Have you ever had a day where you were so productive that you felt peace at the end? Think for a moment, what were the patterns of that day, how did you focus, and did each activity drive with purpose? I bet you would be able to say yes.
I want to provide three activities that will increase your productivity each day.
1. Plan
Planning starts with a morning routine that creates clarity. Your plan for the day may include...
priorities
what you value most
who you value most
and all of them are important. Each day I sit down and fill out my High Performance Planner, created by Brendon Burchard. The planner helps me understand what appointments I need to attend to, goals I desire to accomplish, who I want to influence, and prepares me for situations that may be difficult.
Take the time, you are worth it, to write down everything you value and then prioritize them for the day. Otherwise, your day will be a slew of undisciplined actions, with very little outcome.
2. Presence
When we have too much going on we often try to multi-task. Multi-tasking is not humanly possible. The brain does not have the capacity to, 100%, focus on two things at once. This is called switch-tasking or toggling between things.
The human brain does not want to give attention to two things at once. Your focus and presence is beyond important in order for you to be productive throughout your day. Before each of your priorities, mentally prepare and remove the distractions that could invade upon your presence. You will find peace come from how much you can accomplish in a single sitting.
3. Purpose
This aspect of productivity often gets overlooked. I know I have been found simply performing my responsibilities out of duty, and not out of purpose. For example, when I spend time with my family at a party or event I may be acting out of duty, just being there. Purpose would invite you to ask "why are you going to the party or event with your family, and how do you want to develop relationships?" You will experience far more joy from your everyday responsibilities if purpose in implemented.
I like to invite you to practice these three things for a two weeks. Do you find peace through planning, being present, and having more purpose? You will find out, just try.
