I’m a strong believer in the power of consistency. Doing something small consistently can make a big difference in the long term. Your goal might seem big like an elephant, but if you take your one step every day you will eventually achieve it.
我坚信持之以恒的力量。每天一小步，就离成功近一步。你的目标有可能像大象那么大，但如果你每天都坚持不懈，终有一天你会成功的。

The problem, of course, is it’s not easy to be consistent. It’s easier to just follow your mood and do things that you feel like doing. But consistency is essential to achieve big goals so you should learn to put it into practice.
但问题是，持之以恒并非易事。凭感觉做事、想做什么做什么，看起来会更简单一些。但是想要达成目标坚持是必须的，所以你该学会付诸于行动。

Here’s how:
现在教你怎样设定目标：

1. Set a goal you believe in
设定一个你相信的目标

You need a powerful source of motivation to stay consistent in the long term. Because of that, your goal should be something you believe in, something you really care about. Otherwise you won’t be able to keep at it for months or even years.
你需要一个强大的动力源来让你持之以恒。正因为如此，你的目标应该是你所相信的东西、你真正关心的东西。否则你将无法坚持几个月甚至几年。

2. Allocate time for it every day
每天都分配一点时间给它

Don’t just wait until you have time. Instead, make the time. I usually allocate a minimum amount of time to work on my goal daily. You may want to take time off on the weekend and some other occasions, but other than that thrive to meet your commitment.
不要总是等你有空了才去完成。相反的，要分配时间。我通常会每天抽出小部分时间用来完成我的目标。你可能想利用周末或是抽出其他的一些时间，但除此之外你还是应该花时间来兑现你的承诺。

3. Use the time for real work
把时间用在实际的工作上

What’s the use of allocating time if you use most of it to procrastinate? So make sure that you do real work during it. For this purpose, I use a timer. Whenever I stop working in the middle of a session, I stop the timer. Then I restart it when I get back to work. This way I know that I’ve spent the whole allocated time for real work.
如果你总是拖拖拉拉，分配时间又有什么用呢？所以一定要确保你的确在工作。为此，我使用计时器。每当我在会议中暂停工作时，我也暂停我的计时器。然后当我重新回去工作时，我再重新启动它。这样我才能确保我在这段分配出来的时间内做的都是实际工作。

4. Take the shortest path
走捷径

Allocating time for your goal won’t help if it doesn’t take you closer to your goal. A common pitfall is using the time for things that aren’t really necessary.
如果没有使你更接近你的目标的话，分配时间对你实现目标不会有帮助。一个常见的误区就是把时间用在了不必要的事情上面。

To avoid this, always keep your goal in mind and build the desire to achieve it as soon as possible. Setting a tight deadline is a good way to help you stay focused.
为了避免这种情况，你要始终牢记自己的目标并且树立愿望尽快实现它。设置一个紧迫的截止时间是一个能帮助你保持专注的好方法。