Listing Your Way To Success

A list is a tremendous tool in the assisting of increased productivity. It is no uncommon to see someone walking around aimlessly because he or she does not know what to do next. How much time do you think is lost because a person of this ilk has no clue what the next step is? Estimates certainly will conclude that tens of thousands of man hours are lost annually because of this simple concept.

Writing up a list helps in a few different ways. When done before hand, it helps to clarify one's thinking and instill in him or her what needs to be accomplished. At the same time, one gets a visual representation of the actions that require attention. While there are many different ways of going about this, the important factor is to have an idea throughout the day of you are going to do.

Procrastination is something that many people battle. People can naturally fall into the mindset of not doing anything. A list assists helps combat this because the next action is plain to see. Of course, one might still put it off but the likelihood is diminished if it is written down. Trust me when I tell you that it is easy to ignore something that is an abstract idea somewhere.

One final note about list: many experts will state that it is best to write all actions on a piece of paper and then number them in order of importance. This ensures that one focuses his or her attention on what provides the most benefit. I agree with this in theory. However, since most people have a problem with taking any action at all, I find that simply writing the actions down and starting on them is helpful. The crucial idea is to get moving. Altering the order things are done in can be implemented at a later date.

If you are suffering from inertia and have difficulty taking action, here is an exercise to help you get started. Pull out a piece of paper and make a list of 5 simple actions you need to take. Write them down without thought to how important they are. The idea is to create a list of things that can be completed rather easily. Once you have the 5 actions, go do them. Do the first and do not stop until it is crossed off. After that, do the same thing with the second. Follow this until you complete the entire list. You will notice how this simple exercise enabled you to increase your productivity dramatically.

It is amazing the power we have when we focus.
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Make Your Life Easier: Emails

I decided to offer up some tips that I learned over the years to make your life easier. Periodically, I am going to write something that helped me to increase my productivity or save some time in a particular area.

Today, I am going to focus on emails. This is something that I know most people struggle with. It is rare to come across someone who does not have a full "inbox". At the time I put the following idea to use, I had almost 1,000 emails. This was an unmanageable number.

To start, it is important to understand that you will not go back and read most emails. We all think that we will "get to it later" but we never do. We tend to save a lot of useless stuff that only drains us whenever we open the email account. The following will eliminate this problem.

1. Begin by creating two new folders: label one passwords and the other with today's date.

2. Go through you inbox and move all the emails that have passwords or other similar information into the "Passwords" folder.

3. Move the remaining emails into the one with the today's date on it.

There you have it. Your inbox is suddenly empty. Now, anything new that comes in can be read and deleted. There is no effort required to try and catch up on all the old stuff. It is still there if you need it. However, you will feel better since you do not see all that old junk whenever you open your email.

What I found is that after the first month, I never went into the folder where all that old stuff is. I still have it just "in case" yet am coming to the realization that I am dreaming a bit. I will most likely never reopen 99% of what is in there. I am certain you will experience the same thing.

Now you have control of your emails. You will notice, after a short period of time, that you will be bothered if you leave even one email in the "inbox". It will get to the point where you want to handle each of them immediately and be done. This increases prodcutivity in addition to providing greater control. And, the best part is you can set this all up in under 15 minutes. It is simple but effective.
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Focus Part III

The last couple of post (part 1 and 2) dealt with the crucial success element of focus. In the last one, we dealt with the importance of having long term focus if you want to achieve your goals. Here we are going to look at the need to remain focused in the short term.

Productivity is the ability to get things done. It is that simple. Focus is the quality which enables us to do that. We need to focus upon a particular task until it is completed. Remember, the world rewards for things that are finished. Maintaining our present concentration is vital to our success rate.

It is easy to get distracted, especially in the short term. Each day, there are lots of interruptions which will take us away from our present task. Having the ability to block all the "noise" out is what enables you to enjoy the success of the highest achievers.

One of the most powerful techniques to increasing your productivity is the utilization of a "to do" list. This simple tool is overlooked by the masses yet is common among the highest achievers. They know the value of being in control of one's focus.

When I write out my "to do" list, I am setting forth my objectives for the day. This is a basic form of goal setting. Once I have my list set down, I know where I am to focus my attention. Each task is listed in front of me. As my day progresses, I can see what it still left unresolved. This enables me to concentrate on those areas.

Another benefit to this technique is the ability to refocus when I am distracted. Certainly, there are times when we need to drop what we are doing to take care of something more pressing. This is true no matter what aspect of life we are referring to. However, having a list permits me to return my focus to the proper area when the "emergency" is taken care of. Too many waste time trying to determine where they left off.

Controlling our short term focus is the most important skill for daily success. If you watch the top producers in any field, they are the ones who spend the majority of their time on the most important activities. Those who produce the least tend to be the ones who are walking around aimlessly. It is the time spent managing the focus which separates the two.
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Increased Productivity

Do you want increased productivity? Would you like to be able to accomplish more in less time? Many people desire this yet few fulfill it. Sadly, the process to doing more is rather simple. We will discuss an easy way to achieve this outcome.

Often, I like to watch what others do. The actions of others provides me with so many wonderful lessons. It seems those who "do it all wrong" teach me more than those who are succeeding. For example, I found it easy to understand why so few are productive. Have you ever noticed how people behave when they first get to work? What is the typical person's agenda when he or she begins the day? This is what I found to be rather common.

When one gets to the office, the first thing he or she does is turn on the computer. While the computer is booting, this person may go get a cup of coffee. Along the way, our employee sees a colleague who happened to watch the same game last night. Of course, a chat ensues for a 5-10 minutes. Once back at the desk, it is time to check emails. Personal emails accounts come first in out procrastinator's mind. After the emails are completed, there are a few websites that need to be checked out. A recap on the game is a great place to start. Checking the box score is crucial.

I could go on but I think you get the point. Our example illustrates how people waste a large amount of time. They key to productivity is to get stated. This is the one thing that guarantees more output. We lose so much time focusing on other non-vital activities.

Here is a system that will help you in getting you day started.

1. Make a list.

Do this the night before. Write down all the important activities you need to focus upon the next day.

2. Prioritize.

A report for the boss due at noon is more crucial that cleaning your desk. Assign the priorities with an ABC or 123 system. I do like to put a rather easy task as my first priority to build momentum.

3. Get Busy.

Start immediately on the first task. Momentum really help multiply your output. Beginning your day in a productive manner sets the tone for the rest of your day.

These are a few steps you can take to increase you output. Use them starting today.
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5 Productivity Tools That Kill Productivity

1. Excessive To Do Lists

A to do list is commonly used by people who attain success. It is a goal list for the day. Yet, people negate the benefit of this tool by listing everything conceivable that needs to be done. One gets paralyzed when there is a list that is impossible to finish. It is best to put only the 5-10 most important activities on there.

2. Overuse of the Internet/Software

The computer saves us a lot of time. Tools such as email, im, and word processing can make our lives easier while increasing productivity. They also can kill it by becoming excessively used. People can spend hours handling all that communications. It is best to limit these to only a few times a day.

3. Talking About Goals.

Goals are critical to your success. Talking about them does little to help in the accomplishing of them. Action is what fulfills goals. People who talk about their goals often tend to be avoiding the action necessary to achieve them. There is a time to start talking and get busy.

4. Always Looking For A Better Way.

Some feel the need to continually change everything. They start fresh every 90 days or so. There is an old saying "if it isnt broke, dont fix it". Also, it is easier to keep something in motion as opposed to setting it in motion. Restarting all the time stops the power of momentum.

5. Questioning Instead Of Doing.

Why is one of the most revealing questions. It can uncover a lot about us and what makes us tick. Also, most of us tend to be doubting Thomases, not taking anything at face value. Continually asking why can be a time waster. Often, it is best to just get busy.

Use these productivity tools for what they were designed for. Avoiding excessive use or dependence upon them will lead to an increase in what you get done.
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