Private Victory: Personal Goal Setting and Time Management

This assignment explores the concepts of 'Private Victory,' focusing on the principles of 'Begin with the End in Mind' and 'Put First Things First.' The student provides personal examples to illustrate goal fixation, action orientation, and the importance of envisioning future roles. The assignment delves into time management techniques, differentiating between main and filler tasks and emphasizing the value of prioritization. The student highlights the application of scientific methods to task organization and the benefits of preparing a priority list to enhance efficiency and achieve desired outcomes. References to relevant research papers support the analysis, demonstrating a practical understanding of leadership and management principles.

Private Victory
Part A
Begin with the end in Mind
The concept of “begin with an end” in mind allows an individual to envision his roles in life a
little more wisely. In my case, I can share a personal example with you. Biology says that
after the age of 28, the rush of growth hormones and other hormones ends. It is a kind of end,
I envision myself as a super fit individual with an athletic bent at that juncture of life.
In order to inspire myself, I morphed a picture of mine into an athletic person and pasted it in
my gym. This picture denotes the end of some cycles in my body and inspires me to achieve
the best strength prior to this age. In terms of management, this exercise is known as the
exercise of “goal fixation” and “action orientation.” In the simplest of the terms, we can also
say that if we are aware of the endpoint or the desired point of a journey, then we can keep a
check on the goals and get an idea of the difficulties that may come in the path (Kleingeld,
2013).
The exercise of goal fixation also allows us to anticipate the hardships that may occur in the
past. If we are beginning a task while having an endpoint in our mind then this exercise also
gives us a pragmatic approach where we can draw plan A, Plan B and think about an exit
policy as well. In my case, I can say that this pointer of “begin with the end in the mind” also
gave me an idea that if I fail in my mission then how I can fix the next target for myself.
Put first things first
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The concept of put first things first inspires us to follow an order of the events and parts of
the events for the best output. In my case, I can present an example of the time management
exercise that I follow. I divide all the necessary tasks of the day into two categories, the first
category belongs to the main tasks, and for instance, attending classes is the main task for me.
Writing for this assignment is the main task for me (Locke, 2010).
The second type of tasks is filler tasks. While traveling in the local transportation system, I
answer all my calls and messages of the day. Traveling during the day is the main task for
me; however, it allows me to go for a filler task where I can communicate with my near and
dear ones. This is the case of a random order. However, preparing a priority list for any task
or subtasks also gives me an idea to organize my work.
I was not aware of the fact that I was following this idea even before my introduction to this
book. I gave it the name of “performing a task with the help of scientific methods.” The
experiments of the science follow a certain order and procedure. The notion of the “put first
things first” always inspires us to put a method in our acts where we need to prepare a list of
priority and accomplish tasks in that given order (Matthews2015).
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Kleingeld, A., van Mierlo, H., & Arends, L. (2011). The effect of goal setting on group
performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1289-1304.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2006). New Directions in Goal-Setting Theory. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 15(5), 265-268.
Cynthia.N "Goal-Setting Strategies for Scientific and Career Success." Science (2019):
https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2013/12/goal-setting-strategies-scientific-and-
career-success.
Matthews, G. (2015). Goal Research Summary. Paper presented at the 9th Annual
International Conference of the Psychology Research Unit of Athens Institute for
Education and Research (ATINER), Athens, Greece.
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Part B
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