Vishal BhatiaLook, I’m fortunate enough to spend most of my time surrounded by great entrepreneurs. Some doing better than others but all doing well and all doing way better than the ‘average.’
And exposure to these people has given me a great insight into what really makes the difference between those that ‘smash’ their goals and those that frankly limp along and pay them ‘lip service.’
I get to see it all.
I’m right in the middle of their businesses. Right at the heart. I get to see how people work, how they react to challenges, how they take advantage of opportunities and what really makes the difference.
Time and Time Again the Difference Between Success and Failure is One Single Thing
One single thing that will stop you from ever achieving what you really should and deserve to achieve.
One single thing that can hold you back, chained to your past, chained to mediocrity, chained to self-imposed limitations.
And, sadly, this one single thing isn’t very popular and for all sorts of reasons is also grossly understood. Yet, once mastered, it can very quickly, almost instantly, accelerate you to your goals, show you how to overcome challenges, reduce stress and give you more free time. So what it is?
Simply… PRODUCTIVITY…
When Tim Ferris wrote the “4 Hour Work Week” I think he may have inadvertently destroyed the ability of millions of people to achieve their dreams
The title suggests that by simply working 4 hours a week you can become a real success. It INSTANTLY portrays that success can come EASILY… That success doesn’t require time, effort, blood, sweat and tears… And well… I assert it DOES… But, whether you agree with Tim or not (and I have my opinion) it doesn’t really matter. Either way, the UNPOPULAR truth is that in order to achieve real success you have to master PRODUCTIVITY.
You have to be as productive as possible in the time you spend in pursuit of your goals (whether that’s 60 hours a week or 4).
Waking up in the morning just ‘getting on’ with it is not good enough.
Allowing people to disrupt your day with unplanned ‘emergency’ tasks is not good enough.
Saying ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ is not good enough.
Achieving real productivity requires EFFORT. Real effort – and that’s why it’s a little bit on the unpopular side. YET, those that avoid mastering productivity are really only fooling themselves. Being productive doesn’t necessarily mean working any harder. And more importantly, it means you’ll get to your ultimate goals faster and therefore will end up working LESS TIME to get there! Truly mastering productivity means:
- You’ll achieve MORE results in LESS time!
- You’ll earn MORE income in LESS time!
- You’ll have MORE time to spend on activities you previously couldn’t ‘get to.’
- You’ll reach financial and personal freedom faster.
- You can have MORE time with your family.
- You can have more time for YOU.
The benefits are enormous.
Being Unproductive is a FOOLS GAME…
So why waste time being unproductive? Frankly it doesn’t make sense! It makes things HARDER. Sure, you may feel at the time things are easier, but long term… eh… errrr… NOPE… you’re only kidding yourself.
Got it?! Good!
Now let’s look at how you can master productivity and enjoy the ‘spoils’ you deserve…
Four Simple Steps to Double, Triple, Quadruple or More Your Productivity and Send Your Results Through the Roof
Nothing too complex here… Just four simple ways to start boosting your productivity starting today:
Productivity Booster #1: KNOW YOUR GOALS
Look, this isn’t the place for an in depth discussion about goal setting. Frankly, the fact you’re here reading this blog means you know how to set goals. BUT, there is one critical mistake most people make when setting goals that means they simply cannot be as productive as they should.
And that mistake is simply not being specific.
If I want to lose weight and I set a goal to lose weight then I’d be more likely to lose weight than had I not set that goal. But, had I set the goal to lose 28 pounds then I’d be more likely to lose 28 pounds. But, had I said I wanted to lose 28 pounds within 16 weeks then suddenly I have a real, measurable goal. And, because of that I can set my diet and exercise activities to meet that goal… Obvious I know; yet so often overlooked.
So, are your goals specific? Or more ‘specifically’ are they:
- SPECIFIC
- TIME MEASURED
Now some would also add are they REALISTIC… I haven’t added that here for two reasons. First, because I do believe that if you shoot for the stars you’ll reach the moon. BUT, more importantly because even if your goals are BIG, BIG, BIG, you should still have a series of much SMALLER goals which take you there. And it is those smaller goals which must be ultra-specific and time measurable.
So, if your goals aren’t specific enough, grab a pen and a piece of paper right now and write them down… They are the foundation of your productivity.
Productivity Booster #2: AVOID DISTRACTIONS
Do this exercise now:
- How much do you want to earn this year?
- Take that amount & divide it by 250 (approx. number of working days in a year) – what do you get?
- Now divide that by 480 (8 hours multiplied by 60 minutes in each hour) – what do you get?
Whatever that number is, that’s the approximate amount of money you need to make every minute count in order to hit your income goal. Now here’s what’s scary… Every time you take an unscheduled phone call, look on Facebook, check email, answer a question from someone, they are STEALING your money. You are WASTING your money on that activity; and as long as you do you will never hit your income goal.
But there’s a lot more to distractions than meets the eye. In fact there are 3 so-called “Time Thieves” (penned by Eben Pagan) to be aware of and protect yourself from:
1. The “CHASER” – (Compulsive, Habitual, Automatic, Stress, Evoking, Ritual) – otherwise known as: “CHASER.” What is it?
The “CHASER” is the habit of putting off something that could’ve been done while you did something else (like check Facebook or email). And you put it off in order to avoid stress. But it actually only makes things worse! You make things worse because now you have less time to do it, will have to put other things off and in the end you’ll be even more STRESSED! Don’t do it!
2. The “Rabbit Hole” – is one of those distractions that starts off small but gets bigger and bigger until it literally consumes all your time! Anything from booking a table for dinner to choosing a birthday present, fixing a clock or whatever. It seems important, a quick task, but before you know it hours and hours have passed. Don’t do it!!
3. Systemic Interruptions – text messages, phone calls, emails, social networks, newsfeeds – and others. Just turn them off and focus on the work at hand. Remember: the faster you are in finishing what needs to be done – the more results you’re likely to produce. Afterwards, you’ll have all the time in the world to answer your phone calls or to browse your Facebook page.
Productivity Booster #3: DETERMINE THE ACTIONS WHICH PROMISE GREATER RETURNS
Not all actions yield equal results. That’s pretty obvious, right?!
Yet, even with the most specific, time limited goals, it’s easy to slip into the trap of focusing on the little things, the easiest things to do rather than the things that will take you to your goals fastest. So, here’s what to do.
Take your specific, time limited goal and break it down into specific time measurable actions. Now place those actions in order of priority and work on them in that order. Take each in turn and do not move to another action until the one you’re working on is complete…
Productivity Booster #4: CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY
It’s no good turning over a new leaf today and then settling back into bad habits tomorrow… Research suggests it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Just 21 days!
Imagine that!
If you can just keep up these three simple steps EVERY SINGLE DAY for the next 21 days then you can form a new HABIT that can set you right on course to achieve maximum results in minimum time.
Sounds like a pretty small ‘task’ to me. Yet I know that almost nobody that reads this will do it. The numbers are stacked right against it. Just like the numbers are stacked against 95% of people from ever really achieving much. Isn’t that sad…?
Perhaps, perhaps not. I like to think it makes it just a little easier for those of us that DO. Those of us that have the WILLPOWER to master productivity and those of us that HAVE and WILL achieve their goals, dreams and aspirations. I’m sure you’re one of us…
Later on, I’m going to dive even further into productivity and show you EXACTLY WHY 95% of business owners NEVER, EVER get where they want to be. And more importantly I’m going to show you EXACTLY how to fix it…
