Be PROFESSIONALLY BETTER – Planning
What Is The ONE THING You Must Do To Make Today Successful?
Three Steps to Find and Implement the One Thing
If I were to ask you what your plan is to plan your day, what would you say?
Most, I’ve found, have a few ideas rolling around in their head like loose rocks. (size of rocks is not the issue right now;)
Some may even scratch a couple things down on a scratch sheet of paper for the game plan for the day.
Yet ironically, a high majority of people cannot tell me the answer to this very important question.
What is the ONE THING I Must Accomplish For Today To Be A Success?
It’s amazing what could happen if you focused on one main thing that you not only hope to accomplish but plan and make happen that will make your day a success!
How can this become a reality?
Here are Three Steps to Find and Implement the One Thing
Step 1 – THINK AHEAD
You should know before you begin your day, what your ONE THING is for the day ahead.
Ultimately, you want to make this decision the day before to maximize your results but at a minimum, you should know before you begin the first thing in your work day.
You may be excited about your ONE THING and cannot wait to start it.
Your ONE THING may not be the thing you necessarily even want to do but may need to do.
And your ONE THING may not even be something that you will complete today but is critical you begin today.
The point is you pre-decide what is going to make you feel like today was a success.
One way to Think Ahead is to implement Think Space. Read Here.
Step 2 – SCHEDULE IT
Once you’ve decided and are convinced of your ONE THING, now it’s time to schedule it within your day ahead.
It will not magically appear just because you had this epiphany or great idea. It must be scheduled.
Michael Hyatt is often quoted, “What gets scheduled, gets done.” I live by that quote whether I try to or not.
Absolutely nothing will be gained if you try to squeeze the most important thing you need to do into the cracks of your day.
You must schedule when you will knock out your ONE THING then how long you think it will take to accomplish it or make enough headway for you to feel today was productive and successful.
If you don’t schedule enough time, you’re further ahead than when you started but may not be able to say “today was a success” with the amount of your ONE THING you completed.
Make a point after you decide what your ONE THING is to put it on your calendar.
Step 3 – PRIORITIZE IT
Not everyone has the ability to control “what you do when” within your day. But many of us do.
What if you scheduled your ONE THING the first possible chance you have within your day? Why?
You’re the freshest and most determined in the morning. And this is key if you’re working on a task that doesn’t bring you energy and something you don’t enjoy doing.
Another reason is the sooner you begin, the more of your day you will have to complete your ONE THING. It it’s not started until after lunch, you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself to complete it.
It also gives you time to circle back on the ONE THING if an unavoidable distraction comes up and takes you off course.
Sometimes your schedule doesn’t always cooperate but make that the exception not the rule and prioritize your ONE THING for the day.
If it truly is the ONE THING, then you want to make it a top priority within your day and let everything else drop in priority.
Personal Example
This is how it plays out for me. I schedule my ONE THING the day before. Why? I almost always know what it is by the end of the workday.
So, I get organized the day before with my ONE THING so I can hit the ground running the next morning. I think ahead of what I’ll need, write some notes, and set myself up for success the moment I begin my ONE THING.
Next, I schedule my first time block (dedicated period of time) to work on my ONE THING for the day. I’ll work for a solid 90 minutes then take a break. If that surprises you, read THIS.
If my ONE THING takes more than my first time block, I resume my ONE THING after my break. I’m usually feeling revived from my break and often have fresh eyes to dive back into my ONE THING.
If I’m unable to resume my ONE THING due to another commitment, I schedule when I can get back to my ONE THING so the day doesn’t get away from me.
I’m notorious for thinking any given task will be completed sooner than it actually does so I must repeat the cycle and Think Ahead of when I Schedule IT for another time within my day that is a PRIORITY so I can monitor it to end in a productive, successful day.
This is completely doable Oh Productive Fans!
Closing Challenge…
Motivated, busy professionals are often highly productive. But what if we could be more productive and effective by making small changes to the way we approach our day?
This is the whole reason behind implementing the ONE THING into your day.
I challenge you to try it for one week working through this method of…
Think Ahead
Schedule It
Prioritize It
I believe you will see tangible and powerful results when (not if) you implement the ONE THING into your work day.
Closing Question…
What do you need to do to implement the ONE THING tomorrow?
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