Boost Your Productivity Today With These Tips
Believe it or not I was not always a productive person.
I have always had many goals but would always procrastinate and never get anything done. Even with a plan, I always seemed to fail. Only because I would not actually start my plan of course. Now (by God’s grace) I run a Youtube channel, in which I produce, edit and promote my own content (completely for free since I’m not yet monetized). I am a published author. I have designed not one, but two productivity planners. Not to mention I am a full time homemaker and mom to two boys ages two and under and we all know that those alone are full time jobs.
So how did I manage to achieve all of this being the completely unproductive and unmotivated person that I was ? I followed this very system that you are about to read about right now. These 5 simple steps can help you achieve all of your goals and then some and best of all you can do these steps today!
1. Have a written goal
We can’t just have a goal in our minds but we must write it down in order to get it done. I don't know what it is but when we write a goal we are more likely to get it done. Maybe the fact that we see in in front of us or it causes us to feel more committed to it. Either way, it’s so important to write things down. There are even studies show that when someone write a goal down we are way more likely to get it done thus causing us to be more productive. I have noticed an enormous change when I write my goals down. We can write them anywhere from a piece of paper, to a planner, to a vision board. The point is we must have it written. Typing does not have the same effect as us taking our hands and physically writing the goal down. So, even for those of us who do not enjoy writing, let us look at the bigger picture, let’s muscle through and write our goals down.
2. Make a plan
Once we have a written goal our goals we need a plan to make it happen. What can we do monthly weekly and even daily to get to our goals? Break these into bite size pieces keeping the end goal in mind. Think of the results we want to end up with and work backwards from there soon enough we will have a plan. It also helps if we have made our goal a S.M.A.R.T goal. A S.M.A.R.T goal is a method of planning that helps to makes goals more achievable. S.M.A.R.T is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time - Based. The S.M.A.R.T goal system will help us be able to make a plan much faster because we would already have all of the details lined up for us.
3. Follow Through
Now that we have a plan, we need to actually follow through. We must make sure we are completing those daily weekly and monthly action items to get us closer to our end goals every single day. If you have a planner or calendar check it daily to see what needs to be done that day. It can also help to have an accountability partner. If you do not feel comfortable sharing your goals just yet that’s OK too commit it to yourself, or leave it here in the comments of this blog post if you feel comfortable. I am here for you cheering you on! You can also commit to your self to get it done. It helps if you have a strong “why” think about why you want to do this once you have a strong “why” it is nearly impossible to quit. A “why” is a strong reason why you want to do something. Dig deep! If your “why” causes you to cry, (or feel some strong emotion) you got it! Have weekly check-ins with your self to make sure you are actually staying on track.
4. Have Deadlines
Speaking of staying on track, it is very important to have a deadline. Without one we might be getting a bit closer to our goals every day, but we won’t have the urgency to get it done. Since we don’t have any particular time for it to be due, it’s just there. I recommend monthly, quarterly, as well as yearly goals. It is also good to have a big picture of where we wish to be in 5 years and work backwards from there. Setting appropriate deadlines for each key items. The deadlines mush be reasonable, not too far and not to close either. Just enough for us to feel the sense of urgency without feeling like it is impossible to achieve.
5. Find Pockets Of Time
The time is not going to fall on our laps, we have to find it! We must find pockets of time to work on our goals. Sure we may never get four hours straight to work on our goals (trust me life be life-ing). But if we have children and they nap, or have quiet time, or go to school there is our chance. In addition we can also work on our goals early in the morning (if you are an early bird like me), rise before your family to work on these goals! If you are more of a night owl, maybe do it an hour or so before your bedtime. Work with your personality, not against it and you will get far. Find quiet pockets of 5-90 minutes where ever you can. These minutes do add up! Make a list of certain things we can get done with each amount of time. That way, whether we have 5 minutes or 90 minutes, we will always know what to do immediately instead of spending our time thinking about what to do.
These are the steps I have personally taken to help achieve all the things I have today. I am actually more productive now than before I had the boys. By God’s grace these steps will work for you as well and in six month’s time you will be absolutely blown away by all the things you have done. You got this!
Resources
Importance of writing goals
https://www.dominican.edu/sites/default/files/2020-02/gailmatthews-harvard-goals-researchsummary.pdf
https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2018/04/15/neuroscience-explains-why-you-need-to-write-down-your-goals-if-you-actually-want-to-achieve-them/?sh=3a17d0127905
S.M.A.R.T GOALS
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm
