You CAN Be Productive by Doing Something

So … Do the First Next Thing! It’s up to you to decide what your first next thing will be. Last week I pointed out that doing nothing is unproductive and I referred to the Andy Andrews book, The Traveler’s Summit. The answer to being productive is to “DO SOMETHING”! Big things or a lot of things on our to-do lists can be overwhelming and lead to procrastination. This is why it’s important to have a process for breaking big things down into smaller bitesize pieces. In last week’s post I started sharing how as part of my daily routine I sort through the clutter and chaos and prioritize and focus on the first next thing. I shared the first five steps last week and will share the final six today. 6. Maintain positive forward momentum – Momentum helps keep things moving – whether forward or backward. This is why you want to utilize positive forward momentum that is moving you closer to your goals. 7. Celebrate wins – One of those things that I’m not very good at. I tend to be looking forward to what needs to be done next. When we’re busy it’s easy to push the wins to the side and not celebrate them. Over time it begins to feel like we’re just working hard and accomplishing nothing. This can lead to giving up and giving up isn’t very productive. 8. Don’t overthink it – This is something that I tend to do too much. Being a planner and a recovering perfectionist I want things to be perfect. The problem is that overthinking reduces productivity. This isn’t to say that you should just shoot from the hip and wing it. It’s a reminder to help me move forward. 9. Break big goals down into brick-size pieces – This is connected to one of my core values. It is a reminder of what this whole list is about. Breaking big things down and taking the first next step. 10. Make goals about giving, not about getting – This reminds me that my business and life isn’t about me, but about those I’m working to help Find Solutions. When our focus is on us rather than them, it starts going down a less productive path. 11. Review progress regularly, be accountable – Setting goals is good, but just like New Year’s Resolutions, if you don’t check to see how you’re doing, you’ll take your foot off the gas and begin drifting. Big goals are great, but you need to break them down into smaller quarterly goals. Break those down into monthly. Break those down into weekly. Then break that down to the first next step. Sharing these goals and steps with others who will help hold you accountable will help you stay on task. This concludes my First Next Step list. Reading through this list daily reminds me that I can only do one thing at a time and it’s up to me to decide what that one thing will be. Doing the First Next Thing leads to productivity. Being productive and BUILDing our dream businesses and lives requires us to: Be aware of the issues, Understand the problems, take Intentional action and continue Learning and then we will achieve our Dream. If you would like to learn more about how you can be more productive and BUILD your dream business, schedule a free 30-minute meeting.

You CAN Be Productive by Doing Something

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Episode Transcript

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