3 ways to prevent Hoarding... your Goals pt. 3

I've created a list so anyone can catch themselves "Goal Hoarding", as well as see how similar it is to the unattractive habit of "Stuff Hoarding" (this is part 3 of 3 posts)

3. Hoarders are so focused on "protecting" their "stuff" that they end up pushing away family and friends, screaming at, ignoring, and ending relationships with loved ones, after treating them like junk – so they can treat their junk like a loved one should be treated!

Fortunately, I've never gotten so obsessed with busywork that I've broken up my family – thank God! But I did catch myself staying late at work for hours (more than once) when I could've been spending quality time with loved ones. I've caught myself being defensive when people ask why I'm not more famous, or why I don't have more videos on youtube. And I've seen some of my biggest fans get tired of waiting for me to put out an album.

There's no better reality check than the look of disappointment from someone who wanted nothing more than to tell the world how great your new project is… but never got the chance.

Maybe the most important goal anyone can achieve is to appreciate what they already have, including their friends, family, and the opportunity continue sharing a meaningful connection with them. The more busywork a "Goal Hoarder" does, the less quality time they spend with the people they love… the same people who probably want nothing more than to see you stop worrying about everything and be confident about one major project at a time.

(Celebrating with some of the youth who took my RapOetry class last semester)

So while a "Goal Hoarder" clings to an endless list of "important things", a "Goal Achiever" priorities spending time with important people. It's funny though, when the people around you feel cared for, all those extra details have a way of working themselves out anyway.

3 ways to prevent Hoarding... your Goals pt. 2

I've created a list so anyone can catch themselves "Goal Hoarding", as well as see how similar it is to the unattractive habit of "Stuff Hoarding" (this is part 2 of 3 posts)

2. Hoarders respond to throwing out a piece of junk the same as a normal person would respond to abandoning a small child.

When I started to prioritize my major goals over the long lists of things I wanted to do, I would always make sure I kept those lists of less important things close by. I didn't realize it, but I was actually scared that I'd forget about all those other things that I was doing… even though I WASN'T DOING THEM! I actually felt guilty about abandoning those to-do lists altogether. It seemed irresponsible to just focus all my energy on a few simple things, when there was so much more to be done.

But the truth was that I could easily sit down and write rewrite those long to-do lists any day of the week, I could rediscover those links to useful web sites with a few minutes of searching, and I could accomplish an endless list of tasks that would "help me get closer to achieving my goals". It really doesn't hurt my real family and friends when I throw out the to-do lists. The fact is, they don't even notice, because those to-do lists are full of little things that never make a big difference anyway lol! What my loved ones do notice is the results I get from spending more quality time on major goals :)

But quitting the busywork and abandoning your long to-do lists doesn't mean being afraid to write anything down. It means being willing to commit to what you do write down. For instance, my goal progress list has about a dozen items on it, including my major goal of the month, my weekly milestones, and the precise steps I need to take to reach each milestone.

The important point is that every one of those steps is an action I am committing to taking by a specific deadline, in a specific sequence, not just something I really want to do as soon (or later) as possible.

(photo of my friends and fellow MCs Derek & Toya with their newest student)

So a Goal Hoarder feels guilty about taking their focus away from all the important things they could/would/should do as soon as possible, but a Goal Achiever feels committed to a short list of measureable steps and due dates that will inevitably bring them to achieve a major goal on a specific date, or sooner. Don't feel bad about abandoning your list of things you want to do, instead feel GREAT about committing to the most important activity you can accomplish right now.

3 ways to prevent Hoarding... your Goals pt. 1

I've created a list so anyone can catch themselves "Goal Hoarding", as well as see how similar it is to the unattractive habit of "Stuff Hoarding" (this is part 1 of 3 posts)

1. Hoarders only notice how dangerous and nasty the mess is when other people are around.

I was always busy, and always had lots of "to do lists" of more things to do, as well as records of all the interesting stuff I've been doing. That let me know I was doing the right thing… even though I WASN'T! It was only when other people asked, "Where can I buy your album?", "Do you have any videos of your shows online?", "When will you have more clothes for sale?", and so forth, that I realized my busywork wasn't getting results. Keeping a list of your actual goals that you can look at every day prevents you from using busy work as an excuse for goal achieving.

But a list of your actual goals should be a very short list. My goal progress worksheet has 1 major goal for the month. It includes 1 Major milestone to reaching that goal each week. And finally it includes no more than a few steps to take each week.

Each step is precise and can be measured with a "yes" or "no", such as
"Did I store new album files securely online?" or
"Did I write a paypal script to download files after a verified purchase?"


So that's the difference between a Goal Progress Worksheet and a To-Do List. Think about it, a "Stuff Hoarder" has a house full of stuff that they are absolutely sure they will use… but never do. A "Goal Hoarder" has a To Do list full of activities they are absolutely sure will get them to achieve their goals… but never do!
If you are using a very long To-Do list, instead of a very short Goal Progress Worksheet, the neurons in your brain are mostly likely as disorganized as the "stuff" in a hoarder's home. Stop Goal Hoarding! Pull your major Goals and milestones of the month out of the To-Do list hoards, and look at your Goal Progress Worksheet Daily. Don't wait for someone else to interrupt your "busywork" and ask you where your major goals are hiding.