Hello all,
This week's post is about managing all your goals and professional development plans, and comes from
The Assist newsletter, which I am lucky enough to get dropped into my email regularly.
I don't usually repost a full article, but this one is succinct enough and valuable enough that I want to be sure you'll get the info even if you don't follow the links.
I especially like tip #1 and would love to hear if others do as well.
"When Your Growth Goals Start Competing With Each Other
"My biggest challenge is allocating priority and time to many different growth focuses. I've identified several things I want to learn, change, or improve now or in the very near future. I feel like a ping pong ball bouncing back and forth between them. How do I be most effective and efficient to meet my self-improvement goals the quickest?" — Donna Mosley
Donna, you’re describing something a lot of high performers hit: You finally have clarity on what you want to improve…and the list shows up like a swarm.
- It’s not a motivation problem.
- It’s not a discipline problem.
- It’s a decision-making problem, and the good news is, that’s solvable.
Here’s how to move forward without feeling like you’re ricocheting between five “top priorities.”
1. Figure out which growth area changes the most things downstream
When everything feels equally important, ask:
“If I improved only one of these, which one would make the rest easier?”
There’s always a keystone skill:
- Better boundaries unlock time
- Clearer communication reduces conflict
- Sharper systems free mental bandwidth
- One technical skill accelerates multiple goals
Choose the one with the widest ripple effect. That becomes your focus—not forever, just first.
2. Decide how much of your life it’s allowed to take up
People get stuck because they try to give every goal “full energy.” You only need one to get that treatment.
Give your main goal a set container: 15 minutes a day, one deep hour a week, a standing calendar block, whatever matches your real life.
Everything else drops to “maintenance mode.” (Not abandoned. Just not competing.) This alone kills the ping-pong feeling.
3. Remove one energy drain before adding new effort
You can’t grow efficiently if you’re leaking energy everywhere.
Ask:
“What’s one habit, task, or expectation I can stop carrying?”
Eliminating a drain creates more capacity than adding motivation ever will.
4. Look for skill pairings instead of juggling five separate goals
Some growth areas naturally stack: leadership + communication, confidence + visibility, systems + time management.
If two goals reinforce each other, treat them like one project. You’ll make double progress without double effort.
5. Redefine “quickest” as “least scattered”
Pick your direction and stay with it long enough for the work to actually stick. Most people never make progress because they keep switching lanes. Staying with one priority, longer than feels comfortable, is what finally moves things forward.
Your next move (the real answer to your question)
- Pick the one growth area with the biggest downstream impact.
- Give it a real home in your schedule.
- Reduce one drain.
- Let the rest wait their turn.
This is how you stay effective, efficient, and steady—without bouncing between goals like a human ping-pong ball."
All the best,
Holly
