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How to Get Everything Done in Your Day With Less Stress & Greater Satisfaction

productivity Jun 04, 2019
 

In this blog, I want to cover the issue of planning and how you can be more productive with some simple planning. We all live busy lives. We think that technology's going to make life easier and somehow it doesn't seem to have done that. We're busier than ever.

We've got more things to do, we've got more distractions, we've got more devices that are interrupting our day. We've got text, we've got emails, we've got phone calls. We've got all sorts of other interruptions that happen during the day. We've got responsibilities with our family, with our kids, with our spouses, with our bosses, all kinds of things that can drag us off the path of being productive.

But you know, if you're able to do this one simple thing everything will change for you. You will stop being unproductive and you will stop being miserable at the end of the day and feeling like you didn't accomplish everything you wanted to accomplish. Here's the one simple thing. You've got to get good at planning.

Planning your day is important. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States said,

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend seven hours sharpening my ax."

Now, Abe knew the power of planning and if you use that powerful technique, it can change everything for you as well. So here's what I want you to do. You've already got all the tools necessary to be a good planner. You just need to use them. Here's what you do to get started.

Make a list of things you're going to do for the day. Get out your calendar and if you don't have a paper calendar you certainly have an electronic calendar. There's always Yahoo or Google online that you can use. If you've got a mobile device you probably have a calendar app on that device.

Take that calendar and schedule out your day. Schedule out what you're going to do every single hour of the day. If you do that you're going to be way more productive, you're going to get way more done, you're going to be way more satisfied at the end of the day. And, if you do get dragged off into doing something else and you get called away from your tasks, you've got a plan that you can always go back to your plan and start following your plan again. This way you're going to get more done.

I discovered the power of planning when I did my second Ironman triathlon. It was in Nice, France, Sixteen hours is what I had to complete this 140.6-mile race. Now, I was a pretty new athlete and I wasn't sure I could make 16 hours until I looked at all of the measurements; my run speed, my swim speed, and my bike speed. It was then that I realized that if I put together a plan of what I was going to do almost every single minute of the race, I'd complete my goal. My plan was to finish in 15 hours.

I knew that if I put together a plan and if I did exactly what that plan said to do, I could make my goal. I planned how fast I was going to swim and how often I was going to get a drink of water (every 30 minutes). I planned what to eat every hour on the hour. I planned my average speed on my bike. I planned the average speed I would go on the marathon portion of the race. 

When I laid out all of those things minute by minute, here is what happened. I had a goal of 15 hours and I finished in 15 hours and six minutes! Imagine that all day long with all of the things that could take me off the path, I had a 15-hour plan and I only missed it by six minutes! To me, that was a success.

Your day can go exactly the same way. You could have a successful day and a productive day if you plan it. Write down what you're going to do and when you're going to do it and stick to the plan. When you do get drawn off to do something else, go back to that plan. Follow that plan and you're going to be successful, happy, and you're going to feel like you accomplished something when the day is over.

Rich
"Finishers Are Winners!"

Dr. Richard B. Greene, DBA, SSBB, CMPE
Speaker, Author, Peak Performance Business Coach

© Copyright 2020 Rich Greene
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Dr. Richard B. Greene is an International Speaker, Best-Selling Author, and Executive Business Coach who helps business executives get to the next level in business, their careers, and their personal lives. Through his IronCode (www.IronMindSuccess.com) acceleration program, he offers one-on-one coaching, group coaching, live seminars, and do-it-yourself development products to significantly increase levels of personal and business success. He’s been featured on radio shows and various news sites including KVCG Radio, The Miami-Herald, The Denver Post, Wall Street Select, Financial News Today, Fox, and ABC.