How to Work Smarter, Not Harder - Brian Tracy

 

https://youtu.be/iPE7_L1wRj8

Here's some great advice from Brian Tracy about working smarter

Forming Good Habits

Forming good habits is necessary for all areas of your life. From health and fitness to family and career goals. In this article, we will briefly discuss why good habits are great to have, and how you can go about forming them.

Personal Habits

Can you identify any good habits you already have? Do you exercise regularly? Do you organize your finances and pay your bills on time? While these things may seem small they are good habits to have, because they help you keep your life organized.

When you perform tasks without thinking, they have become a habit. However, if certain tasks seem like a daily effort, that's because it has not yet become habitual. The good news is that it only takes 21-days for something to become a habit. The hardest part is getting through the first weeks.

There are plenty of areas in your life that could benefit from forming good habits. Examples of these would include exercising regularly, making time to spend with your family, having a date night with your spouse and scheduling out your work week.

Many of these things can be easily planned and arranged by using a calendar. In this way, planning will become a new habit. In turn, all areas of your life will improve. You will find that you have more time to spend with your family, and that you actually do have some free time.

Business Habits

When it comes to the career side of your life things like remembering to check your email, checking for customer support tickets and creating a to-do list all fall into the good habit category.

You must open and read your business emails to stay on top of your work schedule. If you don't respond to customer service issues, for example, you will lose customers.

Creating your to-do list is one of the best business-related habits you can form. Your to-do list can be categorized in different ways, such as, by the due date, by the importance of the job or by the amount of time needed to complete the different task.

Once you have your to-do list in place then you can be more productive. Each morning your list is waiting and you just pick up from where you left off the day before.

Why not list the habits you currently have and then create a list of ones you would like to form, pick one and start working on it.

Forming good habits is the key to success in every area of your life. Plus it will give you a sense of accomplishment because your life is organized, and you are less stressed when things are in order.

Eugene Bly is a Life coach and the Author of The 21-Day Success Formula to Positive Habit Creation. Discover the blueprint for forming success habits that will help you excel in life. Visit his website at https://lifecoachacademyonline.lifecoachhub.com.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Eugene_Bly/261843

Personal Development Success Is Within Your Grasp

Many people try personal development techniques, but often they find them hard to accomplish. Barriers, such as physical fitness, mental capacity or self control, can hinder those who wish to try personal development. The tips found in this article will help anyone attempting personal development to break down those barriers.

Part of any successful personal development program is finding your passion. Your goals in both the short- and long-term should be selected with this in mind. The personal satisfaction and fulfillment that comes from doing work you love should be a goal in and of itself. A goal that calls for work you hate, though, may be too hard to achieve.

For those of us who are gamers, organization is also important. You need to keep your entertainment area clear and organized. Cluttered entertainment areas can actually be hazards that can make you fall or cause electrical shocks. Keep your cords and systems organized, don't leave the cords out for people yo fall over. Likewise, with controllers. Keep your games in one area, preferably drawers or cabinets. Most importantly, make sure that you don't have overloaded outlets.

Stand up for your belief systems. Your convictions make your personal character, so be sure to defend what you think is right. There are times when we're tempted to step down and follow the herd. However, standing up and being counted can encourage bravery in others and stop injustice before it starts.

Break down large goals into manageable steps. Many times our goals are lofty, which is a good thing. However large goals can seem unattainable, causing you to become daunted and lose motivation. Before you start any large project or goal, break it down into smaller steps. Get as detailed as you can. Soon you will be well on your way to success.

Head off procrastination and sluggishness with a healthier diet. Stay away from foods high in saturated fat such as hamburgers and french fries. Fatty foods cause fatigue, sluggishness and fatigue, as well as slower thinking. This makes it tough to stay focused and get through all of the tasks on our to-do list.

Make sure that you are well-rested. Working when you're tired can really make your work sloppy and it can really stress you out. It's also not that great for your health. Sometimes, even taking a nap can clear your head and you can be more productive after you wake up.

When suffering from a lack of confidence, you should try to engage in physical exercise or a type of sport on a regular basis. Not only will this improve your body shape and therefore your confidence in your looks, exercise releases endorphins which stimulate the mind and body to a natural high.

As stated before, people often find personal development techniques hard to do. The reason for this is because of different barriers that prevent their development. If you remember the tips found in this article, in regards to personal development, then you can eliminate any barriers in your way and reach maximum development results.

Kurt Tasche is an internet entrepreneur who writes articles on internet marketing tips, ways to make money online and personal development. You can read more articles like this on his blog at: https://www.kurttasche.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kurt_A_Tasche/254929

Maximize Your Time: 10 Tips for Extreme Productivity

1) Know your work style and use the tools and systems that match. If you work well with technology, use your computer, phone, and apps for your scheduling and organization. If you are a visual person, consider using a paper calendar and a written to-do list. If you are a people person, develop a team around you to complement your strengths. If you work alone, find time to focus and remain distraction-free. If you are a morning person, attack the most important tasks early in the day. 

2) Use ONE calendar. Sometimes people will have several calendars: one for family, one for work, one for personal appointments. Keep ONE calendar for everything. Use different colors or type styles to differentiate categories. Personally, I am very visual and remember things better when I write them down, therefore I have a paper calendar for my appointments, but due to the need for dynamic communication I have a Google calendar to support my scheduling, which might appear like two calendars, however, this calendar is a mirror of the paper one and has everything on it. While it is extra work to have both, it is one calendar (paper or digital) with all the information. 

3) Make a to-do list at the end of each day. Your mind naturally begins to work on the list as you sleep. When you awake, you are ready to work, are very productive and organized. Estimate how much time each task will take you and only put on your next day to-do list what is reasonable to get done. 

4) "Eat your frog first." A Brian Tracy concept*: Do the hardest thing you have to do all day first before you do anything else. Doing this will provide you with the feeling of success in having a "burden" off your back and the momentum to accomplish the remaining tasks. 

5) Have a clear goal; write it down and read it daily. When you have a goal you know what to focus on and work toward. If you do not have this at the front of your mind, it is easy to get caught up with the urgent things of the day or trapped in reacting to e-mail, phone calls, interruptions, and other people's emergencies. 

6) Have a "power hour." Designate one hour each day to close the door, shut down e-mail, turn off the ringer on the phone and guard yourself from interruptions. Have a pre-picked project that you will work on during this time only. Make sure to go to the bathroom, get a drink, and do whatever else you need to in order to ensure you do not leave once this hour starts. Give yourself 30 minutes after this hour to return calls, e-mails, and care for people with whom you need to follow up that you missed during the POWER HOUR. 

7) Touch it once. This means e-mail, mail, papers, etc. Touch it and make a decision. File it, toss it, or put it in a place for action. Sorting bins are helpful for this. Sorting bins often have labels like: read, file, do this week, urgent, bills, etc. Also, if your subject lines in e-mails are accurate, it is easy for both you and the recipient to find the e-mail. Paper, soft copy (computer), and e-mail folders should have matching labels. 

8) Have daily habits. After you develop a routine of things that are simple but important, your body will naturally do them. This is important because we can get distracted by our regular routines and use them as vices to interrupt, procrastinate, and prolong important things that really need to get done. If you start your day right, you will be ready to do those urgent and important tasks, increasing your everyday productivity. 

9) Pre-prep. Have you ever been amazed on cooking shows how they make a complicated dish in 10 minutes? OK, part is edited TV time, but they also have everything pre-prepped for quick assembly. Why not do the same? Prepare your information packets and new client folders, turn common documents into a template, set up e-mail group/ distribution lists for teams, etc. 

10) Maximize car systems. Listen to a book on audio to maximize your windshield time and learn. Have a bin to put important things in, rather than having them all over the car. Have a trash bag to catch the litter. Always have a bottle of water in the car with you; dehydration causes fatigue, memory loss, and low concentration. Make sure your contacts are portable (e.g, phone, planner, business card file book) so you can keep people and numbers at your fingertips (so that you can call if you're running late, caught in traffic, etc.). Enjoy relaxing, breathing, and taking in the day while driving (rather than cleaning, talking on the phone, etc.) When you implement a few simple productivity strategies and develop them as time-saving habits, you will quickly enjoy the benefit of more time and energy and overall increased productivity. 

*Tracy, Brian. Eat that Frog! 21 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. San Francisco: BerrettKoehler, 2001

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Christy_Geiger/2434143

Daily Habits of Successful People | Brian Tracy

 

https://youtu.be/nu5I85_YAak

Here's some great advice on building and maintaining habits by Brian Tracy

Work Less Achieve More, Right After Reading This Article!

Have you ever wanted to have thirty-six hours a day because twenty-four is not enough? The deadlines for given tasks and projects seem too close that you cannot finish on time. The worse, unbalanced lifestyle enhances stress that makes you unhappy and miss the beauty of your life. However, you're not the only person with twenty-four hours a day, the busiest people with the busiest schedules on this planet have same exact amount of time. They're good at time management because they know how good time management makes their life better.

Wouldn't it be nice if you finish your project or task before given time, so you can take a rest or grab a cup of coffee? When you manage your time wisely, you'll have more leisure time for yourself. More than that, you'll not be over stressed again because you know exactly what comes next (for the most of time). The best part is, you'll have better work and life balance which will give enough time for you to spend with your loved ones or practice a hobby.

If I've got you convinced, let's take a look at how to effectively manage our valuable time with these four proven techniques. 

The first and the most effective technique is to plan your day in advance. Think about what you're going to do tomorrow from today and write it down. Of course there're several methods that you can plan your day. For example, journaling; many successful people keep a journal, journals are already made for planning purposes, so it's easy to plan your day with a journal. As a matter of fact, after I started to journal, my life has changed a lot. For me, journaling does more than planning the 'tomorrow' because it helps me to track the whole year. That means, journaling will give you the most accurate analysis of the year and you'll be able to see your development, also correct your mistakes for the next year.

Another way to plan your day ahead is to have a to-do list. It's simple, easy and makeable in no time, simply you write what to do for the day. To-do lists can be in your journal as you wish. To effectively make a to-do list, you should put your tasks in time-blocks. Think about any task that you need to do; writing an essay, hitting the gym or preparing for finals. Whatsoever your task is, put specific time periods for specific tasks. For example, study for an hour, by doing this you force yourself to finish your study in an hour, as a result, you avoid distractions. But wait, how do you guess an estimated time for particular task or activity? If you're unsure about how much time you should set for a task, then you simply test it. Set your stopwatch (you've it in your phone if not on internet) and stop it when you get it done, now you know for how long that specific task lasts. While doing that, you must avoid any distractions like social media or phone calls, remember, you've got limited time to finish your task.

Second, since time management is all about having the best out of your time, prioritizing is the key. "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first", said Mark Twain. Do your most important tasks first, which is generally in the morning. After you're done with it, do less pertinent tasks. By doing this your workflow gets more organized and helps you to be more sufficient.

Third, take your time, take regular breaks. Without enough rest, you cannot be productive. You can arrange your breaks with Pomodoro technique which was developed by Francesco Cirillo. Basically, you work for twenty-five-minute block and have a break of five minutes. However, I modified this technique for myself and you can do the same because this's like a template that you can use.

You can use this amazing template in two ways, here is what I did, first, I changed the time blocks, for me it is forty-five-minute work and five minutes of rest. On the other hand, when I write, I make the outline first, after I'm done with the outline, I take a rest of ten minutes, then I start writing. As you can see, you can change the time blocks or you can adapt it to yourself as task based breaks. Because in particular tasks, for me it's writing, you get really focused and you're in the flow, so you don't want to stop. After completing four cycles like these, take a longer break of twenty minutes. Again, use it as however it suits you.

The last one, have a morning routine and wake up early. How do you start your day? Do you check your smart phone and go through social media or make your bed? If you're on your phone, then you're wasting your time. Here is what happens, I tracked how much time I spend on social media in mornings and it was approximately thirty minutes. Instead of spending thirty minutes on social media, I started to use that time for myself, the improvement was incredible. If you don't believe me try yourself!

Contact me: aahmetmeliksah@gmail.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ahmet_Meliksah_Akdeniz/2758352