Join the club.
The most successful people are highly productive because they follow the advice of John Harvey-Jones to ‘Only do what only you can do’.
Here are some things it’s time to give up so you can get more of the important stuff done.
- Saying yes
If you aren’t absolutely sure an action will move you closer to achieving your goals, say no. Ask, as Ben Hunt-Davies says, ‘Will it make the boat go faster?’ Don’t feel guilty; every request you say yes to you rob time from your
future self.
- Overworking
The work you do when you’re tired (or pissed off) will be terrible; what’s worse is your unconscious will remember how it felt. Overworking isn’t productive. Your thinking, and therefore your work, improves when you rest and take time
off because your brain resets itself and organises all your thoughts.
- Working without a deadline
Deadline get things done; without a deadline you’ll lose focus and put tasks off until ‘later’. As Tony Robbins says ‘When would now be a good time to start?’ Use deadlines to give urgency to your most important
work.
- Answering the telephone
Or checking e-mail, social media or whatever distracts you. I don’t mean that these aren’t important – that telephone call may be from your dream client – just that you don’t have to do it now when you should be
concentrating on the – important- task in hand. Get someone else to answer your calls and check your emails and return the important ones at a time you allocate.
- Filling your calendar
Your goal shouldn’t be to have a full calendar; your goal should be to have a calendar with space for you to read, think and learn. Because books are so ridiculously cheap we undervalue their importance and the
contribution they make to our success.
- Making too many decisions
By making hard or too many decisions, particularly first thing in the morning, you’re wasting your mental energy. Instead, make all these small decisions the night before: decide on your breakfast, create your schedule, and set
your priorities. Remember today isn’t over until tomorrow is planned. Your priority in the morning should be to reduce mental clutter and give your brain some room to breathe. There’s no better feeling than waking up and knowing that you’re ready to have a great, successful day.
- Most of your ‘to-do’ list
Super-successful people who achieve the seemingly impossible focus on a few key goals and then tackle one thing at a time and then only what only they can do. Remember do-delegate-delete. I know you can probably do it better and more quickly…. but let it go.
- Trying to fix everything
You can’t right every wrong. You can’t help every person, but you can be the best version of yourself.
I don’t follow all these rules, and you probably won’t either, but they do act as a reminder when I achieve less than I want. Being productive towards a goal about which you care helps you find meaning and
purpose.
Noel Guilford