10 Tips to be Productive in Business, Career and Skill acquisition
Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." --John D. Rockefeller
"Are there no better ways to work less and earn more"
I grew up to meet my parents hustling round the clock, till date the story hasn’t changed. I have quietly watched them and I saw that their pattern is consistent with many homes. Both in the developed and developing world.
Here are my conclusions:
- What you know, nonetheless, may not guarantee your productivity.
- Hard work is not assurance to a life of excellence.
- What you earn may not sustain you nor afford your bill.
Below are 10 valid tips to be productive, successful and live happier
1.The Principle of Double Creation:
All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions. Leonardo Da Vinci
The extent and abilities of the mind still remain a mystery to date.
It will amaze you what the mind can create when you allow it. Every finished art is first finished in the mind before the real deal begins.
Stephen Covey in his book "The 7 habits of Highly Effective People" Stated that all things are created twice, firstly in the mind and secondly the actual creation.
Every artist first develops a mental picture of a finished artwork even before they get their materials together.
Have a clear picture of what you want to do from the start to the finish. Mentally assess all the demands. It gives you a clear goal.
If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there. Lewis Carroll
I encourage you to apply this principle, it works for anyone who is concerned about personal growth.
2. Trust Your Instincts:
I have heard people say something in me warned me about the business deal but I didn't listen.
Your instinct is your invisible part that knows and is aware of what you never learnt formally.
It’s the part of you that connects to the universal mind of God.
And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” NRSV Isaiah 30:21
There is a part of man that knows all things. We seldom give attention to it because of its operational pattern.
It isn't forceful, calm and best appreciated by those practice meditation.
Your instinct guides you into creative paths. It's very reliable when you train yourself to trust your instinct.
At times it comes with feelings, such as happiness, apathy and loss of interest. Other times, you just come to a knowledge of what you have never read nor seen before. It speaks to you in other dynamic ways. The secret is to know yourself and understand your heart connectivity with the mind of the Divine.
Man know thyself; then thou shalt know the Universe and God. Pythagoras
3. Avoid Impulsivity:
I can assure you that you may return frustrated or with minimal yield if you do things spontaneously.
When you plan meticulously, and apply wisdom, you have chances to do better. To be meticulous doesn't mean be fearful while doing your task in other to avoid errors. It means to be as careful as possible
Think before you act and act on what you believe. Bo Bennett
Be sure of what you want to do and apply valid principles. Principles don't fail except you apply a wrong one.
One valid principle doesn't cancel another. Therefore apply proven principles in that area of interest.
4. Know your Capacity; Don't Copy Others:
No one does better than what he/she is capable of. Your strength determines what you can achieve and the extent you can go when the process becomes tedious.
...warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us Roman's 12vs3 NLT
Sincerely evaluate yourself and commit to all that it takes to become a better person.
This is so personal and cannot be overlooked. The average is not an option, it's either you are a professional or not.
You don’t have to copy others. If you do, you will be their best alternative.
It's good to learn from others and be inspired by there stories. But your story could also be another level of inspiration for others if you overcome your peculiar task and confrontations.
5. Practise ahead:
Have predetermined responses and approaches to what is yet to come.
It is like a trial version of the main package. When you rehearse ahead, you are carefree of errors.
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what he will speak with me, and what I shall answer concerning my complaint. Hab2:1 ASV
This man above was expecting to hear from the invisible, meanwhile, he started envisaging what he will reply should there be any rebuke. At times create scenarios in mind and tackle it thoroughly at that virtual level.
As you practise ahead, learn from your mistakes. Bypass avoidable mistakes by learning from previous errors:
Life is too short to experiment with, therefore at all cost learn from your past errors and that of others
6. Eat the Frog within the Concept of Time:
Finishing a little task gives you a sense of accomplishment. It encourages you to move on to another and then on and on you go.
This concept works for me, not often I start with a major scary task.
Regardless of what you start with, ensure time factor is considered
Avoid crashing programs. The core concept of time management is to avoid a crash program.
Proactive people work ahead as much as they plan ahead.
The advantage is that peradventure they fail while trying, they are at least sure of one way by which such a task can not be accomplished.
Working ahead gives you more room to adjust and strategise.
Working ahead gives you a sense of control. You're not under any pressure to make errors.
7. Step by Step Approach:
A house is built by laying one brick over another. The foundation of a house serves as an anchor to the body while the body an anchor to the roof.
You conquer a major task, by winning over minor tasks. There's never a major victory, huge successes are the summation of minor achievements.
Break the seemingly heavy tasks into chunks.
Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. – Henry Ford
8. Do not Multi-task:
"I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but not everything is constructive 1corinthians 10:23--NIV
If you are good in many craft, you may not be a professional of a single task.
Efficiency drops with multitasking.
Focus on one primary assignment per time.
No matter how multi-talented you are, be a master of one trade per time.
9. Avoid Distractions:
I use to think I read 6hourly every day, until one day I decided to track my actual reading time.
I read with a stopwatch and paused the timing each time I'm doing anything else other than reading. What I found amazed me.
Time spent on the internet was almost 40 per cent of my study time.
There are many other ways distractions can come. As innocent as answering a phone call may disturb your delicate balance.
- Be prepared before you ever start.
- Eat to avoid fatigue and loss of concentration.
- Reply messages and call your spouse beforehand to avoid throbbing calls.
- Relax your nerves and rest good rest to avoid anxiety
10. Apply all the 9 Tips above
But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. James 1:25 NLT
Everyone has the potential to do greater things but knowing what to do is one thing, another is doing it.
