Four Ideas to Stay Focused and Productive

Do you have challenges with having focused periods to accomplish your goals?

Many of us have faced that issue, and all of us must be diligent in order to stay focused and maximize our productivity.

Here are four ideas to help you stay focused and productive.

Four Ways to Stay Focussed and Productive

Set a Vision with SMART Goals and the Steps to Accomplish Them.  The first step in being focussed and productive is knowing where you want to go, and who you want to become (vision). Once you are clear on where you want to go, take the time to write down SMART goals (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Results focused, and Time Bound). We want a goal that is measurable in some way, like dollars earned, or hours spent, and we want to set a completion date. Once we have our vision and set goals, the next action is to lay out the sequence of steps or milestones it will take to reach each goal. Focusing on these steps and working on them daily will keep us productive and motivated.

Know Why Each Goal is Important. When we are able to connect with the “why” of each goal, we will be more motivated to go after it and ultimately achieve it. Write down why each goal is important to you personally, what achieving the goal will mean to your family, and what achieving the goal will mean to others. Achieving a goal that means something to us personally will motivate each of us. However, our sense of satisfaction will increase even more when we understand what achieving a goal will mean to our family and others. Our greatest satisfaction comes from serving others, and knowing we have made a difference in others’ lives, so focus on the why of each goal to stay motivated.

Schedule Priority Time on Your Calendar. When I have a priority that must get done I write it on my calendar. For some reason, we treat calendar time as more important than items on our To Do list, so add the next action to accomplish as a goal on your calendar. The key is to treat that time like you would any other appointment with another person. Do not let anything interrupt you. Let others know you will not be available for an hour or two, due to an appointment. Once you are able to institute this practice your productivity will soar!

Weekly Review. Set aside time every week to do a weekly review. During this appointment with yourself, review the prior week’s calendar, notes and actions as well as progress on weekly goals. The next step is to review your calendar for the upcoming week in order to mark out time to prepare for meetings. The last step is to review your goals, and steps required to reach those goals, and put them on your calendar. I believe that the Weekly Review is the single most important tool to help you execute and reach your goals. There is a saying “You will not get what you expect unless you inspect with regularity.”

Do you have any tools and tips that work for you to help you stay focused and productive?