Dumb Little Man | Tips for Life

#1: Write Action Items

Does your to-do list look like this?

• Taxes
• New desk?
• Bob and Jane

While you might know exactly what these mean in the context of your day, there’s also a good chance you’ve not really pinned down each task.

After all, you’re unlikely to sit down and get all your taxes completely done in one session – and when you see “taxes” on the list, your first response is probably to jump straight to the next item.

A really effective to-do list uses action items. That means starting each task with a verb, and being specific about what you’re going to do:

• Check tax deadline, and sort all receipts into date order.
• Look into the top three options for a new desk.
• Call Bob and Jane to confirm dinner this weekend.

#2: Break Big Projects into Smaller Tasks

Sometimes, a vague item is a big project that needs breaking into smaller tasks. “Write report” often isn’t something you can easily get your head around – but “get data for section 1 of report” is.

By breaking up any big projects into smaller tasks, you make your to-do list much more valuable. Once you actually get going on those tasks, you’ll already have done some of the high-level thinking – and you can check them off your list one by one, creating a (well-earned) sense of steady progress.


#3: Put Timings Against Each Task

Perhaps you write a to-do list every day, but you rarely get through more than a few items on it. Unless you have at least a rough idea of how long your different tasks will take, you won’t know how many you can accomplish in a day.

When you add an estimated time against each task, you get several great benefits:

• You can easily see if you’ve got a to-do list that’s going to take 16 hours instead of 8
• You can race against the clock, trying to beat your time estimate – making you more efficient
• As time goes by, you’ll get a clearer sense of how long different tasks take (and you might be surprised by what you find)

#4: Split Your List into Different Categories

It’s hard to work from a single, big, disorganized list. If “buy milk” is next to “phone client” and jumbled up with “go to the gym”, you may find yourself accidentally missing out some of your tasks.

If your list is a mess, it’s also far too easy to end up prioritizing the little tasks over big ones: you want to clear out as many to-dos as possible, regardless of how big or small they might be.

By splitting your list into different categories, it’s easy to group different tasks for different areas of your work or life. For instance, your categories could be:

• Major ongoing projects
• Small work-related tasks
• Personal development / education
• Personal chores

It’s up to you what categories you create, and you may want to experiment with using different ones, and with using more or fewer categories, over several weeks or months.

#5: Batch Together Similar Tasks

If you’ve got a bunch of similar tasks, try to do them in batches, rather than one at a time. For instance, if you need to make ten phone calls this week, it’ll be most efficient to do them all at once – say, on Tuesday morning – rather than doing two each day.

The same goes for lots of common tasks like:

• Reading and answering your emails
• Looking up specific facts / information for your report
• Finding great images to use for your presentation

Sometimes, this might mean reorganizing the way you complete a particular project. If you normally create each slide for your presentation separately, finishing Slide 1 before starting Slide 2, you might find that it’s more efficient to create draft text for all the slides, then find and add images.

#6: Prioritize Your To-Do List

Finally, a great way to get more from your to-do list – especially if you’re in a tight spot – is by prioritizing.

One powerful way to prioritize is by using your best time of the day for your highest-energy tasks. That way, you’ll get the important things done while your brain is in gear, and you can deal with chores or admin when you’re not feeling quite so energized. Your peak time might be morning, afternoon, or night.

Prioritizing is also really useful when emergencies crop up. If something derails your day, don’t panic – instead, grab your to-do list, and highlight the items that really, truly have to get done today. Next, use a different color to highlight those which it would be useful to get done today. Now you can work through the high-priority items first, knowing that the others can wait till tomorrow if necessary.

Do you have any great tips about to-do lists? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments!

Making excuses is easy, but taking action is hard. The stars will never align and the conditions will never be perfect, so you might as well get started now.

That thing you’ve been putting off, start today. You will be confused, overwhelmed and maybe even a bit scared. But you have to be willing to take that first step.

Even highly successful people are scared all the time. No one is fearless, but the difference is that successful people take action despite their fears.

Here are 5 quick ways to kill your excuses and finally go after your dreams:

1. Investigate
   Are you making excuses because you really don’t want to do the thing you are putting off, or are you making excuses because it takes hard work? There’s always a fine line you have to walk. When I was in school; I made a lot of excuses, because I really didn’t care for what I was being taught.
   
   But if I am putting off something like my writing, I instantly stop and think about the implications. I realize that writing can be hard, but I am doing what I love, so the only option I have is to keep moving forward.


2. Rest
   Sometimes excuses are signals from your body, mind and soul that a break is needed. I’m an overachiever, so I tend to overwork myself, a lot, which means I have to force myself to take breaks from time to time.
   
   I’ve gotten a lot better at it, and as I’ve done so, I’ve noticed that rest is essential for peak creativity. Take a look at your excuses and really ask yourself what they are trying to tell you.


3. Breathe
   It can be uncomfortable to do work that matters. Checking your e-mail, running around and doing busy-work is easy, which is why so many people do it and get nothing meaningful done.
   
   Whenever you run into excuses, take a deep breath and think about if the excuse are trying to tell you that you’re heading in the wrong direction, or if you’re just avoiding something important.


4. Mindset
   We all want to go after our dreams and live a fulfilling life, but it doesn’t happen unless you’re absolutely determined. You have to commit yourself to making it happen.
   
   There’s no fairy coming to grant your wishes. You alone have to take action. You have to stop accepting excuses from yourself when it comes to following your passion.


5. Goals
   What do you really want, and I mean really, really want in life?
   
   I’m not talking about having five cars, a big house or living the American dream. I am talking about what kind of work do you want to do, who do you want to spend time with and who do you want to be?
   
   When excuses pop up, you can refer to your goals, and know that without blasting through your excuses, you won’t get to them.

That usually gets me motivated and going. Doing work that matters can be painful, tough and paralyzing, but no one said it was easy.

If you really want to make a difference and live the life of your dreams, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable from time to time.

Look at excuses as walls that your mind puts up to ask you “are you sure you want to do this?”

In the end, it is up to you. Are you ready to follow your passion or are you okay with the life you’ve got?

#1: Achieve Quick Wins at the Start of the Day

One of the best ways to beat procrastination is by taking action – straight away. If you tend to start your day by staring at your inbox, or chatting to colleagues, look for a few quick (5 – 10 minute) tasks that you can complete, so you get a sense of instant achievement.

These might be:

• Making that phone call you’ve been putting off
• Sorting out the stack of files that’s threatening to engulf your desk
• Writing a plan for your big project (see tip #5)

… or anything that you can get done and checked off your list quickly.

#2: Tell Yourself “I’ll Just Open the Document…”

It’s very easy to feel daunted by big projects – especially if you’ve been putting them off for a while. This tip might seem a bit silly, but it really does work to overcome inertia.

Let’s say you’ve got a major report to work on, and just thinking about it gives you a sinking sensation in your stomach. Instead of telling yourself “I really must do a couple of hours on that today,” tell yourself, “I’ll just open the document.”

Opening a document is so very easy that there’s no room for procrastination to creep in … yet once the document is open, you might well find that you can tell yourself “I’ll just do five minutes on this section.” Before you know it, those two hours will have sped by.

#3: Write a To-Do List for the Day

If you don’t already use a to-do list, get into the habit of writing one at the start of each day. Your to-do list doesn’t have to be complex – it could be a few tasks jotted down on a Post-it note.

The act of writing a list helps you to focus, especially if your job involves lots of different tasks and responsibilities. It lets you prioritize different tasks (you might want to put “1” against the most important, “2” against the next, and so on).

Your to-do list will also keep you on track during the day. Instead of finishing one task and wondering what to do next, you’ll be able to move straight on.

#4: Use Your Energy Peaks Wisely

Are you at your best in the morning, or in the afternoon? You’ll almost certainly have particular times of the day when you can focus well – and times when you struggle to get anything done.

Once you’ve identified your energy peaks, you can use these times of day for your most important work – anything that requires a lot of concentration, or that you tend to put off doing. Use your energy slumps as a chance to catch up on less intense work, like answering emails.

You might even want to adjust your working hours to take your energy peaks into account (if your boss will allow that). For instance, if you know you’re at your best between 7.30am and 9.30am, you could try getting into the office earlier.

#5: Make a Plan – then Make a Start

It’s very easy to procrastinate when you haven’t quite pinned down what you’re supposed to be doing. By writing a plan, you have a roadmap to take you step-by-step through a particular project.

Your plan doesn’t need to be complicated, but it should break things down enough that it’s easy for you to get going, and so that you always know what the next step is. It’s useful to make your plan on a computer rather than write it on paper: that way, you can easily move steps around, or add in extra ones.

Once you’ve got a plan, make a start! Even if you can only tackle one step right now, it’s worth doing it so you get a sense of achievement and progress.

#6: Look Forward to Something Fun Later

Some projects are intrinsically motivating: you enjoy doing them (once you get going, at least) and you get a real sense of satisfaction from completing them.

Most of us, though, have to tackle at least some tasks that are a bit tedious. If you’re facing a lot of boring work, try motivating yourself with the promise of a reward. You might decide to go out for lunch, or to watch a movie after work, or simply to treat yourself to your favorite coffee – whatever works for you.

This can also be a good way to stay motivated in a group, if you’re all working on a task or project together: you could decide on something that you all enjoy, and agree to do it once you’ve finished (or reached a certain point).

#7: Finish in the Middle of a Task

If you struggle to get going at the start of the day, try to complete your workday when you’re in the middle of a task – not when you’ve just finished something. That way, it’s easy to pick up where you left off the following morning.

If you’re worried that you’ll forget what you were supposed to do next, jot down a few notes before you leave for the day.

This also works during the day – for instance, if you know you tend to procrastinate after a coffee break or after lunch, try leaving a task half-finished that you can pick back up. Once you’re into “work mode” again, you’ll find it easy to keep going.

If you’ve successfully beaten procrastination (or if you’re in the process of beating it!), do you have any tips to add? Let us know in the comments.

All these things make you disappointed and frustrated, sometimes even angry, because working from home was completely different than what you thought it would be.

Collision between dreams and reality
When you experience symptoms like this, it is a clear sign of misunderstanding about what working from home is really like: it’s real work and without any effort, you are not going to get any results. The discipline is on a different level than in a regular job. Since there isn't anyone telling you what to do, nor is there anyone looking over your shoulder, you are accountable towards yourself.  If the self-accountability is missing, then there is a high risk for procrastination. And, as we all know, procrastination is a “killer” when it comes to your home office career.

There is also the planning aspect - or especially the lack of it. If you don’t set any goals and you haven’t defined a structure for your day (what you do and when you do it); then clearly, you are just wandering around and then you are not going to be very effective in what you are doing.  Eventually you get frustrated because of the lack of progress and you keep doing a lot of unnecessary work which burns you out.

Finally, working from home provides flexibility, but it also means that you should be flexible too. Especially if you are working from home with a family, then this aspect plays a big role in how successful you are or aren’t.

For instance, you may have to change your working plans because of the family matters, sometimes even in the middle of the day. How you handle these unexpected changes is really up-to-you, but one thing is certain: if you aren’t flexible in these situations, the more stress it’ll generate.

Are you making things harder than what they need to be?
You shouldn’t jump ahead and start working from home without any additional research.  This research refers to the fact that you should know in advance what it is like to work from home and whether or not you are suitable for working in an environment like this in the first place.

Without any preparation, you are not giving your mind enough time to prepare for the change in your working conditions, thus the reality could be much rockier than what you had believed.  Also, failing to understand what working from home is really like, that it is another job, is another point for confusion.

Sure, there is the flexibility part that working like this provides, but still, working from home is like any other job and if you aren’t slacking in a “regular” day job, so why are you slacking now?

Without any work, there isn’t going to be any cash flow in your business and if you fail to understand this, then you should apply for a “regular” job again.

It’s time to become bulletproof
To fix the issues I have talked earlier, I’ll introduce the Work-at-Home Bulletproof Mindset. This mindset consists of different areas, which address the different aspects of working from home:

• Interest: Don’t jump into your work-at-home job without preparation. Instead, learn more about what is coming in advance.
• Flexibility: How to get work done even if your schedules may change in the middle of the working day and how to handle these changes
• Appreciation: Appreciate the fact that you can work from home.
• Planning and structure: Set your goals and define a daily structure for your work.
• Organizing: Keep your workplace organized.
• Outsourcing: Let go of work you shouldn't be doing by outsourcing it.
• Boundaries and balance: Define boundaries between your work and family and balance the work time and family time
• Systems: Systematize everything, so that you are not wasting your time on unessential work

With these components, you daily work-at-home life will be much different than before and you’ll feel proud of yourself for getting the work done.

Conclusion
As you can now understand, working from home is much more than working in your pajamas an hour here or an hour there. It’s real work and the same principles apply to it as to any other work.  However, as soon you develop a bulletproof work at home mindset, you working days become easier and more productive. In fact, you enjoy your daily work even more this way.

Over to you:  Do you think that working from home requires a certain mindset? What things make your working from home successful?

(he once yelled at a coworker after a meeting to the point that the other guy actually fainted in the middle of the hallway and they had to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital!).

Every second that ticked by, brought more and more dread to me. I knew that, as time marched forward, the unavoidable moment would come where I would have to have one of those uncomfortable conversations.

Finally, it happened.

The little speaker on the phone at my desk crackled and I heard him say, “Clay, please come to my office.” My hands were actually starting to shake as I stood up and made the most anxiety-filled walk of my life. What would happen next? Would I be leaving work that day a free man ready to start my new career, or would I be leaving escorted by a few paramedics down to an ambulance?

Fear is a difficult thing to deal with for most people. It can keep us trapped in situations that don’t make us happy. Bad relationships, unrewarding careers, and stifled dreams often come to mind. But, if you want to get unstuck, break away from the shackles of fear, and finally get into action moving toward what you want in life, here are 3 questions you can ask yourself to help put things into perspective:

What is the worst thing that could happen if you do this and fail? 
Understandably, no one wants to focus on the negative. Many of us have studied positivity or personal development for a while now, and we know that you’re always supposed to focus on the good and what you want, right? But let’s be honest here. We don’t always get our way all the time, and no matter how much we focus on the positive, chant affirmations, or do things to lift our spirits, there isn’t a way to get what you want 100% of the time--at least not that I’m aware of (but if you do know a way to get what you want ALL the time, please contact me and let me know!).

There’s always a risk of failure, and it’s important to weigh that risk. Usually, the risk is fairly small (you might not get that date, you might lose a few dollars, or waste a few hours). Other times, the risk may actually be great, and it’s important to get clear on that too (like say if that parachute doesn’t open, you get locked up in prison, or your career or reputation is ruined). Either way, it’s important to really name the worst case scenario here so that you can actually get a real grasp over the thing you dread.

What are the consequences of not doing this? 
It can be difficult to take action and deal with things that frighten us. Often, it can seem easier to simply not take action, but this is a choice in itself with consequences of its own. If you choose to not do anything and keep with the status quo, what will that do to you and your life? What opportunities will you miss out on and regret? How will you feel in 5, 10, or 20 year’s time, looking back and wondering about what could have been?

Many times not acting on a desire to do something can result in a pattern of passivity in our lives. We get accustomed to not taking action and we hesitate, procrastinate, and put off doing things in all areas of our life. Although it may seem easier to just keep going the way you are or put off making that decision for “a little while,” you must realize that this is a decision as well and take note of repercussions of staying on the path you’re already heading down.

What would happen if you tried this and succeeded?
The last question I want you to ask yourself, is what would happen if you actually succeeded at what you’re thinking of doing? Is it worth the effort? Is it worth the effort to muster up the courage and ask that person out, possibly have a joyful relationship, and possibly build a lifetime of memories? Is it worth the effort to embrace your fears and start your own business, earn a comfortable living doing something that you love, and work on your own terms? Is it worth it to finally say enough is enough and start that diet, lose all that weight you’ve felt self-conscious about, and live a longer and healthier life? Chances are, if you really want to do this, there is a huge possible benefit to your life.

If you can focus on the benefit, you will feel much more motivated to move forward and take action than to continue to let fear hold you back.

Weighing Your Options
Once you have the answers to these questions, ask yourself if the possible loss of failure is worth not pursuing the possible success. Is the cost of inaction worth the safety of avoiding the failure? Is it worth the sacrifice of the success? Is the risk of taking the action and possibly getting the success you’re striving for worth possibility of the worst case scenario? There is no way for me to make this decision for you, but once you get clear about the realities of the circumstances, you’ll be in a much better position to make an informed choice. I like to remind myself of a quote from Benjamin Desraili, “Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.” Oh, and for what it’s worth, I left work that day standing on my own two feet. Oftentimes, the worst case scenario never happens.

Have you ever considered that your own mind is sabotaging your path to happiness? While your mind may not be the sole culprit, it is a clever foe. Your brain can mislead and make you miserable...and you won't even know it.

But all is not lost. You can learn how to recognize your mind's deception and develop the right mindset. Check out this list of seemingly harmless thoughts to see if your mind is tricking you out of your happiness.

1. From now on, I'm going to do my best.
   How often have you pressured yourself to think positive after an unhappy incident or after seeing something inspirational? While pressure can sometimes provide the necessary push, commanding yourself to do your "best" doesn't give you much flexibility.
   
   We've been conditioned to believe that when we want to make an important change, we have to take a huge leap. But what if you're having a bad day? The energy is suddenly lost, everything looks bleak, and you can't talk yourself out of it.
   
   You feel like a failure.
   
   It's important to remember that the change you want requires time, persistence, and patience. So, take one small step at a time and leave room to learn from your mistakes.


2. I just need to be more like...
   It's normal to think that you should strive to be like those you admire. The problem arises when you wish you could be them.
   
   If you get too wrapped up in mimicking someone else, you'll forget to pay attention to who you are—your needs, your values, your character, your journey.
   
   By all means, learn what you can from your role models and adapt or modify ideas to fit you. But don't forget to find your own voice. Gaining self-knowledge and self-respect is invaluable to building a lasting happiness.


3. I'll just follow what the experts say.
   It's easy to think that experts can help you find your way to happiness. When you're down, their words are like beacons of hope. But that hope can be fleeting if you don't apply the lessons to real life.
   
   Experts share lessons from their own experiences. While advice helps, their words serve only as hints, not answers for your journey. It's in your own real experiences where you will piece yourself together, realize your capabilities, and find out what matters to you.
   
   Learn to trust yourself.


4. I'm so busy. I'll find more time to focus on myself...later.
   Nowadays, being really busy has become something worth bragging about or something you can't escape. However, keep living this way and finding "you" time will start looking impossible. You will probably even blame your commitments for stealing your time.
   
   But is it truly impossible for you to make time for yourself? Are you busy or is it avoidance? Are there duties you can cut out?
   
   Really look at your schedule, prioritize, and put in a little "you" time. Everything else would benefit more if you spent some time caring for your needs.


5. I'm too tired. I need a break.
   Maybe you are taking some "you" time but you don't want to think about anything too intensely. Breaks help you recharge your mind. However, there is such a thing as having too many breaks. In this case, "taking a break" becomes an excuse to escape.
   
   Thinking about your life shouldn't feel like a chore. Take advantage of the moments when your brain isn't dwelling on too many things. For starters, take 10 minutes and ask yourself what you've been doing, why you're doing it, and what will make you happier? It's worth your time.


6. Other people are just luckier than me.
   Bad luck—a popular self-reassurance when we're incapable of understanding why we're not getting what we want. It's a mild form of comfort that temporarily eases the pain but can create resentment of others.
   
   But why put your life at the hands of luck? Personally, I'm a firm believer of "you make your own luck." Do the work you know is necessary because luck can't give you your future happiness—you do.
   
   Have some more faith in yourself because your goals need you—your energy, passion, and determination—if they are to survive.


7. I can't wait until the day...
   ...when I'm happier about my life...when I'm successful...when I'm healthier...when I find my purpose in life.
   
   Daydreaming is healthy to some extent. It allows you to be creative and visualize where you want to be. It only becomes dangerous when you don't do anything about it.
   
   Don't live that happier life in your head. Good things come to those who go after them.
   
   Sure, it's not going to happen overnight. You may experience plenty of false starts and—let's face it—there's a chance you might fail. But keep going, try again or move on to the next thing. After all, isn't life about experiencing and learning from the good and the bad? Meeting new people, exploring ideas, and discovering new places?
   
   Your life won't change if you are passing the time in your dream world. Time is precious, so be in the present and get going.
   
   Want happiness? Know and believe in yourself.

Now that you're aware of these thought traps, you can safely evade them. All that's left is for you to truly believe and apply yourself. Your mind is going to be with you through thick and thin. So, if you want your mind to always work with you instead of against you, then you must find the reasons to believe in yourself.

Be aware, honest, and true to yourself. You are your own ultimate guide for your journey towards happiness. Now, go for it!

Resistance crops up when:

• You’ve got a book/article/newsletter to write
• You need to completely rework your resume
• You have to make a difficult phone call to a problem client
• You know you should go for a jog … but it’s raining outside

…and in pretty much any situation when you’re facing something hard.

Why You Shouldn’t Let Resistance Win
Giving in to resistance might feel tempting, but it’s not a good idea.

In the short-term, it means that every day feels like an uphill struggle. You’ll put off the hard, important tasks in favor of the easy, less important ones – and as they day goes by, you get lower and lower on energy as the tasks get harder and harder.

In the long-term, it means you won’t meet your goals. Almost anything worth pursuing will involve at least a few moments of high resistance. If you want to write a novel, run a marathon, have a successful business … you can’t do it if you keep letting resistance stop you.
So, what can you do to stay on top?

Use Resistance as a Signpost
Forster suggests that instead of seeing resistance as a signal to procrastinate, you should see it as a signpost to what you need to do first. If you really don’t feel like making that difficult phone call, it’s probably a good thing to begin your day with.

There are lots of reasons to complete the high-resistance tasks first:

• Once they’re done, they’ll be off your mind.
• You’ll feel good about achieving something meaningful at the start of your day.
• The rest of your day will look simpler and easier in comparison.

When you keep putting tasks off, they get harder and harder. Charlie Gilkey describes them as “frogs”, explaining, “a frog project is just one of those projects that you really don’t want to do but know you need to do.” (3 Things to Do to Have a Productive and Fun Week.) By catching those “frogs” early, you prevent them growing big and ugly.

How to Beat Resistance – Right Now
What are you resisting today? I bet there’s something on your to-do list that you’ve been putting off for a while. It could be something tiny, like tracking down and ordering a spare part for a kitchen appliance. It could be something huge, like starting your marathon training plan.

Today, spend ten minutes working on something that you’ve been resisting. You can do anything for ten minutes, however tough it might seem. (And if ten minutes sounds pointless – do it anyway; you might be surprised how much progress you can make.)

How to Beat Resistance – Tomorrow
Tomorrow (and every other day), take a good look at your to-do list in the morning. Instead of starting off with an easy or habitual task, like answering emails, start by spending 20 minutes on a high-resistance task, like that big report with a looming deadline.

Even just 20 minutes a day makes a difference … but there’s also a good chance that, once you get going, you’ll find that resistance magically melts away.

If you’ve successfully beaten resistance, or if you have any tips to share with us, leave a comment below.

The cure is simple: cut down your list of goals to something much more manageable. But if you're a bit of a goal-setting junkie, how do you even begin?

• Step #1: Write Down All Your Goals
  Record all the major goals that you've currently got on the go, or that you're hoping to start. You might want to divide this list into "personal" and "professional" categories.
  
  It's up to you what counts as a "goal". I'd say that it should be something sizeable (if you can accomplish it in a day, it's not really a goal) and that it should go beyond your regular daily routine ("go to work" and "pay bills" don't count).
  
  Here are some common goals to help you think through yours:
  • Quit smoking (or drugs, alcohol, etc)
    
  • Lose weight
    
  • Exercise regularly
    
  • Change to a new career
    
  • Get a new qualification
    
  • Meditate / pray regularly
    
  • Gain a new skill
    
  • Volunteer
    
  • Strengthen your marriage (or another significant relationship)
    
  • Write a book
    
  • Redecorate a room (or the whole house!)
  
  
  Take enough time to do this properly: you may find that you have unfinished goals nagging at you from months or even years ago.
  


• Step #2: Choose a Good Method of Prioritization
  Do you feel a sinking sense in your stomach when you look at your list? If so, you've definitely got too many goals. It's time to cut down and focus on one thing at a time.
  
  To do that, you need to know how you're going to prioritize your list. There are several methods you could choose:
  • Most important goal first. This has the advantage of letting you tackle something truly worthwhile (perhaps even life-changing) – but it can also be a bit daunting, especially if you're not always too good at follow-through.
  
  
  • Smallest goal first. This can act like the "snowball" effect when paying off debt – a small win at the start motivates you to go on to bigger and greater things. The drawback to tackling small goals, though, is that you might never get round to the big ones.
  
  
  • Big impact goal first. This isn't necessarily the most important goal, but it's the one that makes an immediate and large impact on your life. If you don't have much energy and you're unfit, regular exercise could be a big impact goal that empowers you for others – like a career change or new qualification.
    
  It's completely up to you how you choose to prioritize, and you may want to consider all of the above three factors. A great first goal would be one that's important and has a real impact, but that isn't too big. You want to see results within a few weeks or months, not within years.
  


• Step #3: Write Down Your One Top Goal
  Using the method(s) you chose in Step #2, figure out your top goal. If you're struggling, ask yourself:
  
  If I could only achieve ONE thing from my goals list over the next few months, which thing would I choose?
  
  Write down this goal and commit to it. This is your primary goal: you can work on others too if you want (see the next step) – but this goal needs to come first.
  
  You may want to set a deadline for this goal, if it's smallish. If it's a large goal, set milestones and dates. For instance, if you want to get a new qualification, you could set yourself the task of applying to a particular course by a particular date.
  


• Step #4: Optionally, Choose One – Two Other Goals
  You may want to pick a couple of other goals to pursue, using the same method of prioritization. (Ask yourself, if I could do one more thing... etc.)
  
  If you can, make these goals complementary to your top one. For instance, if your main goal is to lose weight, a second goal of "exercise regularly" would work well.
  
  Avoid having three big goals that all take up a lot of time, energy or money. If you want to learn the guitar and learn to drive and take an evening class, you're likely to struggle to manage all three.

What goal are you going to pursue over the next few months? Let us know in the comments!

Here’s how to find enough time for the things that are truly important:

1. Get Up Earlier
   If you work a regular office job, you might tell yourself that you’ll work out / study / draw up that business plan during the evenings. But, day after day, you’ll reach 6pm and find yourself so tired and demotivated that you just slump on the sofa.
   
   The solution? Make time for the important things at the start of your day. That means getting up earlier – perhaps half an hour or an hour before your usual alarm call (and heading to bed earlier so you get enough sleep).
   


2. Multitask (Appropriately)
   You probably know that multi-tasking is generally a bad idea – you can’t read emails and talk on the phone and work on your report all at the same time.
   
   In a few cases, though, multitasking is a great idea. For instance, you could:
   
   • Listen to audio books while driving to work, or exercising
     
   • Read a book while traveling by bus / train / plane
     
   • Make phone calls while you’re out walking
     
   Essentially, any time you’re engaged in a purely physical task, see whether there’s some way you can combine it with a mental one.


3. Make Specific Plans
   You’re not going to magically end up with lots of free time to work on your novel or hang out with your family. You need to make actual plans. And if you want to maximize the chance that you’ll stick to those plans, either put money on the line or get other people involved.
   
   That might mean booking tickets for a concert you want to go to, or agreeing to meet up a friend to go for a job. It could mean paying to attend an evening class, or promising your kids that you’ll take them to see a movie on Saturday.


4. Ring-fence Certain Days/Times
   This is similar to #3 ... but you’re not necessarily making specific plans to be somewhere. You’re simply setting aside time on a regular basis to work on an important goal or project.
   
   That could be:
   
   • You always spend Tuesday evenings reading a book, instead of watching TV.
     
   • You’ve blocked out Saturday mornings to work on your small business.
     
   • Every Friday lunchtime, you get out of the office and sit in a cafe with your laptop for an hour, writing your novel.
     
   By “ringfencing” particular days and times, you make it easy to avoid committing yourself to other activities. You also ensure that you’re making steady progress towards a goal, by working on it at least weekly.

What are your real priorities in life? How could you start dedicating more time to them? Feel free to share your ideas and thoughts in the comments below.

What Kills Productivity?
There are only a few broad reasons why your productivity could be suffering. I’ll talk about all the specific instances in a moment, but let’s start with a high-level look:

• You have too much on your plate. Whether you don’t want to say no, you don’t know how or you can’t, you end up having too much to do.
• The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Your body has needs. You need to give it the proper food, exercise and time off to stay optimally healthy.
• The flesh is willing, but the spirit is weak. Your attitude is greatly affected by external factors such as your relationships, your finances and the kind of work you’re doing.
• There's always tomorrow. Procrastination is caused by obstacles and friction. These tips will help you make sure you stop procrastinating altogether.
• Stuff keeps coming up. Interruptions from email and phone calls, distractions from your personal life, as well as meeting overload can easily kill your productivity.
• Doing the wrong things. Clarity is power. And once you’re clear about what you want, you need the right strategy and plan of action.

These are all productivity killers, and they can all be averted or avoided. Let’s explore the first one...

You Have Too Much On Your Plate
There are 24 hours in a day. You need to sleep 7-8 hours to keep your productivity level high. And you need to eat, rest and have at least a bit of a social life. That leaves you with 10 to 12 hours of work time. Even if you are ultra productive, your capacity is still limited.

• Your Eyes Are Bigger Than Your Stomach.
  You are ambitious, driven and confident. And overly optimistic. You have made commitments to your clients, and you can’t let them down. You have to follow through and do what you promised, but you have too much to do. You have three ways out of this bind:
  
  • First, you can free up existing capacity by cancelling other engagements. Since it’s too late to turn down those clients, your personal life will probably suffer.
  • Second, you can increase your capacity by hiring someone to help you. You will incur additional costs, and you’ll have to spend time with that person to get them up to speed and communicate exactly what you want them to do. But you might very well manage to deliver on your promises. Top grading is an interesting approach to hiring high performers.
  • The third option is for you to negotiate on deliverable deadlines. Is one of your clients or projects flexible? Explain the situation and ask them for a few more days. But don’t wait the day on which you need to deliver to ask for extra time. Start negotiating as soon as you know that you won’t be able to follow through on your promises on time. They normally will be flexible and agree to the extended deadline, if it happens rarely. If you start making a habit out of it, they might very well get frustrated quickly by your requests.
    
• You don't know how to say no.
  Your reputation is positively affected by how you can successfully deliver what you promise. By spreading yourself too thin, the quality of your work is greatly reduced – and your reputation follows. Know your commitments, and start saying no if you don’t have time to do more. When you get the request, it’s good to take your time and get back to them. When you do say no, don’t apologize about it. Be polite and firm about it.
• You just can't say no.
  When your superior asks you to do something, it is not really an option. You CAN ultimately say no, but it is at the risk of getting fired. If everything is urgent, it becomes hard to prioritize and you might feel overwhelmed. The best thing to do is to sit down with your superior and explain the situation. Let them know what you have on your plate. Tell them that it not reasonably feasible within the time frame given.
  
  Ask them to help you prioritize it all. Sometimes, this is not the problem. Sometimes you have the right amount of work, if only you could get it done...
  

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak...
If you’re not in good health – if your body is not capable to execute what you’re trying to get done – then nothing will get done. So let’s look at reasons why this might be happening.

• Not getting enough sleep.
  There is no magic number when it comes to sleep. Your body’s need for sleep is a function of your age and your genes. Researchers have agreed that most people need from 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night to be fully rested.


• Not getting enough exercise.
  “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” - John F Kennedy. It is common knowledge that exercise is good for your physical and mental health. If you still need motivation to get moving, here are 13 scientifically proven health benefits of exercise.
  
  If you’re not exercising, keep it simple to start with. Do you live in a building with multiple floors? Run up and down the stairs for 15-30 minutes. Go for a walk. Of course, there is always the gym. Having a disciplined gym partner will help you get and stay motivated.


• You're getting too much exercise and burning yourself out.
  Over-training has serious negative consequences. Make sure to rest sufficiently and eat well between workouts. Listen to your body and be aware of symptoms of over-training.


• You're not eating a very healthy diet.
  There are numerous health risks associated with having a poor diet. It can make your body weak, overweight and sick. You also expose yourself to life-threatening diseases. If you’re sick or lacking energy, your productivity will be down. Avoid diets high in refined sugars or bad fats. Try a vegetarian or vegan diet. Consult a health professional for advice.


• You're not getting enough time to yourself.
  Your body and your mind need regular rest. If you’re not taking breaks throughout the day and regular time off work, you are lowering your overall productivity. Your energy needs to be renewed for you to have sustainable high performance.


• You're sick.
  An analysis of Commonwealth Fund survey data found that 69 million US workers missed work days due to sickness, for a total of 407 million days lost in 2003. Another 478 million days were lost because they were unable to concentrate at work due to their illness or that of a family member.
  
  The most productive attitude to have towards sickness is prevention. And in cases where you start feeling sick, the best thing to do is to give your body the rest it needs. Take a bit of time off NOW so that you don’t have to take days or weeks off later.
  
  The body and the mind are greatly linked. They influence each other directly. So the reverse relationship is just as true.
  

The flesh is willing, but the spirit is weak...
Being physically healthy is not enough to be productive. Your mind needs to feel positive emotions and be free of bad stress and concerns. Let’s look at a few causes for those negative emotions.

• What you're doing isn't motivating you.
  Is what you’re doing boring and energy-draining to you? Do you a hard time motivating yourself in the morning to get your day started? If so, then you are not doing what you love. The shortest path to productivity is being happy, excited and passionate about what you’re doing. We usually love what we’re good at, and we become good at what we love. Find what you love – that’s the easy part. You already know what you love. Secondly, find your strengths. Then set up your life so that you’re doing only those things.


• Your personal relationships aren't harmonious.
  Frustration, friction and fighting with family and friends take a lot of energy away. One way to go about removing those frictions and frustrations is to love them more, appreciate them more and be more grateful to them. By the law of reciprocity and because humans have a deep need to be loved, your relationship will quickly get better.


• Your financial situation is stressing you out.
  The PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2011 Financial Wellness Survey showed that financial stress contributes to productivity loss. It is a big distraction, and a lot of people are managing their finances at work. By clearing off your debt, and using credit cards wisely (i.e. by paying them back immediately after you purchased something with them), you will remove a burden that is hindering your productivity.


• You're relying on willpower.
  Motivation – or in other words, willpower - gets you started. You have limited amounts of it, and it can only get you so far. When your willpower is running low, you are more likely to put off tasks to tomorrow. Habits get you through to the finish line. They pull you through lack of motivation. You should stop relying on willpower alone.

There's always tomorrow...
The word procrastination comes from procrastinare, and it is derived from pro (forward) and crastinatus (of tomorrow). In other words, you are putting off doing something to tomorrow.
If you are procrastinating, know that it is caused by obstacles and friction. To learn more about it, here are 13 effective solutions to procrastination.

• You want to go play outside.
  Especially in cold climates (I live in Canada) where summer is short, people’s behavior changes drastically throughout the year. Almost depressed and hibernating in winter, people binge on outside cocktails and outdoor activities during summer. This affects productivity on a high level. If you have control over your schedule, you can take that beautiful sunny day off and work over the weekend. Basically, you can rearrange your time to take advantage of beautiful days.


• There's no urgency.
  When you have a long time to do something, there is no pressure and it is more likely that you will put it off. Set intermediate goals and start today.


• There's no accountability.
  By not being held responsible for your actions, you can easily backwards rationalize when you don’t get things done. This is probably one of the least applied concepts in business. You should stop relying on willpower alone and start using accountability to facilitate sustained productivity.


• You're afraid of failure.
  Fear of failure comes down to the two basic human fears: Not being enough, and not being loved as a consequence. We’re also avoiding the potential pain this failure can cause us. Fear and gratitude cannot co-exist in the brain at the same time. By feeling grateful for the lessons that you can learn from failure, fear dissipates.


• You don't know what to do next.
  Not knowing what your immediate next step is can freeze you. You might feel overwhelmed with all your options of what to do next. Stop and think. Take a few minutes to think about your next step. If you still don’t know, you might refer to your Mastermind group (explained below in this article). Sometimes, you’re very motivated, you have plenty of pressure and accountability, but stuff keeps derailing your efforts...
  

Stuff keeps coming up...
You have a lot to get done, but it seems like there’s always something else urgent and important that needs your attention right now.

• Interruptions.
  In today’s fast-paced world, we are constantly interrupted. Your email notifications pop up, the office phone or mobile phone ring, and colleagues can interrupt your work at any time to ask you a question. When you want to be productive, you need to eliminate those interruptions. Close your email inbox or disable notifications, turn off your phones’ ring. If you are in an office with a door, close it. Let your colleagues know that you are not available for certain periods in the day where you focus on your work.


• Poorly defined boundaries.
  It’s easy for your personal life to creep in your day when working. If working from home, it's still work time. People shouldn't be bothering you. You need to focus on your work while you’re at home. Also, get out of the gray zone that lies between productivity and relaxation. Do one or the other fully, but not both at the same time.


• Not budgeting enough time to do stuff.
  For example, if you budget only one hour to answer email and you spend four, it gets into your other stuff. You can solve it with a time audit, and improve your estimation skills over time.


• Your colleagues are scheduling a lot of meetings.
  Your time is valuable, and so is theirs. Every hour spent in a meeting is time not spent making progress with your work. There is hence an inherent cost to meetings. Attend only the meetings where it is truly relevant for you to be there. And run effective meetings.

Now, even if you’re productive and you manage the stuff that comes up well, you might still be working on the wrong things.

Doing the wrong things
You need to know precisely what you want, know how you’ll get there, and have the right team to help you along the way.

• You haven't identified clearly what you want.
  What your mind can conceive and bring itself to believe, it can achieve. The first step, then, is to know exactly what you want. In other words, you need to define your definite purpose. Your strategy, your goals and your actions will stem from that purpose.


• You haven't defined SMARTER goals.
  Your goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely, emotional and rewarding. Setting a goal to make $1 million this year out of the blue would not be a good goal.


• You don't have the right overall strategy.
  Once you have defined clearly what you want and what your SMARTER goals are, you need the right strategy - or overall plan of action. This is when your Mastermind group comes in handy. Make sure to stay on track – keep applying the strategy you established, while making it evolve as you gather feedback and experience.


• You're not using the power of the Mastermind.
  Napoleon Hill introduced the Mastermind principle in his book Think and Grow Rich. It consists of two or more people who work in perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite purpose. It is the principle by which you can borrow and use the education, the experience and the influence of other people.


• You're not planning regularly.
  Priorities change, and your plan of action is constantly evolving, but planning is essential. In Dwight D. Eisenhower’s words: “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable”.
  


• Bonus #28: Maybe you are productive, and you just don’t know it.
  Sometimes we’re so geared and focused on what to do next that we don’t stop to appreciate what we accomplished. Make sure to stop and appreciate small wins. Other times, we’re setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves. Feel grateful for every bit of progress. Celebrate, do or buy something you love. For me, whenever I make great progress, I treat myself to a healthy restaurant and a massage at a spa. What makes you feel great? Is it spending time with loved ones? Going on a short trip? Buying new clothes?

Note that not everyone has every problem in this list. And if you want to increase your productivity, you’ll need to find which ones afflict you. Here are the ones that are afflicting me the most: not getting enough sleep, and my financial situation is stressing you out. I still have a lot of debt to repay, and even though I’m repaying it quickly, it adds stress to my life.

So what about you? Which of these productivity killers is afflicting you? And now that you’ve read this post, are you ready to bust through them?

Here’s a reality check:

Not All Hours Are Equal
Too often, time management advice assumes that every hour is the same: sixty minutes of potentially productive time.

This ignores how life really works. All of us have peaks and troughs of energy (both mental and physical) during the day. For instance, you might find yourself foggy-brained in the early morning, but you focus well from 10am – 12 noon.

You want to do your best work during your best hours. Sometimes, that could mean going against traditional time-management advice. If your work day starts at 8am but your brain only seems to wake up around 10am, then spending the first two hours dealing with emails makes sense – never mind if the book you’ve just read says you should never look at your emails before lunch.

Do it: When are your best hours? How could you rearrange your day so that you can do your best work during them?

You Won’t Get Eight Productive Hours a Day
Most full-time jobs have a consistent pattern with shifts around eight - nine hours long. If you’re a student, or self-employed, you might feel that you “should” be able to work solidly for eight hours a day.

The truth is, you probably can’t. If your job requires a high degree of focus and/or creativity – graphic design, for instance, or computer programming – then you might only manage three - four hours of “real” productive work every day.

Don’t make yourself feel guilty over this – just be prepared for it. When you’re working, stay as focused as possible: you’ll be surprised how much you can get done in a few hours.

Do it: When you draw up your to-do list for the day, focus on two or three “big wins” for your best hours – and fit in the small stuff when you’re feeling less energetic.

Manage Your Life, Not Your Time
If you’re good at time management, you’ve got a bunch of useful skills like:

• Staying on task and avoiding procrastination
  
• Prioritizing appropriately and effectively
  
• Avoiding wasted time (e.g. you listen to audio books while you commute)
  

The problem is, time management won’t get you very far if you’re working on the wrong things. If you’re in a boring, dead-end job, you can be as effective as you like and it won’t really help you reach your goals. If you keep starting new projects and never finishing them, the hours you spent aren’t worth much.

Don’t think so much about managing your time – think about managing your life.

Do it: Which tasks on your list could you ditch? Is there anything new you should be doing to help you reach your goals?

Have you got any suggestions to add? Let us know in the comments!

It's unfortunate because they are disgruntled with their lives and they often self-victimize about their situations, when they have put themselves there in the first place.

It doesn't have to be that way at all. You can take conscious action over procrastination to create the life that you want. Here, I will share 6 useful steps to tackle the procrastination bug:

1. Set goals that you want
   If you're not springing into action, there is probably a lack of desire towards the goal. Rather than push yourself through with the process, let's start off with the very basic. Do you want this goal? If your answer is "no", that means this isn't a goal to pursue in the first place. If that's the case, pressing on isn't a solution. Ditch those goals, get back to the drawing board and start forming new goals. Identify the goals that really inspire you.


2. Understand why you want the goal
   Understanding why you want the goal will help you get clear of your inner motivations. Whether your goal is weight loss, to change a job, to find your life partner, ask yourself: Why do you want this goal? Write down as many answers as possible, until you feel a strong drive and motivation. The objective is to connect you with your inner desire for the goal. This 'Why' is the fuel that'll drive you towards your goal. If you don't have a good 'Why', you'll eventually face a lack of interest and give up halfway. With a strong 'Why', it'll drive you to accomplish anything you want to, and overcome whatever is ahead.


3. Develop a clear plan with specific deadlines
   A clear plan with specific deadlines is crucial. If you don't have that, you won't know the effects day-to-day procrastination has your end outcome. In your mind, there is a foggy idea of what you need to do and when you need to do it. Since there isn’t a clear idea of what needs to be done by when, your impression is that even if you procrastinate for a little while, nothing gets impacted. So you let yourself relax, thinking you can get to it later on.
   
   However, every time you procrastinate, something is implicated. You just don’t know because you don’t have a clear plan outlined. Develop a plan to achieve your goal. Your plan should include the steps you need to take and specific deadlines for each task. This way, you know you have to finish each task by a certain date.


4. Break your work into little steps
   I remember when I was working on my 1st ebook, Personal Excellence Book, a few months ago, I would procrastinate on it day after day. It would be months before I realized that I was never ever going to get to it unless I did something different. I realized I was putting it off because I saw it as a huge task and it was mentally overwhelming. So then, I broke down the project into phases such as researching, deciding on the topic, creating the outline, drafting the content, writing the chapters, and so on. Suddenly, the whole thing seemed very manageable. From there, I just focused on the immediate phase and get it done to my best ability, without thinking about the other phases. When it's done, I moved on to the next. My ebook was launched just a few months ago with pre-sales being maxed out in the first couple of hours.
   
   Part of the reason why we procrastinate is because subconsciously, we find the work too overwhelming for us. Break it down into little parts, then focus on one part at the time. It'll be so simple that it's easy to start!


5. Drop the perfectionist mindset
   As contradicting as it may be, a perfectionist mindset leads to procrastination. Have you ever thought put off your work because you feel like it's too much work? That's the perfectionist side of you thinking - in your mind, you see the work to be done in a certain way, to a certain level. However, if you think about it, that sort of mindset doesn't serve you. For what it's worth, doing just a wee bit of something is better than not doing at all. Just start off small. Even if it's a lousy draft, it gets things started. It's from that 1st draft that you build on to the next draft.
   
   When I write my articles, I always split the work over several days. My objective when I first write it is not to get everything right, but just to get the key ideas down and have a brief outline. It doesn't even have to look a certain way - editing comes in the later stages. I find that this system of writing makes me a lot more productive than trying to finish 1 whole blog post in 1 sitting.


6. Create accountability
   The more accountable you are to your goal, the more better. Tell all your friends, colleagues, acquaintances and family about your projects. Now whenever you see them, they are bound to ask you about your status on those projects. This creates an even stronger motivation to stick to your plans and achieve your goals. For example, sometimes I announce my projects on The Personal Excellence Blog, Twitter and Facebook, and my readers will ask me about them on an ongoing basis. It's a great way to keep myself accountable to my plans.

Share your experiences
Is there something you're procrastinating in life? How can you tackle your procrastination via the 6 steps above? Please share with all of us in the comments area.