Imagine how much better your life would look this year if you applied a few simple secrets of successful people to actually get more stuff done. By stuff, I mean the really important goals that actually improve your outlook, make you  happy  and move your life forward in the “right” direction.

 

Imagine how better  your life look would if your really could honker down,  learn how to focus on your goals, take action and actually achieve more in any given day? 

 

Fasten your seat belt, as we whiz through some of the best kept secrets of successful people, that lead to greater productivity and a dopamine rush that’s literally addicting (in a good way). 🙂

 

Successful People Define What They Want

 

One reason why you might not be getting enough important stuff  done  is because they don’t start with the end in mind. In other words, have you taken the time to really dig deep and find out what you really want. This can be especially true for women simply because we can get accustomed to everyone around us setting our agenda. We play so many roles: wife, mother, friend, sibling, daughter, room mom, small business owner, employee, rescuer  etc., that we’re too exhausted to even think about what our ideal life would look like. Many times, our days are filled with interruptions and distractions that hinder our future. We move from task to task, never really changing our lives. We confuse busyness with productivity.

 

Real talk: If you are not moving forward, setting and crushing goals, that matter to you, you’re not really moving forward. You just moving around.

 

Let’s get focused in the right direction by answering a few simple questions:

 

• What do you actually want your life to look like?

 

• What does a successful lifestyle look like to you?

 

• What makes you happy?

 

• What makes you cry?

 

• What motivates you?

 

• What are you absolutely most passionate about?

 

No worries, most people haven’t answered these questions in any detail. The first secret of successful people is that they have answered these questions. As a result, their goals are formed around what they really want. As a result of that, they get more done because they don’t waste time on chasing too many rabbits that have nothing to do with their goals.  Make sense?

Successful People Make Peace with their Past

This includes their past successes and failures alike.

To live a happy and successful life, you must have the courage to make peace with your past. That means something different for all of us. Take some time to think about what events in your past that might be holding you back and causing you to constantly sabotage your future success.

 

This deep work might take some time, but the reward of moving forward is worth it.

 

It could be a relationship of career failure.

 

It could a traumatic event, like the loss of a loved one or the loss of a business.

 

Whatever it is, big or small, take the proper time and measures necessary to get over it so you can start getting clarity for your future.

 

Don’t forget to make peace with your past successes as well. If you don’t, you might find yourself living in the past (where the majority of folk hang out),  celebrating the glory days over and over. One of the secrets of successful people is that they celebrate their successes and move on to bigger and better pursuits. Be wise and do likewise.

 

Successful people set clever goals, not resolutions

 

Successful people are very clever when it comes to goal setting. They know the distinct difference between a carefully constructed clear goal and a resolution.

 

A resolution is really nothing more than a wish. An example would be: “I’m going to lose weight this year!” What you are really saying is:” I hope and wish that I will lose weight this year.” Resolutions are wishy washy, they don’t have any strategy running in the background to give your brain something to sink its teeth into. They are not measurable or specific. There’s no real accountability and most times it’s not even written down and posted where you can see it daily. No wonder these resolutions are mostly useless and only 8 to 9 percent of the population actually keep them.

 

On the other hand, carefully constructed clear goals and more readily met because they inspire creativity and productivity, which is a reward in and of itself.

 

Successful people Create Habits and Rituals that support their goals

 

In order to get more done and achieve their goals, successful people create relevant habits and daily rituals to support their goals. I like to think of the habit or ritual like scaffolding and the actual goal like the house that you are building. It seems weird, but you get the picture. Let’s look at the weight loss example. Instead of just saying: “I’m going to lose weight this year”. You create habits ( eating better) and rituals (exercising 4 times a week) to support the end result..losing weight. You then define what “eating better and exercising 4 times a week” looks like within the confines of your life.

Successful people ask for help (a lot of help)

 

I realize that everyone knows that delegation is one of the keys to success, productivity and moving faster towards your goals. 

 

A vital strategy to living more and working less is outsourcing and delegating tasks. Once you’ve done the work above and identified your highest goals, you can start identifying which tasks must be done by you and which ones you can and should delegate. You can start by looking at the people who are around you who want you to succeed. After that, consider which tasks to outsource and get the ball rolling.

 

Successful People Say NO a lot

 

When you begin to discover what you really want out of life and start crafting goals to get there, saying no will become a lot easier. Saying no doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a smart person. The more you say no to some of those opportunities that don’t serve you, your people, or your objectives, the easier it will be to say yes to yourself, your people and the things in life that matter most to you.

 

If you really want to take charge of your life, get more done and leave your mark on the world, follow the advice of Warren Buffett:

 

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

 

Steve Jobs said it like this:

 

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”

 

Now that we’ve laid a pretty solid foundation, It’s time  to stop spinning your wheels and wasting time trying to figure out how to find the time to build your side business, manage your family successfully and deal with other obligations.

 

As a bonus here are 6 very practical secrets of successful people that you can apply to your life and business to actually help you focus on your true goals and get more than you ever imagined possible done in a day:

1. Schedule Your Day the Night Before

I have been using this strategy for years, in everything that I do. Now you can apply this strategy to your life and tweak it according to your unique situation and goals.  For some this will look like a detailed list of 3 to 6 “income producing tasks”. To others, it might be a big idea scribbled on a piece of notebook paper by your bed. Whatever the case may be, most successful people have an idea of what their day is going to look like before they go to bed the night before. This is huge. This strategy alone will begin to change your life and your business because it actually puts you in the driver’s seat. You won’t get tossed to and fro by everybody else’ agenda when you have own, locked and loaded.

“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” – Greg Mc Keown

    2. Establish a Morning Routine or Ritual That You Enjoy

I’m not going to dive deep here because there is ton of research surrounding this idea. Let me just say this. Whether you know it or not, the vast majority of highly successful people have some sort of morning routine to get their day started properly. It may include a brisk walk, daily affirmations, prayer, silence, music, personal development reading, a hot shower, green juice or strong coffee. Or, some combination of these type of activities. The point here is that they have one and they are diligent about it engaging in it. It is so important to start your day off with the right positive mindset and a daily routine gets you centered and ready to meet the challenges of the day with power, calm and direction.

3.   Successful People Tackle  Priority Projects First

As practical as this may sound, many are unaware of this strategy.  In order to achieve this, you must be able to determine which projects support your overall plan.

 

For example, let’s say that your priority project for the day is to write a blog post. Although, you may have other “income producing” activities planned, creating a piece of “evergreen” content is one you have identified as  the most important. So, that is where you place your focus. The next day, it might be something else that is your priority project. When you tackle your priority project first, smaller less important tasks may fall through the cracks and end up on the next day’s list, but you will have accomplished the one thing you have identified as most important. 

The benefits from this strategy are many. This consistent practice will move you, your business, your projects and your family forward while nourishing your brain in the process. The sense of accomplishment releases a bunch of really cool neurotransmitters in your brain!

Successful people use this strategy to keep moving forward, keep the passion burning and create momentum in their life and business.

4.   Create a Scheduling System for Recurring Tasks

If there are certain recurring tasks that you do daily, or weekly, then create a system to schedule them all at once, instead of randomly throughout the day. An easy example would be, scheduling your social media posts for specific times during the day.  Another example, would be to systematize checking and responding to email by scheduling it, let’s say twice a day, instead throughout the day. . Checking email throughout the day can be a major distraction and time waster. Once you systematize it, you will be much more efficient and simply get more done. Try to systematize these recurring tasks as much as possible in order to increase productivity and get more done.

5.  Set Blocks of Time for Brainy Projects

Some tasks take more brain power than others. Determine what your most productive time of the day is and schedule those “brainy projects” during that time. For example, if writing is a huge part of your business, you might want to tackle it first thing in the morning.

 

Willpower is highest earlier in the day and whines down throughout the  day, for most people.

 

 I have a work from home business and I am usually creating content during the morning hours. I set time block of 2 to 3 hours in the morning that are dedicated to creating content.  I don’t take calls in the mornings, set up meetings or run errands. I write! Successful people understand the importance of time blocking. This is a great strategy for breaking down large projects as well.

 

6.  Exercise, Eat Well, Drink Water and Take Care of Your Body

 

Successful people realize that their most important asset is their body. They place a high priority on wellness and self care  in order to be in optimal shape and operate at peak performance. Highly successful people have some sort of exercise regimen and tend to eat healthier. Keep in mind that improving your health, wellness and self care is indeed a journey. Like everything else, you will improve in this area if you approach it the right way and create consistency.

 

Don’t be tempted to compare yourself  to others. I believe that is one of the greatest hindrances to success. It causes you to feel defeated and it immobilized you. Successful people don’t fall into this trap. They simply find out what works for them and like everything else: #WerkIt.

 

The health benefits for drinking plenty of water are well documented. But have you ever made the connection between drinking water and productivity? Yup, it’s a real connection there. The key is to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Believe it or not, hydration fuels energy. It keeps your mind and your body sharp and allows you to get much more done during the day.  

 

For successful people  managing your time really means  managing your energy.

 

If you start by building a solid foundation and  apply a handful of these strategies, you will begin to get more done and benefit from that sense of accomplishment that comes from taking massive imperfect action!!

 

Excuse me as I grab a glass of water. 🙂

 

Talk soon!

 

X O

 

Elaine

 

P.S.  Joining a community of like-minded successful women  is a great way to incorporate these strategies with success. Click here: to find out more about the Honey Rock Life Community. We’d love to meet you!