Where Do I Start?
“Do what today others won’t, so tomorrow, you can do what others can’t.” ~ Brian Rogers Loop
Starting a task or project can be one of the hardest things for you to do. You might think that you know what you want to do, but you just aren't motivated into doing so. However, taking action is the first step in being more productive. Making excuses and overanalyzing every detail will not get you anywhere in life. The main thing is just to get started and here are a few tips to get you going in the right direction.
- Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!
It is often easier for people to stay productive and active in their work if they just know what they want to do in advance. If you prepare your work the evening or night before, you’re more likely to sleep better and feel at ease. Planning your time in advance actually increases your self-esteem and increases your sense of personal power. It gives you a sense of control of your life and your world.
Get everything ready the night before: having your clothes picked out and breakfast or lunches already made can save a huge amount of time for the next day. Remember, the goal of being more productive is to have more free time to do the things we love and get to spend our time the way we want, without being a slave to our everyday tasks.
An extra ten minutes of preparing could end up saving you hours of time the next day. The best way to do this is to make it a habit; prepare the same time each evening or night and stick with it.
- Set Up An Outline
If you have an idea of what you want to get done first, write it down! An outline can help you arrange your personal life and work day. An outline is not the end all be all; it just helps you get a little more organized. My outlines typically get changed from day to day, sometimes hour to hour. Simply write out the most important tasks first (MITs), then once those are completed, cross them out so you can visually see yourself achieving your goals and then work on the less important tasks.
Important tip: do not over task yourself. I used to make a huge list of things I wanted to accomplish for the day, only to find myself hardly completing anything. The change came when I only focused on one or two important tasks for the day, then and only then if time was left I would shift my focus to the other important tasks.
Another important factor when creating an outline is to write out what resources you will need to accomplish these tasks. Not having the resources needed to undertake something will only slow you down!
- Work Together To Get Things Done
Share, send, and publish tasks with others. Make sure that your significant other is in tune with your tasks and goals. It is okay to delegate some of your tasks; in fact, it is a major success factor for highly productive people. You need to talk with other family members, and even your friends, to see if they have the ability to help you with all sorts of things related to your tasks and projects.
Do not think that you need to pressure your family members or friends into doing things for you. Just allow them to come in and help you out in some capacity so it will be a little easier for you to do a little more with your life.
If friends and family members are not an option, think about hiring someone to handle your time consuming tasks. I realize not everyone has the extra money to do so, but if you are on the fence, I highly suggest you do it. This can take your productivity to a whole new level and free up time like never before.
- Prepare Goals That Are Realistic
You might have a tough time starting something if you have goals that are going to be rather lofty or tough. You might be highly ambitious over what you want to do and that, in turn, can make it harder for you to get anywhere in life.
You need to set up goals that you know you can actually complete. Set up goals that you know you can complete over the course of a few days or weeks. Always start with small goals and work your way up. It is the tiny wins that lead up to the major goal.
Create goals that are reflective of your talents, your resources, and the things that you are learning about. Make sure those goals are designed in order for you to legitimately complete them so you will actually feel motivated.
There is something powerful about accomplishing a goal you set, even if it is very small. Once you get a taste of achieving something you set, it triggers the brain for success and sky rocket confidence like never before!