3 Steps to Being More Productive by Janet Callaway

There are so many “must dos,” “want to dos,” and interruptions in a day, how does anyone ever accomplish anything? Those who accomplish the most and get what they want in life, follow these 3 steps.

1. Clearly Defined Goals. If you want to achieve your goals, they must be clear to you. After all, how can you get somewhere if you don't know where you are going? Clarity is a choice; lack of clarity means you yield control of your life to others. If you feel you are not making progress towards your goals, take the time to sit down, think about them, write them down—both what you want and why you want it. As W. Clement Stone said: “To solve a problem or to reach a goal, you don't need to know all the answers in advance. But you must have a clear idea of the problem or the goal you want to reach.” In order to hit a bullseye, you must know where the target is.

2. Value Yourself. M. Scott Peck, the author of the best seller The Road Less Traveled said it all in a single quote: “Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” When you learn to value yourself, you will choose to invest your time wisely in the things that matter to you, things that will help you reach your goals rather than heedlessly waste it on matters of little or no consequence.

3. Know What's Important. If you have defined your goals and value yourself, then you will know what things to do and what not to do. It's that simple; eliminate the nonessentials. Pablo Picasso said: “Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.” Follow Picasso's advice and you will automatically follow Coach John Wooden's advice to: “Make each day your masterpiece.”

Being more productive is as easy as one, two, three. Are you ready to take the steps?