4 ways to get more done each day

Heather — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 16:45:04 +0000

Let’s face it, no matter how much we get done each day, burning the candle at both ends, the longer our to-do list gets. I personally run to the side of overly ambitious in all the things that I want to pursue and accomplish. In any given day, I might decide to get a lot of work done for a client, work out an hour or two, make a great meal, clean my house, write some pages in my book-in-progress and spend quality time with my kidos. Some days I accomplish all of this and some days not so much. Because I’m always trying to do so much, I’ve had to find effective and simple strategies to get more done- without killing myself. The key? Quit trying to do so much! Here are four tips to help you get more of the right stuff done each day. 1) Prioritize – what do you really want to do and what really has to get done? Once a week (and usually every day), I make a list of the FEW things that absolutely must get done this week. For me, mowing the lawn isn’t on the MUST do list while cleaning the clothes is, folding them isn’t. Paying the utility bill that is past due so the electricity doesn’t get turned off is. At work, I really focus on the 80/20 – the 20% of things that have the ability to move the needle. So the few things might be meeting with my staff to develop next quarter’s strategic plan (helping them find their 80/20) but not cleaning out my inbox. For a busy executive – this list might only be 3-5 items long. 2) Quit multi-tasking – believe it or not multi-tasking is the worst thing that you can do. It used to come with bragging rights but now I think most people realize this is not the way to get more done. You end up working on a lot of things but getting nothing done well. Don’t believe me? Try it for a week. Only work on one thing at a time. You’ll get more done, you’ll feel less stressed and what you do get done will be done well. 3) Make your Mornings Count – Do the most important (and hardest) tasks when your brain is at its peak. For most of us, that is first thing in the morning. I realized a long time ago, that if I don’t get the hard stuff done by 11, I’m pretty much screwed for the day. And what we do the first thing in the morning sets the tone. If you start your day saturating your brain with email or worse yet last night’s Facebook posts, you’ll set yourself up for a very unproductive day. So don’t use those precious fertile moments to read email or pay bills! That time is precious and should be used for things that require great creativity and or great thought. If you are working on a new business idea, writing a book or […]

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Embrace Change for Growth

Heather — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 23:11:29 +0000

“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.” ― C. JoyBell C. What does it mean to be successful? Many times we have a vision in our heads of having “arrived” at some poignant point in our lives where we have achieved all that we have set out to achieve. Finally, I have work-life balance, finally I am as healthy as I want to be, finally I have work that fills me with passion and I can execute with integrity and purpose. Finally I have the people in my life that I want. Finally I have financial security and I can give back. Finally. I am successful. But whether you have actually arrived at this place, called “success” or are still striving in that direction, the problem with this day dream is this – what happens to your life once you have arrived? What then? We now have all that we ever wanted, but is it enough? How often we achieve exactly what we want in life, only to find ourselves mildly content for a bit and then largely discontented. Maybe because the dream wasn’t all the reality was cracked up to be. Maybe because what we really needed in life wasn’t the success vision we had pursued, but something entirely else. Or maybe the truth is a realization that if we aren’t growing, we are dying. Bottom line; open yourself up to the next passionate scheme that ignites your soul. We need something else to strive for. The depths of our souls are endless and the possibilities of our passions are limitless. To live, we must grow. And to grow, we must change. We must take risks. We must take on new assignments, new beliefs, and new people. We will never “arrive” at a point in our lives where we won’t be uncomfortable or have to deal with difficult people or circumstances. This is because without trial and tribulation and pain, we can’t grow. This reminds me of weight lifting. If you’ve ever had a particularly intense workout, you know that your muscles will be sore the next day (or several days!). Muscles grow only through the process of repairing damage to themselves. When you lift significant weight, you are actually tearing and damaging the muscles. They grow larger and more defined through the re-building process. Without the pain and damage, there could be no growth. Even when we think we have “arrived”, we still should be open to new challenges and continue to expose ourselves to life. We will continue to suffer setbacks and damage and there will be moments of strife, grief and really hard work. But in the end, we’ll keep […]

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4 ways to get more done each day

Embrace Change for Growth