that are written down is much higher than if they are not.

5) Review it every week

This is different than step four; you must review your goals regularly to measure and monitor your progress. Course corrections can be made at each evaluation, adjustments that keep you on track toward your goals.

Positive results of achieving goals are unforgettable. Failure to achieve is seldom because we are incompetent. Rather, it is because we don’t know and apply the process of setting and reaching goals. Follow these steps and celebrate your successes to come.

Did you know that 50% of your memory ability is determined by your genetics?

Before you start feeling like you are doomed, remember that you have the power to affect the other 50% of your ability by practicing some smart memory techniques. Here are a few methods you can employ to remember names, lists, and more.

1. • Remembering People’s Names

   • Repetition: When you first learn a person’s name, say it 3 times in your mind. Repeat it back immediately out loud. “Nice to meet you, Hildegaard. What a nice name you have.” Make it a point to use their name several times while talking to them. And don’t worry about sounding funny doing this. The sweetest sound to any person’s ears is the sound of their own name.

   • Association: Next thing to do is make an association between the person’s looks and their name. Using our Hildegaard example, let’s imagine that she is a very slim person. So in your mind you might think “Hildegaard could use a guard to protect her” and imagine a strong guard with his arm around her. Whatever works. The only one who will know about it is you so have fun with it. The wilder the association, the better you will remember the name.

1. • Remembering Long Numbers: The Major System

     This could be used for remembering phone numbers or any time you need to remember a long number. If you don’t need to remember long numbers, then this might simply be a fun mental exercise. The Major System involves substituting consonant sounds for each of the numbers 0-9. These are the consonant substitutions:

     0 – s, z, soft-c
     1 – d, t, th
     2 – n
     3 – m
     4 – r
     5 – L
     6 – j, sh, soft-ch, dg, soft-g
     7 – k, hard-ch, hard-c, hard-g, ng
     8 – f, v – i
     9 - p, b

     First memorize these substitutions. Then, in order to remember a long number, you will create words out of the consonants by placing vowels between them. For longer numbers you will create multiple words strung together as a quick phrase or story. For example, the number 102 could be represented as “Too SooN.” For more information on how to memorize this chart above and how to use this technique check out these two resources:

   • MindTools

   • Darren Bridger’s tutorial on YouTube

1. • Remembering a List of Items

     For remembering a list of items you can use the Story Method. Simply take the words you need to remember and make them into a story by modifying the words as needed. Let’s say you need to remember a list of errands and a grocery list:

   • Post office- drop off mail, check PO Box

   • Health food store – buy ground flax seed

   • Blockbuster – return movies

   • Grocery Store – bananas, salad, chicken, kashi, croutons, cupcakes

Here’s how your story might go:
The Post man came to the house today to Drop off the Mail and he had a Box with him. He was the ultimate example of Health and his hair was like golden Flax. He tripped over the kids’ Blocks on the patio, Busting down their building. He Returned to his truck Moving his body in a very strange manner. He then grabbed a Grocery bag from his truck. He dumped it out onto our patio and this is what we saw. A yellow BANdana was at the bottom, there was a Chicken with a Crew cut sitting on a Kushion. He was wearing a necklace of Salad and eating Cake out of a Cup.

Of course, you could just write out a list, but sometimes you don’t have paper. Give it a try. At the very least this exercise will give your brain a great workout.

1. • Remembering Information for an Exam

   • Writing. Don’t just read the information you need to remember. Write it out. Re-write out all your class notes and any other information given to you by your teacher. Obviously you can’t write out your whole text book so use an outline method. You might want to write your notes out twice, or as many times as it takes to remember. By writing you will be actively imprinting it in your mind. You will likely be able to close your eyes during an exam and “see” the information you need by remembering the act of writing it out.

   • Cheat Sheets. For math or science type classes where official cheat sheets are not allowed, create one anyway with the intention of memorizing it. Write out the the cheat sheet several times. You may also want to draw pictures or create stories about the formulas that will help you remember them.

   • Mind Maps. This is another way to write out information in order to recall it at a later time. With mind maps you can use more creativity to make the information more sticky such as color coding, using pictures, and cross linking of information. To see more information on this method, visit MindTools.

   • Embellished Stories. For classes like history where you need to remember stories, you can try embellishing the story with current events from something that interests you like sports, celebrity gossip, or current politics. Do this by asking yourself, “what current day story is this similar to?” Or by placing a current day figure into the historic story.

1. • Short Term Memory Aids

     Say It Out Loud. Do you ever walk into a room and forget why you went in there? Have you ever lost your keys? Do you panic trying to remember if you turned off the curling iron before leaving work? All of these kinds of day to day memory lapses occur because the information was not properly logged into your brain. The solution is to get the information loaded in correctly. How do you do this? Say it out loud 2 or 3 times. “Placing keys on counter.” “Turning off the stove.” “Going to get my sewing kit in the bedroom.” Will you sound like a crazy person? Maybe, but at least you won’t feel like you’re losing your mind because you’ll finally remember stuff better!

What are your favorite memory tricks? Please share in the comments!

Written for Dumb Little Man by K. Stone, author of Life Learning Today, a blog about daily life improvements.

Procrastination isn’t always putting off an action; it’s also substituting other action (watching TV?) for what we should be doing. Procrastination causes stress, and it is not as if we don’t have enough of that in our busy lives. It is also a waste of our time and energy.

The good news is that procrastination is just a habit, and we can change our habits.

The first thing to ask yourself is whether procrastination is a sign that you need to change something fundamental in your life (i.e. job, environment, relationships) or if it’s masking fear, lack of self-confidence, self-esteem etc There are a number of ways to tackle procrastination and you can use different strategies for different situations.

1. Make a decision!

Most of us live lives driven by what we “have” to do, which pushes aside those things we want to do. Decide to want to do those difficult things by focusing on the benefits. For example, if I balance my checkbook, or do my bills systematically and regularly, won’t the benefit be that I remain more in control of my finances? If I exercise, won’t I gain benefits of better health and higher energy? By thinking of the benefit it leads to positive action rather than guilt or worry.

2. Delegate!

This is the most fun – if we are in a position to do so, delegate the things we hate to do. Of course, this only works if you have a subordinate or children. (Others substitute outsourcing for delegation, but that is a topic for another time.) Do you have to do it? Can it be done better by someone else?

3. Break it up, knock it down!

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! This old saw is as valid now as ever – break a project down into bite sized tasks and focus on one at a time until the project is complete.

4. Prioritize! (Or, to thine own self be true)

Do the things you don’t want to do when you have the most energy to do them. If you are a morning person, get those ugly things out of the way early, if you run with the vampires, do them late at night. The way you should work is the way you work best.

5. Create a system!

Procrastination is a waste of time and energy. You are always under the gun or playing catch up. Stop procrastination before it starts by creating a system. Try GTD, or Zen to Done, get an exercise buddy or a personal trainer.