How to become successful without becoming a trampled horse? Working more and longer is not a solution. It would be best if you learned to use your time wisely. Work less, but be more productive. Achieve results in the main things, cutting off all unnecessary ones.
Here are some tips on how to be more intelligent and more productive.
Do important tasks first
Even if right now a specific task seems too time-consuming to you, you should understand that in the long term, it promises the most significant benefit, so you need to roll up your sleeves and take on it. You can break up an enormous task into feasible chunks or set yourself mini-goals and set mini-breaks. Remember: according to the Pareto rule, the critical 20% of tasks yield 80% of the final results.
Don’t put off what seems difficult or unpleasant
Brian Treicii, one of the world’s leading time management leaders, says: “Eat the frog!” Imagine that the worst thing you have to do in a day is to eat a live frog. If you deal with it in the morning, then the unpleasant necessity will no longer bother you.
Complete complex, voluminous and unpleasant tasks as early as possible before they exhaust you. Having eaten a conditional frog, you will feel satisfaction or relief and can calmly move on to other matters.
Concentrate on one task
The thought of all the upcoming business will haunt you. The only way to get rid of it is to focus solely on the task at hand because this is the only way to get it done the fastest, and after this – on everything else.
If you feel like checking your email or Facebook as you go along, say no to yourself. Understand that every time you switch from one activity to another, it takes a very long time to remember where you left off to speed up your brain and return to the flowing state. Concentration will save you time and energy.
Get rid of excess
Start small. Getting rid of certain things will allow you to free up some time for the things you love and consider important.
- “Fire” one customer. You probably have such a client: he requires a lot of attention, there is little sense from him, and there is no profit at all. Increase the price or offer less. And if that’s not possible, just “fire” him. By the way, the same can be done with “friends”. Some people take everything and give nothing in return. They take up time and energy that you cannot spend so ineptly.
- Reduce the to-do list. Indeed, there are insignificant things that you can forget about among everything that you have planned for today.
- Cancel one personal commitment. Maybe you volunteered because a friend asked, but you don’t like this activity. Or you have a weekly lunch with old friends, but you take this meeting as a duty. Try to give up what you are doing out of a sense of duty.
- Get rid of small decisions. Buy a few standard business suits (or matching T-shirts and jeans), and you won’t have to choose clothes every morning for half an hour. Or, for example, always eat the same healthy food for lunch. Whenever possible, spend your energy only on significant decisions.
Be honest with yourself
You can convince yourself of anything and come up with any excuses. But understand, “tomorrow” really means “never.” Therefore, do not believe your inner voice, this sly who is trying to convince you that you “worked hard,” when in fact you only shifted the pieces of paper for eight or nine hours.
Watch the ups and downs of energy throughout the day
If you know how you feel best after your first cup of coffee, schedule your main tasks in the morning. If you usually fall into afternoon sleepiness from one to three in the afternoon, reserve this time for unimportant affairs and any “routine.” When you are at peak productivity, you can tackle complex tasks much faster than at any other time.
The basic idea is this: do the big things when you feel energized, and trivia when you feel the recession.
Do what you love
You don’t have to run away or take a break if you do what you love. So why should you spend much of your adult life doing something hateful?
Things can be different, If you combine your passion and your profession or find something in your current job that you do best and that you love the most, and leave everything else to other people.
Understand what you need to keep working on and what is better to quit
In the world of personal growth and success, it is generally accepted that if you quit, then you are showing weakness. Sometimes this is true. For example, when you, faced with the first problems, give up something very valuable.
Of course, sometimes it is worthwhile to show perseverance. But in some situations, the urge to stop indicates that the activity doesn’t mean so much to you. We often keep doing things because we’re afraid to look like losers or because we’ve put in a lot of effort and have almost reached the end. Basically, we’re wasting days, months, years and missing out on better opportunities.
You must be able to stop! Give up everything that doesn’t matter right now. Give up what you will never do well. Give up the things you hate. Just stop doing it and set yourself new goals.