Success leaves clues, and by looking at what highly productive people do to succeed, you can chart a course for greatness. Here are five ways that you can finally give yourself a highly productive year.
1. Forgiveness is something we all need to practice. Forgiving yourself for past mistakes is essential. When you dwell on what you did wrong in the past, you waste your valuable time and put your body into a state of stress. Stress will kill your productivity. A much more productive idea is to look at the mistakes with no judgment. See them for what they genuinely are…your most valuable learning moments. Take the time to write out the errors and ask what happened, what you learned, and how you can use this to propel yourself to super productivity.
2. Productivity and success mean stretching and growing. It is wonderful to have goals; however, if your productivity goals are not that hard to reach, you are doing yourself a disservice. Write out a few productivity goals that give you the chills. You will look at these goals and feel a little uncomfortable. That is an excellent thing because you need to break out of your comfort zone and go for the gold.
3. Think in the long term when it comes to your productivity. While getting those little tasks done and mentally adding it up, you might want to pat yourself on the back at the end of the year. The bigger and better idea is to ensure that you are productive while enjoying the ride and the fruits of your labor. At the end of each day, if you were to ask yourself the question, “can I be happy doing this every day for the next 25 years?" your answer needs to be a resounding yes. By answering in the negative, this is a sign that your productivity will not last. Now, you look at your day and decide what needs to change.
4. Create the ultimate vision for your life, starting with this year. You need to understand your "big why" to have the motivation and drive to be productive every day. If you are just going through the motions, it will become tedious, and that little voice in the back of your brain will begin to chatter negatively. You have heard it before, "Why not take a break and watch that movie or this is taking forever, I may as well take a long nap to refresh myself." Having a big vision means putting it to paper and looking at it every day. Seeing the life you want and deserve will help with the grit; you need to buckle down and work smart while being productive.
5. Have you ever seen a picture of someone's office, and they have one of those big motivation pictures with a quote in big letters? You may have thought to yourself that it was something you wanted for yourself. The ultimate truth is this…one picture is not enough. You need to create your productivity space. This means your own spot to work, with items that mean something in terms of your long-term goals. Getting your area in order means decluttering it first, getting rid of things that might hold a negative memory or serve no function in regards to your productivity. Getting the right type of lighting for your eyes, and a chair that will support your body correctly is essential. Your space should scream to you, "I am super productive." People in the creative fields, such as novelists, will have a space filled with items that help unleash their creativity. Ask yourself today, where is your space, and what does it need to be an inspiration to you?