4 Steps to Owning the Day, Everyday
Often, we think about how we can be better, reach goals, help others, and ultimately find fulfillment. Contemplating such thoughts is important to our mental well being, because it allows us to find these personal answers. The problem is that we tend to procrastinate, thinking to ourselves, “I’ll start making it happen tomorrow, I’ll take care of it then”. In order to be productive we must rid ourselves of this habit. No matter how our journey begins or at what point on the path we are at, it is important to take advantage of time. Here are 4 ways to own your day, everyday.
1. Prioritize
– What matters right now for long term success? What is important to get done now to ensure that we will make efficient progress moving forward? Outline these activities and understand what is important, urgent, necessary, and unnecessary. Delegate the activities that others can take care of and focus on what actually matters.
2. Schedule
– How are you approaching these activities that are essential for the success of your business, career, project, etc.? What will get done today and what proportion of the total work does this represent? There is always work to be done so be sure to schedule activities in such a manner that you spend the majority of your time on activities that will have a high return on investment in the long run.
3. Mindset
– In order for anything to get done, the correct mindset is of the utmost importance. First, the project at hand should be a passion of yours that you care deeply about. In fact, it should be on the fringes of, or wholly, an obsession. If we lack the inner motivation to be successful in our endeavors, the hope for project success fades quickly. Taking the mental approach that each day is an opportunity to move forward allows us to overcome the temptations of not working on our project. It’s not just a long day of work, it’s the chance to make something significant happen for you. We are not forced to do the work, we choose to do it, because the opportunity exists and we want to take advantage of it for our own well being.
4. Boundary Analysis
– How much work can you get done in a day? How hard can you push yourself? What quality of work can you create? The words that come to mind here are optimization and efficiency. Our mind over matter approach to boundary analysis allows us to see what is possible and how we can select extremely difficult, yet potentially attainable, goals. In pushing our limits, we are ultimately strengthening ourselves for the next day and the upcoming challenges. Subjecting ourselves to the adversities present in new projects and the grind of simple hard work makes both our minds and bodies stronger. Assess your boundaries and determine what it takes to push them.
