Category: Productivity

Protect Your Goal

A friend of mine explained to me the importance of protecting my goal. It took a few minutes of explanation to grasp the full effect of what he had said. But it has changed my daily outlook.

Most people don’t reach goals in their life because they let them die. My friend suggested that once your goal is crystal clear, you can reach it. But along the way, you must protect it. Here are three required strategies when you are considering your big life goals:

1) Let tomorrow’s goal inspire today’s action. If you are to reach your goal, let your inspiration come from the clear vision you have for success. Take daily actions based on the steps needed to reach your goal. Keep the goal clear in your mind every day.

2) Don’t let distractions blur your goal. There will always be distractions. If distractions make you question or change your goal, then they are negatively impacting your success. If you let distractions fill your day, then your goal will become blurry. Over time your vision for tomorrow will lose clarity.

3) Continuously adjust, but don’t divert. You will encounter failures, losses, mistakes, and obstacles. It is unavoidable. All of these are the cost of success. If you let them stop you, you have failed. But if you keep learning, adjusting, and moving towards your goal, you cannot fail.

If you are going to achieve big goals in your life, you need to clearly define them, and then protect them every day.

Are We More Productive in a Yellow Office?

yellow-officeWouldn’t it be great if you would become more productive by painting the walls yellow? I recently read an article on 6 Totally Strange But Effective Productivity Hacks. One of the six encouraged us to surround ourselves with yellow.

According to the article, filling your office with the color yellow can help you concentrate. This sunny color decreases the production of melatonin, the hormone which makes you sleepy. Supposedly putting yellow objects and furnishings around your office can keep you more alert and awake, leading to better productivity and renewed focus.

My curiosity led me to investigate how yellow was being used in workplace design. Another article I found claimed yellow is associated with intellect and the expression of thoughts.

Further searches led me to this site that showcases rooms decorated in yellow, and a site that sells yellow office chairs.

Do you think it really makes a difference? If it did, I would imagine all offices becoming yellow. We all want more productivity, right?

Maybe the reason we don’t see all the offices in the world decorated in yellow is because different colors impact the environment in different ways. For example, orange is a color of adventure which inspires and creates enthusiasm. It is optimistic and sociable and suggests affordability. Who would have known?

If yellow does not seem to be working for you, I would suggest getting back to basics by defining smart goals that are linked to your passion and have your full attention. If you need some help with making the basics effective, lets talk about it. If you decide you want to try yellow walls, call a painter!

A Great Tip for Getting Unstuck

visualizeWe all get stuck. You know the feeling. The one where that voice in your head is telling you all the reasons why you cannot do something. We all face these struggles at times. How do you get past your internal barrier?

One method is visualization. Visualize yourself going through the steps of getting past your barrier. Not just the results, or the success, but actually doing the work required.

As a simple example, think about getting an apple from one of the higher branches of a tree. Obviously this is a very simplified example. But to get that apple, don’t think about what it will feel like to hold and taste the apple, instead visualize the steps required to get the apple.

Will you bring a ladder? Will you climb the tree? Will you use something to knock the apple from the limb, or will you grab it and pull it from the limb? Visualizing the steps is different than visualizing the results. Once you can see yourself doing the steps it is a matter of following through. The action required becomes clearer.

Ok. That was a really simple, basic example, and your challenges are much tougher. But sometimes, we just need to break our challenges into small steps. Steps that we can see ourselves taking.

I want you to think of your biggest current challenge. Then think of the very first step required to achieve that challenge. Visualize yourself doing it. Then go out and do it. Take the first step. Each successive step will be easier.

Achieving a dream requires taking the journey. Need a push? Send me an email!

 

Why Daily Action Lists Matter and How I Use Mine

another-listby Mark S. Brown

Don’t you wish you had more hours in a day? The demands on our time can be overwhelming. We can end up being frustrated when we fail to accomplish a task, or forget an appointment. My daily list works to keep me on track and productive.

My daily list is actually three parts. Each section has its own purpose.

1. Correspondence – This is a list of people, groups, or companies that I need to write or call today. I create this based on my work requirements, and a quick review of correspondence I have received in the last few days. My goal is to respond to people within 24 hours if they contact me. This is a great way for me not to forget an email.

2. Appointments – Appointments are on my calendar. I also add them to my list for the day. It may seem like repetition, but it requires me to review my calendar, and mentally prepare for appointments that I have. I also check them off as they are completed, just like a task.

3. Today’s Tasks – I transfer these from my master list, project list, and files. Included are tasks that I am required to complete today along with anything that I desire to complete today. This list is not a wish list! It only contains what I know I can finish. It is not helpful to list 20 items and only finish 5 of them. You will be more effective to include only a few tasks, and then when you have extra time, use your master list to complete additional tasks.

I create this daily list at the end of the day for the next day, if possible. If I am prevented from doing that by other activities, then I create it the first thing the next morning.

This list keeps me focused on my priorities, and it keeps me from forgetting important activities. Drop me a line, and let me know if you use something similar, or more effective. mbrown@newroadsleadership.com