Hi Andy, please use the public link for your blog since we don't know your admin password

http://blogs.sqlservercentral.com/admin/blogs/postlist.aspx?App=andy_warren

instead

http://blogs.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/andy_warren/default.aspx

Cheers
Zubeyir

Great article Andy.  I would add that a professional development program should not be limited to the scope of your profession.  I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying that ‘leaders are readers’ and that applies here as well.  I would suggest that anyone who wants to be in a growth mode should be reading books from outside your profession.  Reading books on leadership, success, relationships, attitude, and people skills builds character and relatability and you will not many who are at the top of their game who haven’t spent time working on themselves. 

I’ll have to disagree with your statement on goal setting as well.  Goals are set to make you stretch and grow.  I would recommend setting goals with that in mind and not to sell yourself short by setting a goal that you can meet without stretching yourself a bit.  If you set a goal to work on yourself/professional development 10 hours per week and you hit your goal, great.  What if you set your goal a bit higher to stretch yourself, say 15 hours per week and you come up a bit short at 12-13 hours?  Who benefits most?  Also, in terms of goal setting, there are 2 important aspects that need discussed.  First, if it is not written down and looked at, it’s not a goal, it’s a wish.  Second, goals should have clearly defined rewards set up with them.  Working towards any goal required focused effort so reward yourself for putting in that effort.  The reward should match the task so you wouldn’t buy a new car for your 10 hours, but set up a goal where you take the kids or sweetheart out for ice cream upon achieving your 10 hours.  Sure, it’s just ice cream, but even the little things in life seem better when you have earned them.  In a society where something for nothing is mainstream, just little habits like goals/rewards will set you above the cut and the best way to succeed in anything is to not follow the crowd!

Just my $.02 

Very good article and have a lot of good suggestions.

I have my own to-do/to-learn list.  I keep adding it up whenever I find any good idea worth a try.  Once I am done, I mark it completed.  It makes me feel good to see how much I have done as time goes by.

Dear friends, that was a good article.

I personally have many thoughts at the same moments or different point of time, going on in my head. But, has a habit of snoaring, which by some people described as, those people who thinks of doing some tasks through out the day, but fails to do a part of that, gets snoaring.

I had tried to make a schedule of my one month and was actively thinking of achieving goals on each weekend and actually ended up with doing nothing in the whole month.

I don't find a way to fight it. But, usually don't miss reading SSC.

thanks,

Jwalant Natvarlal Soneji

Jwalant Natvarlal Soneji
BE IT, India
http://JwalantSoneji.com

hey, I have installed google desktop on my machine at work place to have only one widget running and that is Google ToDo.

It is there on the right side of my right monitor and displays on desktop when other apps are minimized. A full view of it gives a good list to see, what has to be done and what has been.

Jwalant Natvarlal Soneji
BE IT, India
http://JwalantSoneji.com

Thank you Jwalant.  Another new todo item is added.  Of couse, it should be on the top of my todo list.