There are numerous strategies to employ that will boost your productivity: learn
to manage your time efficiently, put business systems in place, plan and
prioritize your tasks, work in bursts, meet deadlines, and just simply get more
done.
We all want to be more productive. Getting home an hour earlier or making more money per week are dependent on our productivity. Without a boss keeping an eye on us we need some tricks to keep us away from distractions, like TV, and at our desk on task.
We all want to be more productive. Getting home an hour earlier or making more money per week are dependent on our productivity. Without a boss keeping an eye on us we need some tricks to keep us away from distractions, like TV, and at our desk on task.
Here are 10 ways to prioritize your life and your to-do
lists for increased happiness and fulfillment:
1. One thing at a time, with full presence.
In other words, make the thing you have chosen to do the
number one priority while you’re doing it. Focus with your full
attention. See the value in where you are, while you’re there.
Enjoy what’s happening, while it’s happening.
In the end, you will come to realize that the best days are
the days when you don’t need anything extreme or special to happen to make you
smile. You simply appreciate the moments and feel gratitude, seeking
nothing else, nothing more. That is what true happiness is all about.
2. Family and close friends are at the top.
Nurture your important relationships in such a way that when
you tell the people you care about that you care about them, you’re simply
reinforcing what they already know based on how you have prioritized them into
your life.
Give them your full attention. Let them see their own
beauty in your eyes. Let them find their own voice through your listening
ears. Help them discover their own greatness in your presence.
Make the people you love a top priority, always.
3. Focus on importance, not urgency.
As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Things which
matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
Truthfully, the most important thing in life is knowing what
the most important things in life are, and prioritizing them accordingly.
Sadly, most of us spend too much time on urgent things and not enough
time on important things.
So do yourself a favor and implement these three action
steps every time you’re building or sorting your to-do list:
Think about the difference between what is urgent and what
is important.
Review all the obligations on your list.
Do what’s important first.
Sometimes everything on your list will look important, which
might be true to an extent. But as you practice prioritizing, you will
get better and better at it. And eventually you will know, without
question, when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the
vital ones, like spending quality time with loved ones. (Read The 7
Habits of Highly Effective People.)
4. Keep your efforts aligned with your purpose.
Getting anything worthwhile done is a matter of connecting
with why you have chosen to do this thing in the first place.
Don’t allow others to confuse you. Don’t let them
convince your heart what is right for you. Your heart already knows.
Listen to it. Don’t let anyone else dilute the power of your inner
voice. You’ve got to stand up for something specific, on your own two
legs, or you will achieve nothing worthwhile in your own mind’s eye.
Within you there is a formidable and undeniable sense of
purpose. Happiness comes from making a solid and persistent connection to
that purpose. When your intentions are supported by a “why” that has
meaning, you will find the “how” to bring them to life.
5. Play to your strengths and delegate when it makes
sense.
When it comes to tackling big projects, you can try to do
everything yourself, or you can reach out and find the right people to help
you. The first choice will raise your stress and blood pressure; the
second choice will raise your consciousness and effectiveness.
Choosing the right perspective is so important; you CAN see
life’s challenges as opportunities. When an unexpected obstacle is
suddenly standing in your way, don’t get overwhelmed. Take a breather and
regroup. Someone else nearby knows how to get around it. Find and
engage them.
For example, if your website is suddenly having glitches
with a new web browser, don’t read a giant book on web design. Hire a
professional web designer. See the problem as an opportunity to delegate.
Life is trying to teach you that most long-term, worthy endeavors are
team efforts, and so much more palatable when shared with others. Every
unexpected obstacle in life is a lesson on teamwork in disguise, solvable with
the right team of people.
6. Socialize and share with peers.
Regardless of what you’re trying to accomplish, it’s always
easier if you have a group of people who understand what you’re doing, why
you’re doing it, and what challenges you’re facing. Staying in touch with
these people and sharing ideas with them will accelerate your effectiveness and
happiness. Best selling author, Seth Godin, refers to these people as
your tribe members.
A tribe is a group of people connected to one another via an
idea, movement or common goal. For millions of years, human beings have
been part of one tribe or another. Godin says, “A group needs only two
things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
Every single one of us craves the feeling of being part of
something bigger than ourselves. By nature, we are tribal, but oftentimes
we become disconnected from our tribe. We know our people are out there –
somewhere – but we feel lost and disconnected from them. If you’re
feeling disconnected, open up to your peers and initiate a conversation.
Tap into your tribe.
7. Give what you can, as you seek what you desire.
In many ways, life is a circle – what you put in to it comes
back around. When you make a positive impact in the world, the world will
have a positive impact on you.
If you want to be rich, be generous. If you want to
make friends, be friendly. If you want to be heard, listen. If you
want to be understood by others, take the time to truly understand them.
If you want to live an interesting life, be interested in the happenings
around you.
You won’t always get back exactly what you wanted or
expected, but when you give what you can you almost always receive what you
need. (Read The Secret.)
8. Leave the past behind as you plan ahead.
Let old problems remain where they belong – in the past.
No matter how many times you revisit the past, there’s nothing new to
see. Don’t let what once happened get in the way of what is happening.
Just because you’ve made mistakes doesn’t mean your mistakes get to make
you. If something important didn’t work yesterday, figure out what
changes can be made today.
Tame your inner critic; let go and move on productively.
You must make a conscious effort to do this, it won’t happen
automatically. You will have to rise up and say, “I don’t care how hard
this is. I don’t care how disappointed I am. I’m not going to let
yesterday’s problems get the best of me. I’m taking the lessons and
moving on with my life.”
9. Commit to self-respect, regardless of the issue at
hand.
Whenever you catch yourself in a rambling bout of negative
self-talk, stop and ask yourself, “If I had a friend who spoke to me in the
same way that I sometimes speak to myself, how long would I allow this person
to be my friend?”
Remember, the way you treat yourself sets the standard for
others, and the world at large, to follow. Above everyone else, YOU
deserve YOUR respect. So make sure your decisions, behaviors and actions
reflect your self-respect as you carry out your plans.
10. Leave room to breathe.
Things don’t always go as planned. Good things can’t
always be planned. Be flexible and open to life’s twists and turns.
Organize, but don’t agonize. Keep your space and time
ordered, but your schedule underbooked. Create a foundation with a soft
place to land, a wide margin of error, and room to think and breathe…
Freeing yourself from an overbooked schedule lets you
experience more of life’s good surprises, and also provides you with
flexibility when the unforeseen disrupts your foresight.
Afterthoughts
So, in summary…
Focus on your priorities, but take things in stride.
Make decisions, not excuses. Live one moment at a time. Count
your blessings, not your troubles. Let the wrong things go. Look
for lessons in unforeseen obstacles. Ask for help. Give as much as
you take. Make time for those who matter.
Laugh when you can.
Cry when you need to. And always stay true to your values.