I have been available to do paid reviews for various products and services for several months, but I have turned down every review offer that I have received until now.
Most of the reviews that I have been offered were for products or services that I either didn't believe in, or I didn't think that my readers would get any value out of.
When I was offered the chance to review Brad Isaac's Achieve-It! goal setting software, I jumped at the chance. Brad writes a lot of great content on his blog and he has been featured in several of the Today is that Day Link Love editions.
Once I agreed to review the software, Brad sent me a copy of it, along with all of the bonuses that come with it, and I spent quite a bit of time going over all of the materials so that I could provide an impartial opinion about the Achieve-It! software itself, as well as the materials that are part of the package.
My Review of the Achieve-It! Goal Setting Software
Can this software help you to attain your goals? Well, I'll answer that question with another question. Are you going to consistently use the software as it meant to be used?
If so, then yes, this software has some great value. However, if you think that the software itself is going to do the work for you, then obviously that is not the case. The Achieve-It! goal setting software is a great tool, and as with all personal development systems, you still need to apply a consistent effort.
The program itself is set up in such a way as to really help you to hash out what you want to accomplish. The interface takes you through a process that includes:
- Choosing goals to accomplish over the next year, over 5 years, 10 years, and to also set goals that you want to accomplish more than 10 years from now.
- Choosing the time frame in which you want to accomplish your goals, using a very intuitive calendar system that is easily navigated.
- Listing the initial as well as the on-going action steps that will be required for you to accomplish your goals.
- Listing the benefits to goal accomplishment, as well as potential pitfalls that might stand in your way.
You are encouraged to really take your time during the initial set up of the software, because the brainstorming of what you truly want to accomplish is something that few people actually do – with or without the assistance of a software program.
The process of listing your goals is very much guided for you by the software. There is an initial step that is actually called "brainstorming," and then there are further steps that you can toggle back and forth between, including:
- Defining your goals
- Refining your goals
- Managing your goals
- Planning the accomplishment of your goals
To me, one of the really valuable things about the Achieve-It! software wasn't even the goal setting interface, but rather the integration with Microsoft Outlook that allows the software to help keep you on track by automatically integrating with the Outlook calendar. There are 3 Outlook integrations that include:
- Exporting your goals to your Outlook calendar
- Exporting your goals or your goal-achieving steps to your Outlook task list
- Using the Achieve-It! Motivate Me feature in order to have Outlook give you reminders not just about doing your tasks, but to also give you tips or reminders about your time line or your goals in order to keep you on track.
My overall view of the software: Yes, I liked it, and the interface was pretty easy to learn and integrate with Outlook. However, the software itself is useless if you are not willing to consistently use it. As goal setting tools go, it is a great tool. However, you have to do the work.
Bonus Materials
Many people will consider the value of the bonus materials that come with the software as part of their decision about whether or not to buy it, so here is a quick review of those materials as well.
TaskBlaze Pro Software: A neat little application that at first seems like a simple timer, but again, there is an ability to interface it with Outlook that is extremely valuable.
Basically all you do is start the software anytime that you are working on a task that is related to your goals. As soon as you are done working, you stop the software, and the amount of time that you just spent working on that task is instantly and automatically added to your Outlook calendar for that day.
In essence, you get a running list of everything that you are doing towards your goal attainment, which has the obvious benefit of helping you to see if you are not spending enough time working towards your goals.
Kick it In Gear by Igniting the Fire of Motivation! Special Report: A very quick read that includes some valuable tips on finding your motivation, as well as ways to keep yourself motivated and productive.
My favorite was the chapter on how to disable distractions. Most people – myself included – have so many things going on at any given moment that it is easy to get offtrack in the process. Brad has a tip on how to circumvent that issue without actually forgetting about whatever it was that distracted you to begin with.
Audio Recording: How to Build An Unshakable Charisma: As with the special report, there were some good tips included in the audio recording. It comes in 2 parts that total just under 60 minutes in length.
The audio was not "over the top" motivating by any stretch of the imagination, but if you listen to the advice that Brad gives, he does make some great points.
As I advise in my own writing and products, Brad repeatedly comes back to the fact that in order to excel in any given situation, you need to make a conscious effort, rather than just randomly waiting to see what is going to happen.
He goes over several different scenarios in the audio recording, including one-on-one interaction with others, how to deal with employees, and even how to give a successful speech. Again, the delivery is a little dry, but the advice itself is solid.
Conclusion
Overall I found the Achieve-It! goal setting software and the bonuses that come with it to have value. If you have been looking for some information and/or tools that will help you to take your goal setting to the next level, then this may be a system that will help you out.
One thing of note however, is that if you are going to purchase the software, you need to use it. Use the brainstorming section and the other modules of the system itself to truly define what you want to accomplish, and by what date.
When you read the special report that comes with the software, and when you listen to the audio, actually take notes on the things that you need to remember and take action on. The advice and the tips that are included in the bonuses will not do you any good if you don't:
a) Believe in your ability to succeed as a result of doing them, or
b) If you don't don't consistently take action on what you learn, rather than just letting that knowledge collect dust.
This concludes my review of the Achieve-It! goal setting software, and I encourage you to visit the links below in order to learn more about Brad Isaac, as well as the software itself:
I downloaded and used this software. I can say this is very different and useful compared to other similar softwares in the market mainly because of it’s intuitive user interface as well as it’s functionality.
Girish,
Much obliged for the feedback on Brad’s software. I, too, found it very easy to use, which is a major bonus.
There are a lot of great software programs out there, but they have so many bells and whistles that the average person never even learns how to use them to their full potential!