We all want success, yet so many of us are unclear about what success is and how to achieve
success.
In this video, we look at the starting point in the foundations of being successful, looking
at...Action
If you're hungry to succeed, then this series has been designed specifically for you, giving
you tips and clarity on elements that make us successful in a given an endeavour, and
how to follow through to be successful.
In the last part we looked at the value of motivation and how we can utilise short and
long term motivation to our benefit.
Today's video will focus on Action, the key component to any success as without taking
action ideas are nothing but a dream.
Before we go into action, let's just reiterate which parts will be covered as part of this
series:
1.
Ideas 2.
Planning 3.
Motivation 4.
Action 5.
Recycling
Make sure to watch the other parts, as the structure requires each facet to be applied
correctly if you want to see results to match your ambition.
Now the concept of taking action in itself might seem obvious you, there's not much to
say other than to get your head down and work, right?
In part that's true, the key output from taking action is to work, there's really no two ways
about it, but where issues arise are first getting started with work and secondly, ensuring
you best utilise the time you spend working.
After all, if you fail to work you won't get your desired output, but equally if you use
the time you have poorly, it will be almost as bad as not working at all.
So first and foremost, what can you do to help you to get started and work?
1.
Set Your State
If you want to be productive, you have to be in a state that helps you be productive.
Think of it this way, you will have had a moment in your life where you failed to do
something you intended to and another where you hit your flow state, or were in the zone,
where you got an incredible amount of work done.
What was the key difference in both of these scenarios?
For most, it was their mental state, or mindset, which was the telling difference, as in one
scenario they couldn't get into a state of productivity, whereas in the second they were
in a state of absolute productivity.
What's amazing is we have the ability to consistently reach the state where we are at our most productive,
and most successful people actually spend time at the start of each day to do this.
This is where your morning routine is critical, spending time doing mental and physical exercises
that help you prepare to tackle the day ahead.
This might be your normal exercise routine, it may involve meditation or saying affirmations
or it may something else altogether.
The key is that the routine must set your state to help you get the most out of your
day, therefore preparing you mentally and physically for the challenges ahead.
2.
Plan Activities
Take a scenario where you need to write a report on a given day.
Now in one instance you simply plunge head first into the report and start typing, whereas
in the second you spend 10 to 15 minutes planning out the sections of the report and what will
be covered in each.
In which scenario do you think you will achieve the greatest results?
You might get results in the first approach, but are significantly more likely to get more
from the second approach.
This is because not only do you know what goal you're working towards, you've got a
clear approach on what sections needs to be included in your report.
If you're really smart, you will also assess how long you need for each section, as this
will help you understand how long you need to achieve your desired results.
This is something I do when planning what I'm going to say in each of my videos.
I set my time, plan a template for what will be covered and then go through the detail
of each section, helping me ensure I have clear structure, consistency and am productive
when working.
3.
Take Breaks
People work most effectively when they factor in work and breaks into their working time,
rather than just focusing on work.
This is because we're not actually that effective at working with intensity for prolonged periods
of time.
Trying to do this is actually more likely to result in us making mistakes, slowing down
the pace at which we work or leading to burnout altogether.
Therefore, it's better to work in relatively short bursts at high intensity with breaks
after each burst, as much like a high intensity interval workout, you'll gain greater results
from working in periods with rests in between than trying to maintain a constant.
This is naturally how athletes work too, as they work with great intensity during training
or competitive sport, but equally spend a great deal of time resting and recovering
in between.
So with this in mind, how can you plan these periods of work.
Personally, I highly recommend trying to implement the Pomodoro Technique, where you work at
high intensity for a period of around 25 minutes.
After each 25 minutes, or Pomodoro, take a break of around 3 to 5 minutes.
Once you complete 4 Pomodori, give yourself a longer break, usually 15 to 30 minutes.
4.
Review Your Output
As you work during the day, it's good to keep track of progress as when you get closer to
your end goal, you will maintain motivation to keep going.
How you do this is really up to you, but one effective way is to tick off items on a to
do list, as when you physically tick them off it actually gives you a small dopamine
boost, making you feel better about the action and therefore motivated to do more to tick
off the next item.
This also helps you track progress during the day, helping you to manage and adjust
time as you need to accordingly and identify potential issues that might be coming down
the line and plan for them as necessary, avoiding potential disasters as a result.
5.
Remove Distractions
When you work, you want to work without distractions, as trying to take action when you have other
things vying for your attention is a productivity killer and will significantly impact what
you do.
This means while working, ensure phone notifications are turned off or better yet, make sure your
phone is away from you altogether.
If you have email, turn off email notifications, or again, simply close your email.
This serves to remove desire to check for things you receive and when you do check them,
it's a more deliberate or intentional action, meaning you control it, rather than it controlling
you.
Ideally work in silence, but if not possible then a little background music can help, though
try to keep it on a low volume and instrumental pieces.
The point is, when working, you want absolute focus, because doing so increases productivity
significantly.
So much so, that billionnaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have both said they consider
it the most important aspect to their success.
6.
Build Habits
If you want to be productive on a frequent basis, do so by building positive habits.
As mentioned last time when talking about motivation, don't make the habits you form
around the work specifically, but build habits to ensure you're focused on what you are trying
to achieve.
This means if you tend to work towards a goal, build habits towards getting yourself in a
state ready to achieve that goal.
As previously mentioned, this could be part of your morning routine.
When you are working towards something, have set start times each day for when you work
towards your goal.
We do this naturally when employed, where you have a set start time, say 9am, when you
have to begin your working day.
Doing this daily, or at least for a significant number of days in the week, you can form a
habit to help ensure you work towards your goal at your assigned time.
The most critical facet to building a habit is to make sure you show up, even if you don't
necessarily fulfil the obligation you set for yourself.
For example, it's said if you want to go for a jog daily at 7am, then make sure you're
ready to jog at 7am.
You might only jog for 2 minutes rather than what you wanted, but the act of going for
a jog is where the habit is formed.
From here, as long as you show up, you can work to then improve by attemting to do a
little more each time.
The same goes for work, the act of sitting down and being ready to work is as important
as the work itself, and in forming your habit, is arguably more important.
Once you get going, you will find it's easier to maintain momentum.
Now that we understand how to ensure we're productive day to day, as mentioned earlier
we need to make sure we're using time in an effective and beneficial way.
So how do we do this?
Personally, I find that the Pareto Principle is particularly useful in this regard.
The Pareto Principle, or 80 20 rule, is where it's believed that 80 percent of results you
get come from 20 percent of your tasks.
That means, focus on the 20 percent that helps you to achieve the greatest results and prioritise
these tasks everyday.
You can do this by listing out the tasks you need to do and then identify the two or three
in your list that will garner the most results, based on previous experience and results.
Focus on getting these complete, review the results and refine your prioritisation the
next day as you develop a greater understanding.
By following this principle and applying it in conjunction with the other tips provided
to ensure you follow through with working, you will find you're taking action and will
be well on your way to achieving the results you aim for.
In the next video we look at refining and recycling the process we've learned so far,
but in the meantime I would love to know which tip is of most value to you in this video?
Let me know in the comments section below.
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