Smartphone for a Dumbperson? Setting SMART Goals!

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(Original post date Aug 6, 2012) Last week I wrote about my assessment prowess, ad to move on, I’d like to share with you that…  Finally, I assessed cell phone technology, made a “smart” decision and got a smartphone, aSamsung Galaxy S III!

Jacob, the almost 18-year-old says, “Answer your smartphone, or are you too dumb to know how?”

Nice. Okay, I admit, I have a lot to learn about my smartphone, as it truly is amazing.  My dear young man, the term “smart” may be of interest to you in other circumstances.

Have you ever watched the show from the tv series airing in the late 60s, early 70s called Get Smart? I thought it was funny! The star, Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 for CONTROL, battles the forces of KAOS with the more-competent Agent 99 at his side.

Don Adams, as Maxwell Smart, holding the famous shoe phone

I wonder if Maxwell ever used his last name in its acronym form to set goals? To me, the letters can stand for:  

Specific   Measurable   Attainable   Relevant   Timely

For example, I’m setting a goal to be more organized. I tend to save and store stuff thinking I may need it someday. “Stuff” in this regard can be described as articles, old reports and homework, and a lot of misc documents and research projects,…found in folders, bins, piles of paper and on my computers; clothes that no longer fit (even though I wore a sun dress the other day, having stored it for about five years thinking it would fit me again and it did!); and food in my pantry, cupboards, fridge and freezer that really needs to be eaten up or donated. Do I dare mention the garage?

Okay, let’s relook at my goal as I need to make it SMART.

Specific – I want to re-organize my office and my home environment to allow myself more time and space to be highly efficient. (Wow!)

Measurable – My goal will be measured in two ways 1) the time it takes to do weekly cleaning and 2) how well I function on a day to day basis without losing something important or getting ticked off because too much crap is in my space.

Attainable – My goal is something I have needed and wanted to do for many years (environments change when kids get older and move out.) It is clearly attainable and will be a process that takes time and energy and focus.

Relevant – My goal is very relevant to my life as I do a good majority of work from home, and I live in a 900 square foot house, so therefore clearing out and organizing my spaces so I know what I have and I use what I got is relevant in my life. Use what you got is my motto (read the DMR article from July 2011)

Timely – I would like to meet my goal and have “efficient spaces” by this time next year! *(but then again, it may take more time!)

Sounds like I’m a real pig, snort snort!

Okay in conclusion, my smartphone has somewhat helped me to clean out my spaces and become more organized as I now have instant internet access, my calendar, to buy list, to do list and stuff have list, my email accounts and of course, games which I may want to play, and the general surfing that comes from being interested in life, society and the everyday happenings in the world!

Why so many decks of cards!!??

However the phone has already become a spot for storing applications I may or may not use, contacts of people who I haven’t communicated with in a long time, and by using the phone at times mindlessly, I just end up wasting time, reading news which is disturbing, or entertaining myself with reading useless email messages when I should or could be doing something more constructive (yawn.)

Back to my ISU days and how the heck did one get about without laptops and cell phones? Wow, is it easier to be in school now a days because of technology at our fingertips? The terminology (how the heck, now a days, at our fingertips) I used in this paragraph dates me huh?!

On the 7th day of August 1994 I expected to deliver a baby…

I was working at CorVel in West Des Moines, attending Iowa State on campus in Ames, and raising a 6 year old in between it all. However, the baby within didn’t want to come out yet…although I tried! (Jacob was 12 days overdue and finally made his worldly appearance on the 19th day of August 1994!)

Stay tuned for more blogging, and thank you for reading.

Call me at 515-778-0634 if you’d like my help to set SMART Goals.

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My professional rehabilitation counseling practice is focused on helping people participate in the world around them, particularly in their own world of work.

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