There are limits

Setting limits, pacing yourself, moderation - not a very sexy message is it? But according to Greg McKeown in his latest book, "Effortless" it can be the key to achieving your goals in a way that doesn't lead to exhaustion or see your momentum stall.

We start out of the box going hard and fast, but that exhausts us and we need more time to recover. This means we feel we are behind now, so we go all out again and the cycle continues. But having upper and lower limits on your efforts can really do the trick.

McKeown says that while setting an upper limit seems counterintuitive, especially if we still feel we have fuel in the tank, it is key to productivity. As you are working on your ONE THING, decide on the number of hours, words, miles, rows planted in the garden in a set timeframe, and stop when you are done. This way you will not need to waste time recovering from overdoing it and you will feel ready to start again.

Then we all have days when we are not at our best, it's just not working out or perhaps something urgent pops up. When it comes to keeping your momentum, having a minimal goal can help you feel you are progressing.

So I am looking at how I go about setting targets within a certain range. As long as I do this much, I can feel a sense of achievement and progress. But in order to not crash and burn, I stop a predetermined endpoint.

How do you think this might work for you?