Every Little Step Counts - Monthly Key Tasks

Your yearly career objectives can be broken down to monthly segmentations that will organize your journey and progress. Your Monthly Key Tasks acts as a frame that governs your weekly progress and Daily Things To Do List.

Your Monthly Key Tasks work hand in hand with your Daily Things To Do List; the little tasks that you do everyday are actions on your monthly objectives, while they steer you into achieving your yearly goals. 

Here are some tips on penciling your Monthly Key Tasks: 

1. Do it early – Plan your Monthly Key Tasks before the next month comes e.g. on every 25^th. Your Monthly Key Tasks for December 2012 should be ready by 25^th of November 2012.

2. Sync with your team/department – Sit down and discuss with your teammates on your targets as you are most likely working on project together. Make sure you progress together as if one party lags, the rest of the team will find it difficult to move along. 

3. Reflect your organization’s mission and vision – As you are the clockwork of your organization, your goals should be parallel with it. If they are not, mutual understanding and co-operation at your workplace is at jeopardy. Also, it hinders your growth in the company as you might be perceived in a less favorable light.

4. Update your progress – Do it on a weekly basis. Chart your progress on every Friday, for example. This way, your will have a clear picture of how far you are moving along, and what tasks you need to catch up on. Cross out completed items or finished projects to avoid clutter. 

5. Categorize – Separate your Monthly Key Tasks into groups of tasks and duties that you need to complete. Examples of task categories are communication, administration, and training. You can also expand your Monthly Key Tasks to include personal objectives such as how many books you want to read for the month or how much weight you want to lose.

Every zubedyan is required to plan their Monthly Key Tasks and we find it to be very useful in helping us stay focused on our objectives and progress. Here are what some of us have to say about Monthly Key Tasks.

"MKT is a useful tool that provides me direction and setting performance expectation towards achieving my objectives for that month. It helps me to organize and cascade my multitasking work and personal matters accordingly. Through MKT also I can review and monitor my performance." – Azlawati Fahmi, Manager

"By preparing the MKT, I am able to better focus by setting up a framework in how I go about my month. It helps create a sense of discipline and professionalism; and the ability to better align myself to the company’s needs and expectations." – Aizuddin Arshad, Communication & Public Relations Executive.

Following through with your Monthly Key Tasks is an achievement on its own too, because it feels good to be able to check things off of your list. As you complete your goal plan, you realize that you are moving closer to attaining your career as well as personal targets.   

"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort."- Paul J. Meyer