Mood Management

Start each day with a clear focus and a calm attitude. Most people start their day as soon as they wake. They reach for their phone or tablet to check email social media channels, etc. Research shows how you start the day has an enormous effect on productivity and you procrastinate more when you’re in a bad mood. So think a little less about managing the work and a little more about managing your moods.

Wait to Check your Email and Social Media

Yes, sounds crazy, but just give it a try. Studies have shown that people who start their day by checking their email let their day be hijacked by someone else’s priorities and not their own. This means starting your day with your plan and sticking to it. If you start by reading an email that shifts your gears, you are now off to a bad start, begin with a focus on your plan.

Before You Reinvent the Wheel, Ask Yourself Should You Do This

Do you want to be more productive, then run off half-cocked trying to make all things more productive? Instead, slow down to really evaluate whether or not this is really needed. Once you have taken the time to determine if this will give you a return on your investment of time should you move forward with it. It’s funny that we complain we have so little time and then we prioritize like time is endless. Instead, do what is important… and not much else.

Eliminate Distractions

Focus is all about eliminating distractions or noise around us. Look at any successful prop athlete. What do they do better than their competitors? They focus on the task at hand. In our modern lives, we are surrounded by distractions making it way too easy for us to get sidetracked. And a flood of studies shows that the easiest and most powerful way to change your behavior is to change your environment.

Create A System That Works For You

Have you got a system that works? If you never forget an appointment, never lose a phone number, never forget to do something, never forget an idea, never lie awake at night thinking about something – then your personal system is working. The secret of super-efficient people is not the quality of their brains, but the quality of the personal system they develop. Your brain power or mind alone – however great – is never 100% reliable.

So you’re all set to wake up tomorrow with a system and not be “reactive.” How do you make sure you follow through on this tomorrow? It’s simple.

Define Your Goals

The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and tangible. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. As you write, use the word “will” instead of “would like to” or “might.” Create a clear plan of action, so you can get started by putting not only your best foot forward but with a clear focused mission to accomplish your goals.

You will ultimately be successful in achieving your goals because you have planned out not only what you want, but how to get it.