1. Learn to Prioritise
As the saying goes;
'Fail to prepare, prepare to fail'
Prioritisation is key to achieving this.
What means the most to you? What do you want to achieve? What will make you happy and how will you get things done in the best most efficient way possible?
Taking the time to find the answers to these questions can be an essential part of fulfilling them. This could start with your morning routine. For me my morning routine is the perfect time for me to prepare and plan my day ahead giving each activity a certain priority and purpose. Its also a time to relax and generally prime yourself for the day ahead so you can achieve your best work.
Find what works best for you, build it into a routine and then stick to it. This could be in the form of exercise, meditation, breathing, or just taking some time to mull over a good cup of coffee.
Everyone is different. Make it work for you... but my best days are when I've had great mornings.
Set yourself and your day up right.
Most people spend more time doing than planning. I've found the opposite has been more effective for me both in the workplace, education and sporting endeavours. I spend hours upon end planning my time, whether this be hours, days, weeks, months ahead.
Most of the time I do this unconsciously and only upon reflection have I noticed that I do this.
Flip the convention of prioritising doing over planning...
... I've found this to be one of my most powerful tools.
2. Follow through
Planning over doing is a powerful tool... but that's as long as you follow through with your plans.
Planning on doing things becomes irrelevant if you neglect to follow through with them. It doesn't matter if its following through on the big things, small things or anything in between. Create a habit of always following through!
As habits go, it's a good one to have.
Less is more?
The hardest thing to do is to simplify your life. We all have a tendency of overcomplicating things! What if we could remove that 'brain fog' and 'decision fatigue' and live a productive, purposeful and happy life?
Don't do more unless you can do less... if we are to look at things in triathlon terms... you can't do 4 hours on the bike or 2 hours of running or swimming etc, unless you do the first 1/2/3 hours first! This applies to business as well as sport and your day to day life.
Build up to doing more. As whilst less is more... more is also more...
Start with small generic but meaningful lists or 'priorities' and keep following through with them... but be sure to do them with purpose.
Purpose Matters.
Only commit to things that matter.
Purposeful practice will elicit success in the long run.
After all, doing one thing well is better than doing many things badly.
3. Enjoy the ride
At the end of the day take the time to reflect and 'be in the moment'.
Not every day will be good days, there will be some tough ones and great ones. They are all as important as one another and you can learn from each and every one of them. I know I have.
They shape who you are... So make sure you be you, and not someone else.
Sometimes I find both myself and others striving for 'perfection' or a preconceived perfection... Is it striving towards something that we aren't? Thats what you've got to decide... is it making you happy or not?
Doing what is right for you is essential to your happiness... don't forget that. Take the time to find out what that might be and go and do it with purpose and follow through with it!
You know yourself better than anyone else. You know your strengths and weaknesses... Go and use them to the best of your ability. Practice them and make the most of them.
Enjoy what each day brings, find some form of satisfaction out of it. This isn't easy sometimes, but can be crucial.
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