Optimizing your day: 3 Steps to getting things done.

Have you ever went to work or spent time on your day off and toward the end of the day said to yourself that “wow…where did the day go? I did not get anything done today!”

Sometimes it is alright to play hookie…yes even at work, provided you have been productive in the past. However, if you continue to not perform (or get things done), then soon you will find yourself without a job /work.

Sometimes not getting stuff done is unintentional and the circumstances may be our of your control. However, 9 of 10 times this is not the case. When people don’t get stuff done, it is because they got distracted or lost focus on their own accord.

Below are 3 steps that anyone can follow to help get things done.

Step 1: Write it down

The very first and fundamental step is to write down what you are planning to do. What you create is called an “activity list”. Set aside 15-20 minutes everyday in the morning, when you begin your work, to write down what you intend to get accomplished today.

Step 2: Prioritize your work

List items on your to-do list in the order you would like to get them done and place a number in front of each item. Use a new sheet of paper if you need to.

Step 3: Follow the plan

As you progress through your day, refer to your activity list. Go through the list in the order you marked it.

It is not uncommon to get new “things to do” on your list and/or for the priority of the tasks to change. If you get a new task, just add it to the list, and prioritize it. Then, re-prioritize your existing tasks if you need to.

If you keep referring to your activity list often through out the day, you will have something tangible to reflect your progress for the day.

The other benefit to writing your daily is that the following day you already know what needs to be done at that time.

Now, there are man products that are out there in the marketplace for you to buy that will aide in keeping focus on your daily activities. I would like to mentioned that he SKK Planning System is also one such inexpensive tool that has helped and continues to help many people focus their activities.

Question of the Week:

I welcome comments on the blog. Also, my questions to you are: Do you follow a daily planning routine? If yes, tell us your experience. Do you use a planner? If so, which one?

Regards

Sal

http://www.skkservices.com/

Aim High and Prosper

Hello Everyone.

Yes! Sal is back blogging. For my first topic of the year I would like to talk about the power of aiming high!

As you begin the new year and write your goals for the year, I would encourage you to “think big!”. The bigger your goal…the better of you will be. For example:

If you an insurance sales person, you could say I will sell 30% more policies this year OR you can say I will increase my service territory, product lines. I will not only sell more policies to new customers, but increase my cross sales to existing clients as well. I will create a network of referral agents etc.

Similarly, if you are in the food and beverage business and operate a restaurant you can plan on increasing your bookings, or you can think big by saying this year I will open more locations, maybe start a franchise, etc.

Or, you maybe a real estate agent and would like to close one sale a month in this economy. However, a better goal could be to explore complementary products that you could market; start your own investment group.

These are just some examples. Do not focus on the goals I wrote above rather focus on the concept that I am preaching, which is to THINK BIG!

Still having problems thinking big? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Many people fail to adequately fail to grasp the concept. People seem to not get past constraints like finances, personal situations etc. So try this, imagine you had no constraints (yes…a perfect world scenario); where would you take your career or business?

That’s it! Now you are thinking big!

If you think small you will make small progress. Conversely if you think big you will see that in the same time frame you will make huge progress. Even if you do not reach your goals, the amount of distance you cover will be greater than the smaller goal you were planning.

Mind over Matter! Yes! It does work!

Let me prove it to you by a simple example. If your health permits, stand up straight or sit down upright with your legs extended away from your body and toes pointed up. Extend your arms straight so they are parallel to the floor. Now, with your arms extending outwards and without bending your knees touch the tips of your finger to your toes and hold for 30 seconds. Do you feel a stretch? Is is easy or hard? I bet its not easy.

Now return to the starting position and imagine yourself touching an imaginary button that is located beyond the tips of your toes. Do you see it? See it! Feel its presence! -And now do the same exercise; you will notice that you reached further than the previous attempt!

This is because you looked beyond! You thought bigger! You aimed high!

It is like that in life as well as in business. So as you plan your goals for 2008! THINK BIG!

Till next time….

Sal
www.salmankkhan.com