Plan your time
Planning is the key to achieving your goals. You should start by planning what you need to accomplish each month to meet your goals, then break these tasks down into weekly and daily to-dos. It’s important to set realistic targets – if you’re over-ambitious with what you set yourself, you won’t have the time to complete everything.
It takes time to plan, which is why so few people do it. However, planning is the essential first step to achieving your goals.
Prioritise work for high-performance times
Everyone has a time of day where they are most productive. For many, this is before lunchtime from 6am-1pm, and in the evening from 8pm-11pm. The lowest performance times of the day tend to be after mealtimes.
You should prioritise your most important tasks for your highest performance times. These should be your goal-orientated tasks – the ones that will help you achieve success in the long term. Use your lower performance times for more general tasks and meetings.
During your most productive times, you are more alert, your mind is more active, creativity peaks and it is easier to concentrate.
Block out your most productive times
When you’ve identified your most productive times, block these out for your goal-orientated tasks. You should treat these times as compulsory appointments that cannot be cancelled. If you allow other tasks to infiltrate this time, you won’t achieve your goals.
Remove all distractions
During your most productive times, you should do all you can to remove any possible distractions. This might include closing your email inbox and turning off your mobile phone and office phones. Even short interruptions can set you back 15 minutes, which can really add up when they occur regularly.
Inform colleagues
It’s important to explain to your colleagues, employees and family that you cannot be disturbed during your high-performance periods, except in the case of emergencies. This reduces the likelihood of external interruptions and ensures you are left to work towards your goals undisturbed.
Hugh Davies offer business planning services to help your enterprise flourish. Get in touch with the team today to discuss your requirements.