Looking at my To Do list, I wonder where the hell has the day gone and what I have actually done? If you find yourself constantly uttering something similar to yourself…take refuge in the fact that you’re not alone. In fact some days I really think I’ve followed the white rabbit into the matrix.
What makes it worse is that we beat ourselves up for not getting done what we coulda, shoulda, oughta. Hell we all know the rules: remove the distractions, make your to do list, prioritize, schedule, dump, do, delegate…so why don’t we do it?
In my case its far too easy for life to get in the way, or more to the point… allow myself to use the excuse that life gets in the way…ahhh now that’s hitting the nail on the head!
Of course there are things that come up that are important and have to take priority over work, but most of the things that we allow to keep us from reaching our objectives really come down to our own insecurities, fear, lack of direction/planning or even sheer overwhelm.
Its always easy to find an excuse, much harder to recognize the reason. Now assuming you’ve gone through the motions of removing the distractions or attractions (much more appropriate term..don’t you think) you know… emails, you tube, blogs, newsfeeds, etc whatever your poison… and you still find yourself up shit creek without a paddle you may want to look at my 5 point plan to get you focused and flowing with the current.
- Get your environment Right – set yourself up with the right environment for you…If you work best outside on a lounge chair in the sun…then do it. If you function best at a tidy desk where everything is where it should be, more power to ya. If you need orchestral overtures, disco fever, or Madonna voguing away in the background then set it up. Its your environment and it should be whatever is most conducive to your productivity..but remember if you find yourself prancing around in your underwear…sorry maybe Madonna has to go!
- Don’t overface yourself - Ive seen some mighty to do lists in my time, I’ve even been guilty of this myself. Why why why do you set yourself up with sooo many tasks on your list that you don’t stand a chance in hell of getting through them. Don’t ever have more than 5 to 7 items on your task list period. Psychologically it allows you to feel that you have less to do and therefore its more accomplishable.
- Your Natural Rhythm - Just like your environment you need to work with your natural rhythm…when do you work best, morning, afternoon, midnight to three…look what ever works for you then work with the flow, not against it. You don’t have to believe the social generalizations, that to be creative you are best working in the morning…screw the theories you know you best!…work with your rhythm you will see more productivity that way.
- Focus on the Finish – when you list your 5-7 focus on at least two that you know you can finish that day. There’s nothing like the reinforcement of finishing a task to make you feel like you’ve made progress, it will spur you on to get more done. Don’t use this as a method for putting off the stuff that you don’t want to do though….yeah I got your number baby!
- Tomorrow - Never finish the day without setting up your plan for tomorrow. Prioritize your 5-7 for the next day and that way you can start the day immediately no wasting time…no procrastinating, no excuses. It takes only a few minutes to do while your already in the flow…remember rhythm
I hope these few things help you to approach your workday from a different perspective…let me know what works for you.
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