It is important to realize that just because you are being active, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are being productive. Your day may be busy and full of activities, but are you achieving what you want or what needs to be accomplished every day? You might wonder how some people seem to be able to check more off their to-do lists, get more done in less time, and ultimately see the best results. Being productive doesn’t mean working harder or longer hours, it’s about learning how to get the most out of the time you spend on the task at hand.
Here are three ways to help you learn how to be more productive with your activity.
Mindset Management
Getting control of your mindset and attitude towards something you are trying to accomplish is quite possibly the most important step in maximizing your productivity. Your mind is like a computer. You were born with a clean slate and the input that has been uploaded in your mind has determined your output. This controls your productivity. If you find yourself with a negative attitude and/or mindset, you need an antivirus program to get rid of the negativity that has been programmed in your mind.
Most people’s mindset is built by their relationships and experiences. For example, the way you were raised, the jobs you’ve had, the bosses you’ve had, how you were educated, the good and/or bad relationships you’ve had, have all been a part of building your attitude and your mindset. This raises the question, are you in control of your attitude and mindset or are they controlling you? If you have room for improvement, we encourage you to change your input so you can get a more positive output.
Kick the negative thoughts, influencers, and associations out of your life and replace them with positive ones. Be encouraged and know that regardless of what you have been through in life up to this point, you can live a positive, productive, and successful life. So our encouragement is to stop focusing on what you are going through and start focusing on where you are going! Make sure that your biggest influencers are positive ones and try your best to think happy thoughts because your thoughts lead to your actions, which lead to your habits, which will ultimately determine your results.
Time Management
We all have 24 hours in a day, but it may seem as though some people get so much more done with their time. Productive people have mastered time management and know how to control their calendars. They have learned that if you don’t run your day, your day will run you. If you aren’t a time management master, try these quick tips.
It is essential to prioritize the important things in a daily schedule and don’t let urgent get in the way of important. Keep in mind that sometimes the most “urgent” tasks that come up really aren’t that urgent and can wait. Get what’s important checked off your list and then revisit whatever else came up that day.
In addition to prioritizing, be sure to time-block. If you say to yourself that you are going to get it done today, it will usually take all day. Instead, use time blocking, and give yourself fifteen minutes to complete a task and watch how quick you will get it done.
A final tip to help you master time management is to have a nightly planning session and create your to-do list for the following day. Give yourself five minutes of quiet time to reflect on the day. Think to yourself, what did I do, what didn’t I do, and what can I do better tomorrow? Once you evaluate your day and the experiences you had, you can then set up a plan of action for the next day.
Money Management
Money is not the most important thing in the world, however, most important things in our lives do take a lot of money. So, of course, it’s always better to have money you don’t need, then to need money you don’t have. The more cash flow you have coming in, coupled with a smart budget will bring you more security, choices, and opportunities! Ask yourself, what is your mindset towards money? Is it something that you stress about or do you see it as a tool?
To make money a tool, you must learn to successfully budget your money so it can work for you. This means thoughtful planning and telling your money where to go, instead of just wondering where it went. Make sure to identify the “money wasters” in your budget and get those under control. After you do that, make sure your money is being invested in the things that will help you grow and create more positive cash flow! Most people don’t actually have a money problem, they have a budget problem. We hope you follow these simple tips so you can live a debt free, cash flow life!
You don’t just want to be just active, the goal is to be productive. Productivity is a learned skill which means anyone can do it. It’s time to rise up and make the decision to get control of your time, money, and mindset so you can really get in control of your results!
Until last year, I never realized the power that I had over my day. My life used to “happen to me”…. but after realizing the power that my mindset and a little preparation can have, now I AM HAPPENING TO LIFE! Thanks for the reminder!
This article is so well written with incredible topics that are game changing when applied. Knowledge + Action = Results
So much wisdom! Especially love the idea of prioritizing your day, time blocking and nightly planning. Nightly planning helps one to list the tasks for the next day and then prioritize the order of you time blocks. This way one completes the most important tasks before the interruptions begin and/ or makes it easier to get back on track!!
The 3 areas of life – Mindset, Time, and Money – that either control us or we can CHOOSE to control. Thanks David and Jaimee for your perspective in these areas. Simple to read. Important to Implement.