(written in haste)
I suspect this post will be ever evolving. I am sharing a list of productivity rules/tools that have worked for me throughout the years especially as I’m using this week to focus in on the precious pieces that make up my life. What a gift life is. I’m finding that by not being more intentional about my time and executing my obligations I’m missing out on life, happiness and progress.
Number One: Plan out your day –
Starting the day without a plan is the first mistake. With no plan there are no goals, and not achievements, and even worse there is opportunity to derail you from reaching your goals. I think it’s really important to see important meetings, assignments, deadlines, engagement etc. in one place. It’s also helpful to know what these things are in advance to that you can mentally prepare. I spent a good chunk of today populating and organizing my personal schedule so that I can be in alignment with what the day is asking of me.
Number Two: Budget the day –
Now this is a new one for me, but I believe it’s going to make a huge difference. I have a terrible tendency to eat out even when dinner was not planned. This becomes a huge money sucker. Instead I want to budget for these types of outings ahead of time. This will prevent me from spending money I didn’t need to. As I think about this, I’m realizing a daily budget is a subset of an overall budget that will provide me with a yearly, monthly, weekly and ultimately daily breakdown of where my money is allowed (and not allowed) to go.
Number Three: No new plans –
This is a rule that became key for me during undergrad. I told myself that I would not make spur of the moment plans. This meant, if a friend were to invite me to dinner, or a party the day-of, unless this was previously planned I would make it my default to politely decline. This prevented me from distractions and likely preservation of funds that I may have spend. A big part of consistency and achieving goals is consistency, not fun, so it’s important to not let unplanned distractions derail your progress.
Number Four: Review your progress –
One aspect of marketing that makes me excited is constantly checking metrics to see how effectively a campaign is hitting its goals. This often means looking at ticketing sales multiple times a day, or reviewing the number of attendees for a certain event. I love seeing those numbers grow. I realize that I can do the same thing in my own life. As I plan out each day, or set goals whether that be for budgeting or a unique life experience, it is so important to check in, check in, check in. This will not only help me to keep track of my progress and celebrate my wins, big and small – -but it will also help me to see if I am getting off track or dropping the ball altogether in one area or another.
This obviously is not an extensive list, but I believe these four small things will make a big difference for me as I continue to pursue life in the most effective way possible. I hope this helps you too.
TJ
