The dirty little secret behind success in the modern age is that it’s tougher to achieve than ever before. Sure, there are more tools now to help you along your way, but that often results in more distractions. Throw in the fact that we’re all charged with doing more with less, and successful time management is more difficult than it ever has been.But there is a secret that high-achievers use to manage and avoid the sheer overwhelm: setting a daily routine.It’s a time-tested practice of successful people of all types, as you’ll see below.But it’s about more than just ticking off the items on your daily to-do lists; setting a routine and establishing helpful habits can lead to greater achievement. It can also help you feel a deeper sense of meaning in your life. Even better, we’ll show you the steps you need to get started on your new goal of developing a successful routine. But first, WHY is it important to set a healthy daily routine? Simply put, following a daily routine benefits our brains by cutting down on multitasking and decision fatigue. By following a structure, you’re able to turn daily tasks into habits while spending less mental energy in the process. It also promotes focusing on single tasks, which conserves your mental load for the more complex issues that pop up during the day. As this article in the New York Times points out, that actually optimizes your brain for more creative and innovative thinking.If you need further proof, there’s actually science behind the benefits of having, and sticking to, a daily routine.For starters, they’re vital to our development as humans. Experts have found that giving a child a consistent schedule builds confidence, organization, self-control and independence while also helping the brain develop properly .The benefits certainly don’t end in our infancy as researchers have recently discovered that subjects who lived by a consistent schedule also tended to attach a greater meaning to their lives. Don’t believe a daily routine is important? Check out these daily routine examples of top performers. Winston Churchill woke up at 7:30 am. He stayed in bed to eat breakfast, catch up on the news and dictate to his assistants. By 11:00 am, he’d head out to take a walk and start work for the day (always with a whiskey and soda!). At 1:00, he’d take a break for lunch and often play cards with his wife until 3:00 pm. After working for a few more hours, he’d take a quick 30-minute nap at 5:00 pm to recharge in time for dinner. Then he'd be off for drinks with friends at 5:30 pm. At midnight, he’d squeeze in an hour of reading before heading to bed.But that’s just one man. Mason Currey has compiled the daily habits of some of the world’s most successful people in his book, “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work”,Maya Angelou woke up at 5:30 am and had coffee with her husband at 6:00 am. She then would be off to work by 6:30 am in a small hotel room she reserved for writing only. By 2:00 pm, she’d wrap up for the day and head home to re-read her work, disconnect, and prepare dinner.Novelist John Grisham would wake up at 5 a.m. in order to arrive at his home office desk by 5:30. There, he would write one page before heading to his day job as a lawyer.Toni Morrison drinks a cup of coffee and watches the sun come up before she sits down to write.But it’s hardly just writers who stick to a schedule. Presidents (Barack Obama, George W. Bush), Philosophers (Immanuel Kant) and visionaries (Benjamin Franklin) -- some of the world’s great do-ers -- have used well-defined daily routines to accomplish more in their 24 hours. The Secret To Making Success A Habit A routine is simply the set of habits that help you get things done. Chances are, you already have one -- think of all the things you do before you begin your workday.The key to establishing a daily routine for success is to create new habits based on your higher-level goals (we call these Result Goals). You can make them as automatic as getting dressed in the morning (or early afternoon).While it may sound daunting -- we all know habits can be hard to break -- studies show that goal-based habits are actually easier to establish.And if you’re the type who has trouble sticking with something like this, the 13-Week Roadmap section of our Self Journal points out that scientists have found that “goal setting is one of the easiest ways to increase motivation and enhance performance.”So, start by identifying your goals. They’ll let you know which habits you’ll need to make AND provide the motivation to do it. Use Your New Habits to Make Your Own March Let’s say your Result Goal is to double your quarterly revenue. It’s nice and actionable. By breaking it into a smaller chunk than a year-long goal, you’ll be less likely to become distracted.But how do you create habits from that?Using our Self Journal as a guide, you’ll then break that goal down into Progress Milestones, which are the trackable, measurable benchmarks you’ve identified that will lead to achieving your goal. Following our revenue example, your progress milestone might be to convert 13 prospects into new clients.The goal is to figure out which day-in, day-out Actions and Tasks are needed to get you there. Then, you can turn those tasks into daily habits.We call this the “20-Mile March." It's a reference to the story of two teams racing to the South Pole in 1911. The team that trudged through 20 miles per day, regardless of weather, bested the team that bunkered down during blizzards and tried to make up ground when the conditions improved. That 20 miles per day turned out to be a pretty successful daily habit.It’s that consistent progress that we modeled our 13-Week Roadmap after. In order to land 13 new clients this quarter, your “20-Mile March” could be to make 15 cold calls per day and attend two networking meetings per week. And with consistency, those actions will turn into the habits that lead you to your Progress Milestones and Result Goals. Make Time for Your New Habits With Time Blocking A routine is only as successful as your willingness to adhere to it. The countless distractions that fly your way throughout your day can make it especially hard. The best shield against this onslaught is time blocking. It’s a topic worthy of its own post, which we covered here.We recommend a well-rounded routine, so be sure to make time for your Personal and Health-related goals, too. Don’t forget to block out time for some helpful habits before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Make Sure You are Rigid, but Your Routine is Flexible Adherence and discipline are key. But don’t be afraid to admit if something isn’t working. If you just haven’t been giving yourself enough time to connect with your employees or get your busy work done, you can adjust. If you’re consistently missing your Progress Milestones, develop a new plan. Your daily actions and progress milestones aren’t your destination, they’re the steps toward it. And as with any road map, there are many ways to get where you’re going.Some vital steps to follow:Actively track your goals and progress dailyReflect on your progress dailyIf you’ve been successful, reward yourself. This will give you the positive reinforcement you need to keep going, especially if your ultimate goal is still a month or two away. This will keep you engaged.If you haven’t been successful, figure out why and adjust. Rather than get discouraged by your lack of progress, let the ability to adjust your direction energize you.Setting up an actionable routine, and giving yourself attainable, measurable steps toward your goals not only makes your day and duties more manageable, it optimizes your brain for success. By using these techniques, you can take control of your time and success by developing the habits of a successful daily routine.

Habits make up who we are. They also play a huge role in who we can become. There are numerous bad habits that hurt our productivity every day. These are common habits that don’t seem like a big a deal on the surface. But the fact is if you’re doing these things you won’t reach your full potential. “In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”Tony Robbins We all realize how important our habits are and the impact they have on our lives. Yet, we all have bad habits. Some are more damaging than others. The most damaging are things we do every day that we might not even recognize as bad habits. Are you ready to discover the bad habits that are slowing you down and preventing you from reaching your top productivity? And how to fix them? Identifying Bad Habits in Your Daily Routine Bad habits come in two forms: Mindset Habits and Action Habits. Your mindset habits consist of your beliefs and thoughts about yourself and others. They are the phrases and thoughts you repeat to yourself consistently over time. They play a key role in how you see yourself and in how you act. Bad mindset habits also affect your ability to make positive changes. Action habits are the things you do repeatedly, often without even noticing. Biting your nails, starting your day with a sugary breakfast, and checking your phone messages as soon as you wake up, are all examples of action habits. Common Bad Habits That Hurt Productivity So, which bad habits are part of your daily routine? Could you be doing some simple things that hurt your productivity without even realizing it? If so, how can you fix it? The first step in fixing a bad habit is identifying it. Once you’ve identified your bad habits, then you need to break them. Easier said than done, right? Don’t worry. Let’s take a look at seven common bad habits that are hurting your productivity and how you can fix them. Here are some tips to help you catch yourself when you fall into bad habits, AND what you can do to break them. Mindset Habits Habit #1: Negative Self-Talk – There’s no better way to hurt your productivity than negative self-talk. Putting yourself down, beating yourself up, and telling yourself you can’t, all lead to negative outcomes. Have you ever caught yourself saying something like: “I’ll never be successful;” “I can’t do it;” “There’s no use;” or “I’ll never change?” These statements will become self-fulfilling prophecies.Use “Triggers” for Positive Self-Talk – You must avoid negative self-talk like a plague if you want to be productive. According to Jennice Vilhauer Ph.D.,you need to do four things to stop negative self-talk: Notice the critic, separate the critic from you, talk back to the critic, and replace the critic. One way to stop negative self-talk and replace it is to use “triggers,” like the Breathe Band, for example. Triggers help remind you to use positive self-talk. For example, when you see your trigger you could say something like: “I GOT this;” “I CAN do this;” “I AM good enough;” or “I WILL get better.” Habit #2: Indecisiveness – Some decisions are hard and no one wants to make the wrong choice. However, being indecisive can be worse than choosing wrong. Because, failing to make a choice leads to unfinished business, making you less productive.Set a Deadline – One effective way to overcome indecisiveness is to set a realistic deadline. By giving yourself a deadline you force yourself to make a decision. You can add even more accountability by sharing your deadline with others. Executive coach, Steven Berglas, says you need to trust your gut, cut back on the number of options you consider, and prioritize your demands. “Indecision is all about avoiding 1) the choice between two negative alternatives, one of which has to be adopted, or 2) the choice between two fairly equal courses of action.” If you make the wrong choice, you can learn from it, and in many cases, correct it. Habit #3: Rationalizing – When you rationalize you basically lie to yourself. This kind of talk leads to excuses. It also leads to avoiding the hard tasks. Rationalization allows you to waste time on less important or irrelevant matters instead of the most important tasks. It could even lead to making poor choices that you know are wrong. If you hear yourself saying things like I’m too frustrated, my situation is different, I don't have time, or that won’t work because…., then you’re rationalizingBe Honest With Yourself – Whenever you recognize you’re not being honest with yourself be courageous and decisive. You can do this by focusing on what matters most. If necessary, go some place quiet where you can meditate. Take ownership of your responsibilities and compare the impact of completing or not completing them. Focus on the positive and ask questions like: why not? and what’s stopping me? Keep your eye on the goal and find someone to hold you accountable. Action Habits Habit #4: Doing the Easy Tasks First – When you delay the hard tasks to do the easy stuff first, you run out of time to get the hard tasks done. This is a vicious cycle that leads to low productivity and a low success rate.Schedule Your Most Important Tasks First – Think of the "Eat The Frog First" strategy, which essentially means getting the worst task of your day done first. You can use the Self Journal to help you schedule your most important tasks at the beginning of the day. When you get the hard tasks out of the way first, it frees up your mind, your time, and your energy to get the easy stuff done. Habit #5: Checking and Responding to Email Throughout the Day – What’s wrong with checking your email? It’s an important part of work, right? The problem is every time you check your email you lose valuable time reading and responding to your messages. This is a huge time killer and the more time you waste, the less time you have to be productive and get the most important tasks done.Plan Your Email Time – One of the best ways best to beat this habit is to designate certain blocks of time during the day to view and respond to email. Turning off push notifications, or closing your email browser completely can also help. Habit #6: Using Your Phone Right Before Bed – First off, your quality of sleep will likely be affected. The blue light from electronic devices slows the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, which makes you more tired. That means you’re likely to stay awake even longer. Additionally, a “quick browse” of the Internet can quickly turn into an hour or more of wasted time. That time could also be used for sleep.Set a Cutoff Time – If you use your phone at night set a cutoff time to stop using it; at least an hour before bedtime. Leaving your phone in another room also removes the temptation to look at it after you’ve climbed into bed. Habit #7: Putting Work Ahead of Sleep – Working hard is a great attribute but working too hard, or too much, is a bad habit. If you work too much you become less productive, especially when you put work ahead of sleep. Getting enough sleep is extremely important if you want to keep your productivity at the highest level.Schedule a Bedtime – Prioritize your time and set a daily routine. To do this you should schedule specific time for work and specific time for sleep. Try setting an alarm, 45 minutes before bedtime. This will remind you to stop working and get ready for bed. Make sure you schedule enough time in your routine for sufficient, quality sleep every day. Lack of sleep not only leads to reduced productivity but also poor health. The Trick To Changing Habits Breaking a bad habit is not impossible. But there are some important steps you need to take if you want to break a habit once and for all. Essentially, changing habits comes down to these three powerful steps. For more info see: “3 Powerful Ways To Break Bad Habits – Once And For All!”.:     Start Small and Find Someone to Hold You Accountable – Take it one step at a time and start with the FIRST step. Also, find someone who will hold you accountable that won’t let you give up.     Treat It Like a Business Plan – If you want to be successful in business, you create a plan and you stick to it. To overcome a bad habit, come up with a plan or a strategy to wipe it out. And stick to it.     Get To Know Your Bad Habit – Take a closer look at your habits and when they occur. This will help you identify what triggers them. How to Create Good Habits Fixing bad habits is important. Creating good habits is JUST as important. So how do we do that? The answer is habit stacking, which you can read more about in our post: “What Stephen Curry Can Teach Us About Creating Successful Habits.” Simply put, habit stacking is the process of creating habits. Start by choosing your new habits. Next, you plan a time to DO each habit, and lastly, you track yourself doing it. Start with one habit at a time. When you create a successful new habit, then add another one. Fix Your Bad Habits and Increase Your Productivity The sooner you recognize your bad habits, the sooner you can fix them. Remember: Your life is determined by your habits. If you're not able to accomplish as much as you want or your life isn't what you want it to be, the first place to look is your habits. By taking action and implementing these powerful tips you can eliminate bad habits, for good. On the flip side, failing to fix your bad habits decreases productivity and leads to missed opportunities to become more successful. So start today. Identify and fix your bad habits, and start developing good ones to replace them. Ready to act?

Napoleon Hill said, “a goal is a dream with a deadline”. Given the timescale you gave yourself to achieve your current goal, are you on target – or do you feel as if you’re behind? If it’s the latter, don’t worry! It’s not uncommon to fall behind on your plans. After all, you can never be sure what life will throw at you. The good news is once you’ve recognized you’re not where you want to be, you can do something about it! It could be as simple as making a few tweaks and you can get back to crushing it! But what should you check to maximize your chances of success? THREE things can help you regain your momentum and get the needle moving in the right direction. If you keep reading, I share them all with you now… 1. Are you taking consistent daily action? Sprints can be a helpful way to kick-start your goal, but you need to be in it for the long-haul to go all the way. They say the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time! The same applies to your goals. Without consistent action, you can only move ahead in spits and spurts. Remember, the hardest part of goal-getting is inspiring yourself to start! The more you stall, the more energy you require to get yourself moving again. This is where your daily habits make all the difference. Choose habits that align with your goals and make them non-negotiable [your Habit Roadmap can help with this.] Your chosen habits will depend on the goal you want to achieve, but here are some examples to get you started: - Improve your fitness – close your activity rings- Attract more clients – post on social media once a day- Save for a vacation – quit the coffee shop coffee and save the money- Improve speaking skills – go live once a day- Etc. Do your current habits align with where you say you want to go? If not, change them. 2. Are you making time? Overwhelm can make it a challenge to achieve a goal alongside a busy schedule. When you have other priorities to meet, it’s tempting to push your goal onto the backburner – especially if those other tasks feel more important in the moment. For example: - You skip your power walk because your boss gave you a last-minute task - It’s too late to cook a meal from scratch, so you buy a takeout instead - Client work takes priority, so you have no time for your own marketing You get the picture! It’s easy to blame a lack of time for pushing you off track. What’s more, it can feel like a very valid excuse! However, if a task isn’t on your schedule, there’s a strong chance it WON’T get done. If you’re behind, turn to your planner. Look at where you’re allocating your time. Assess where you waste minutes currently. Review how you could shake up your day to diarize your habits – and ensure they get done. For example: - Could you batch your food prep for a Sunday night? - Could you turn your lunch break over to a power walk? - Could you schedule an hour at the same time every day to work on your marketing? When everything else has to fit around your top priorities, not only do you get more done, but you feel more accomplished as well. 3. What’s really in your way? Have you noticed that when you really, REALLY want something you’re unstoppable? But when you’re not entirely convinced, or you’re pushing up against limiting beliefs, the brakes go on and slow you down. It’s time for some deeper reflection if you find yourself: - Procrastinating over your goal-related tasks. - Feeling drained when you think about your goals - Questioning your ability to succeed – or even complete the necessary tasks If there’s something unseen in your way, you’ll need to do the more in-depth work to remove it. Maybe your beliefs about yourself need an upgrade. Perhaps you need to cultivate confidence by tapping into your courage. It could be that you simply need to double-down on some proven productivity tips to get yourself moving! Pull out your journal and ask yourself the harder questions. When you know the real reason for your delay, you can get out of your own way – and keep moving towards the finish line! Achieve that goal, give yourself a boost! Your goals aren’t about improving or even changing your life alone. I think Zig Ziglar said it best: “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.“ In other words, the act of crushing a goal is a prize in itself because of the enormous personal boost a win will give you. From the satisfaction and integrity that comes from doing what you said, to the confidence to aim even higher next time – because you pulled this one out of the bag! So don’t let go of your dreams. Hold on tight and instead, get clear on what’s really in your way. - Adjust your habits. - Plan your time. - Clear away limits. And you really will become unstoppable.

if you want to grow a successful business, you need to practice high performance strategies. These are the tactics and techniques that switch on your A-game and empower you to be productive, positive, and effective.

Life is busy! With to-dos, commitments, and responsibilities, it's not easy carving out time for the things you want. We promise ourselves we'll get to it later, but that time never comes. Instead, we're distracted by the next priority, and our big dreams get pushed off - again. Enter your bucket list. The simple act of writing your bucket list can take you closer to making your dreams a reality. If you've yet to start your list, why wait? Check out this blog and get started. 1. Get out of a funk Even if your life is full and you're doing a whole heap of things you love, there's still a chance you'll slip into habits. For example, you always visit the same bar at the weekends, you take the same kind of vacation, and you read the same genre of books. This scenario is hard to avoid because humans are habitual beings! Doing the same thing over and over again can make life feel stale. Use your bucket list to shake things up and inspire you to use your time in fresh ways. With your list written out, you can explore how to weave your list into your life. You never know; you may discover a new thing that becomes a natural way of life. 2. Focus your desires It's easy to believe you'll always have time - until you don't. Use your bucket list to make mini commitments to the things you want to do. As strange as it sounds, the simple act of writing your list serves as a mini commitment - taking you one step closer to making dreams a reality. That's because writing makes your list tangible. It turns thought into the written word. The act of writing also means you've had to think about the idea a little more, which makes the vision more tangible. With the concept imprinted on your subconscious mind, you never know what might unfold next! 3. Set goals Goals help give your life direction. They also help you take control of your time by detailing something specific you want to achieve. Your bucket list can become a goals list - helping you get clear on what you want to tackle now, next, and later. In short, goal-setting and bucket list writing combined is a powerful force to create a life you love. 4. Unleash creativity Your bucket list permits you to think big and that in itself unleashes creativity. What could you do? Where could you go? How could you make it happen sooner, rather than later? Are there alternative ways to experience the same thing? These kinds of question get you thinking in the world of 'what ifs?' and possibilities to unlock a flood of inspiration [which might impact other areas of your life too]. 5. Inject excitement How would it feel to be actively working to check something off your bucket list? For example, how would it feel to save and plan that big road trip or learn the foreign language so you can work in the country that fascinates you? In this way, your bucket list injects excitement and adventure into your life. Write yours to make a statement for what you want out of life - and confirm you'll make it happen. 6. Push yourself Some bucket list items tend to be things that feel 'out there'. Maybe you need to learn new skills, save some money, create more time, or wait until you're a different age. Other bucket list items require you to be a shade braver. For example, taking a solo trip abroad or doing a parachute jump. You can use courage over comfort type challenges, to explore what becomes possible when you face your fears and do it anyway. 7. Live a fuller life If you do more of the things you want in your life, not only will you load up on the memories and good times, but you'll also have fewer regrets for the things you didn't do. So dream away knowing your list will infuse adventure today and give you satisfaction for years to come. Surely our biggest hope is to reach the end of our lives with no regrets. A checked off bucket list is the tool that will help you do that. How to create your bucket list 1. Let go of any can'ts, shoulds, and fears and instead allow your mind [and heart] to play with the things you want to do. 2. Grab a pen and notebook and write down the things you want to do. Think big scale such as walk the Camino de Santiago or Drive Route 66 as well as smaller targets such as try Stand-up Paddle-boarding or visit the local landmark you've never managed to scratch off your list. 3. Create a bucket list for different timescales. For example, what do you want to do in the next six months, 12 years, ten years - as well as by the end of your life? 4. Categorize your list into different segments and think broadly about the things you want. [This breakdown also nudges you towards work-life harmony.] For example: • Things to do/experiences to have• People to connect with• Places to visit• Books/film/culture hit list 5. Keep your bucket list somewhere you'll see often, for example, on your fridge, office wall, bathroom mirror, or inside your journal. 6. Revisit frequently - checking off things you've done and adding new ideas as they come up. Don't be surprised if you start making things happen now that your bucket list is written out. 7. Start TODAY - there’s no time like the present and the sooner you start, the sooner you can start making things happen. Capture your six-month bucket list in your Self Planner Want somewhere safe to capture your first bucket list? If so, the Self Planner is the perfect place to get dreaming. As well as a template for writing down the things you'd like to experience, this powerful life planner helps you manage your time too - so you can make more time for the things you love.  With the Self Planner, you can say goodbye to the squandered time and rushing at the last minute to get things done. Instead, get ready to become more productive, more efficient, and a whole lot calmer - knowing you've got everything handled.

Ever wondered why some people can achieve more in a day than others do in a week? Although it may seem like it at times, these people aren’t superhuman! Instead, they’ve mastered a series of productivity practices that empower them to work smarter [not harder] and do more in less time. As productivity is a skill you can cultivate as well as a personality trait, you can do the same. But with so many productivity practices to choose from, which should you implement first? Keep reading to discover how to squeeze more from each hour, day, week, month, year… and ultimately your life. 1. Daily plan If you do nothing else, choose this productivity practice to implement. The famous self-help guru Jim Rohn said, “If you don’t run the day, the day will run you” - and he’s right. Each day, you have 1,440 to use any way you like. Without a plan, there’s a chance you’ll squander a lot of these minutes. It’s not that you mean too. Instead, you waste them by procrastinating, lost in decision fatigue, and because you’re not especially mindful about what you’re doing. With a plan, you get to decide what you include in your day. You get to choose the focus and pick the priorities rather than going with the flow. Tools such as the Self Journal will help you get an edge with your daily planning. Its 6am - 9pm timeline will help you mastermind your day and plan in tasks, appointments, and to-dos in 30-minute chunks. A daily plan isn’t about overwhelming you. Just because you CAN do more doesn’t mean you have to. Instead, this is about helping you to stretch your minutes further so you can join the crew of highly-effective. [Get a Journal] 2. Time budgets If you don’t budget your money, it’s all too easy to overspend, squander, and hit the end of the month wondering where all your hard-earned cash went! The same is true for your time. Parkinson’s Law states that tasks will take up whatever time window you allow. If you’ve ever wondered why a presentation took all day when a couple hours should have wrapped it up, that’s your answer! Highly-effective people know they can’t give Parkinson’s Law a chance. It’s why they work with time budgets and stricter scheduling. You can do the same… A to-do list may boost your effectiveness, but you can take it one step further when you allocate a time budget for each task [something the Weekly Action Pad will help you do.] With your time budget complete, you can now view each task as a piece of the jigsaw. Given the amount of time each task needs, when is the best time to complete it during the day [or week]? Mastermind your time in this way and it will stretch a lot further than you currently think possible. 3. Morning routine Truth is you don’t have as much control over your day as you think. A great plan can easily go out the window if something unexpected happens. That’s why highly-effective people make full use of their morning routine. Your morning routine is the things you do before your day really starts. It’s the things you do BEFORE you check your emails, look on social media, or watch out the news! When you give yourself protected space to wake up and set the tone for the day, you stay in charge. You don’t allow someone else’s agenda to take precedent and you don’t allow your mood and motivation to be influenced by something you saw online. A morning routine can help you clock up big wins before the day even begins. Best of all, you get to decide what your morning routine includes. This is a personal journey - something you can tweak and adjust as you figure out the perfect combination of tasks and activities. Here are some examples of activities you could try: - Exercise - take a walk, a class, or practice yoga - Meditate - an app like Headspace is a good place to start - Journal - listen to the Writing Your Best Self Podcast for tips and techniques - Think - use the Thinking Time Deck to help you generate more ideas What’s your perfect combination? 4. Delegation If you want to be a highly-effective person, chances are it’s because you have big ambitions and stretching goals. Often, this translates into an overwhelming to-do list that can easily pile on the stress and overwhelm. It’s OK to go on work sprints from time to time. There will be seasons in your life when you’ll have to go all in on a task or a project. But if working too much becomes the norm, you’ll soon burnout. Remember, you don’t have to do everything that’s on your list - other people can help. This is why delegation is a must for highly-effective people. Look over your list now and get clear on the tasks you could delegate. Remember, this thinking applies to tasks in your home too, not just your work. For example: - Home chores: Hire help for the cleaning, gardening, ironing etc [even pay your children!] - Admin: Hand off tasks such email management, general organization, and administration to a virtual assistant - Build a team: Could you free up time by hiring a new team member or training someone else? Trying to do everything yourself isn’t productive. Instead, share out tasks so you’re always working on the highest leveraged activities. It’s a strategy that will take you further. 5. Work-life harmony Boosting your effectiveness is about more than getting stuff done. It’s also about freeing up time so you can do more of the things you enjoy. It’s smart to chase big goals to see what else you can do. But your best self doesn’t want to burn out, which is why work-life harmony has to be the ultimate goal. Work-life harmony recognizes the necessity to find time for all the things that matter to you. If your hobbies are neglected, you’ll struggle to perform at your peak in work. Your productivity will dip too. If you feel guilty for not spending enough time with family and loved ones, it becomes harder to get your head down. Highly-effective people know they need it all to feel truly happy and fulfilled. So make harmony your goal. It’s a powerful way to enjoy today while you think bigger and achieve more. Are you ready to become a highly-effective person? If so, we’ve got the productivity tools to help. Discover them all HERE.

If you want to achieve big goals, one of the trickiest aspects is staying patient. When you’ve got your goal in sight you want it NOW! It’s easy to look at other people and believe in overnight success stories. But the truth is success doesn’t hit you like a bolt of lightning. Instead, success is the result of consistent daily action - because this strategy creates momentum. It takes a lot of effort to push a heavy boulder up a hill. But once the ball is rolling back down again, all you’ve got to do is keep up! It’s the same with your goals. You’ll face a lot of friction and resistance when you first begin, but the second you’re out of the starting blocks you can ride the flow. That’s why momentum makes everything feels easier. Instead of pushing you’re rolling and instead of procrastinating, you’re implementing [which also builds your confidence]. So how do you build momentum into your life so you can more easily achieve your goals? The simplest answer is the way you approach your day. Let me show you how… 1. Plan your day to master your time The self-help guru, Jim Rohn famously said, “either you run the day or the day runs you.” In other words, you’ve got to get a daily plan pinned down to ensure you don’t squander your time and your minutes are invested wisely. A tool such as the Self Journal will help you get granular with your day. Use the daily timeline to plan your day in 30 minute chunks [it’s a great for working on Pomodoros]. Plan in everything so you can eliminate decision fatigue and move smoothly from one prioritized task to another. When you know what you have to do, your daily implementation becomes seamless - allowing you to leverage flow and create that all important momentum. 2. Start with your morning routine There are only two parts of your day that you can control fully. That’s the way you wake up and the way you go to bed. While you may have robust plans for the space in between life can be unpredictable. You never know what else is going to come your way. Your morning routine is your time to set your day up right. It’s your opportunity to do things that light you up and put you in gear for your A game. During this time, eliminate all distractions so you don’t get thrown off course. Don’t look at your phone. Don’t check your email. Don’t jump onto social media. Instead, stay fully focused on you and your world. You can experiment with what gets you going and tailor a morning routine that’s perfected for your needs. For example, you may want to journal, fit in a workout, meditate, do some yoga, take a cold shower etc. There are no hard fast rules when creating a morning routine - it’s just what works for you. Regardless of what you do, the benefits are clear. With a morning routine getting you into a peak mental, physical, and emotional state, you can hit the day hard - and create maximum momentum and results. 3. Invest in good habits Take a moment right now to think about all the things you do in your day on autopilot. For example, clean your teeth, make your bed, eat your breakfast… Autopilot tasks take virtually zero bandwidth or motivation. Instead, you just do them. What’s more, you feel bad if you don’t do them! That’s why Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” If you want to build momentum and get more out of your day, your habits are the key. Imagine how much easier it would be to achieve your goals if you did all the actions necessary - without even having to think about them? For example, you habitually went on a run, made those sales calls, wrote 3 emails, published a blog… Whatever the small steps to your goal, just imagine if they became a habit. Habits build momentum, which is why the world’s top performers double down on theirs. You can do the same when you use a habit tracker. It’s not easy to embed new habits - especially in the early days. So hack it! Use a tool such as the Habit Roadmap to track a winning streak. Build a visual chain of daily wins and before long that chain will become so strong you won’t want to break it. As Warren Buffett says, “chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” 4. Get accountability The road to your goals is never going to be smooth! Ups and downs are inevitable when you’re trying something new and pushing out of your comfort zone. That’s where an accountability structure can make all the difference. It’s harder to back out of the things you said you were going to do when other people are watching. This is why accountability structures can make such a difference to your goal-inspired journey. When someone else is checking in and has the same ambition as you, you’re more likely to get stuff done. Accountability can take a number of forms. - You can use your daily planner to hold yourself to account by pinning down the deadlines and targets you want to achieve. - The Graduate Challenge inside the BestSelf Alliance helps to keep you accountable to your daily planning - it rewards you too! - And for something more robust, there are the Momentum Challenges - 30-day challenges that set you a task each day to help you build momentum and grow in different areas of your life. Momentum can be hard to build, but the pay off for sticking with it is clear. When you can ride the wave of action and implementation you can go further - and faster. So try out some of these techniques this week. Take the actions necessary to get you moving - because once you truly start, it’s a lot harder to stop. You’ve got this!

Does your happiness and feeling of success suffer because you never have enough time? If so, you’re not alone. When you’re always playing catch-up and you’re struggling to stay on top of your to-dos, it’s easy to feel down on yourself. Especially when being behind means you have to work later and sacrifice time for yourself, your family, and your friends. When your work-life balance goes out of the window, it’s hard to feel your best. So what’s the solution? The short answer is to sharpen your productivity skills. Productivity works because it empowers you to get more done in less time. And when you learn to do things quicker and more efficiently, you’ll find you have more time for yourself. But how do you acquire these magical productivity skills? Here are five of our favorites that you can try today. 1. Remove distractions My iPhone kindly records my screen time. When I first saw the social networking figures I was terrified! I couldn't believe I spent quite so long looking at Facebook and Instagram. I think most of us are blissfully unaware at the amount of our day that gets sucked up by social media. I thought I was pretty good. A quick glance here and a quick glance there. But over the day those little glances added up into a big number. It’s really, REALLY hard to stay away from your phone and all the digital addictions that go with it. It’s not your fault. Social platforms are designed to keep you addicted. They want you to keep checking! It’s why creating time that’s free of distractions takes real discipline and practice. But get into the habit, and you will reclaim a big chunk of your day. And not just because you’re not wasting time needlessly. In this brilliant Impact Theory podcast with Cal [which I highly recommend you listen to], Cal reveals that it’s not just the time you waste that’s the problem. Every time you’re distracted, you bring back some residue to the task you were doing. This reduces your mental capacity and can hinder your ability to do your best work. If you’re serious about getting things done better and quicker, make space for deep work. Set yourself up for zero distractions - however challenging! And watch your productivity soar. 2. Plan your day robustly If you’re relying on a to-do list alone, I guarantee you’re squandering time. A to-do list can only remind you of what you need to get done. It doesn’t tell you when to get each item done. And the WHEN is critical for optimum productivity. Not all tasks are created equally. Some tasks move the needle significantly, while others hardly even make a dent! Spend a disproportionate amount of time on the wrong tasks, and you’ll be busy, but not productive. So how can you turn your to-do list into a plan of action that makes sense? This is what a daily planner such as the Self Journal can help you do. Your Self Journal has a daily timeline that stretches from 6am to 9pm divided into 30-minute chunks. The secret to optimum productivity is to: - Allocate tasks a specific time window on your daily timeline - Arrange tasks according to your energy levels Why does this work? Firstly, your energy levels vary during the day. At your peak, you’ll be highly motivated and on it! At your lowest, you’ll struggle to think - let alone do anything productive! You’ll get more done if you work with your individual flow of energy. For example, schedule your hardest tasks for when your motivation is at its peak. Then do the mundane tasks that don’t require much thought when you’re running on low. And don’t make the mistake of giving each task an open window. Instead, schedule tasks like you do meetings and appointments. Leverage the power of deadlines and get more done in less time. 3. Work in Pomodoros It’s tempting to force yourself to sit at your desk and just keep going. But this approach can actually be counterproductive. If you’ve lost your mojo, forcing yourself to work more will drain you even further. So make sure you build in fresh air breaks to keep your energy levels high. Even better, plan in frequent breaks using a tool such as the Pomodoro technique. This technique leverages the power of work sprints followed by rest breaks to keep you energized and motivated for longer. It’s seriously simple. Use a timer [such as the Tomato Timer] to time a 25-minute block, then get to work! Focus on the task at hand and don’t stop until the alarm goes off. [I refer you back to tip one.] Next, take a 5-minute break. Take a walk, drink some water, stretch your body - whatever you need to prep yourself for the next sprint. Then get to work again and repeat this process until your work is done. It’s powerful, it’s proven, and it will help you get more done in less time. 4. Give yourself permission to say no Sometimes your ability to do more requires you to take on less. If you’re the type of person who enjoys being busy and likes to help out, there’s a good chance you’re subconsciously overloading yourself. Overwhelm does pile on the stress and when you feel under pressure, it’s a lot harder to think clearly and creatively. In turn, your productivity can plummet. In comparison, take on a more reasonable workload that you know you can handle confidently, and you’ll feel more empowered to get everything done. It is OK to say no. No simply means you’re respecting your boundaries and prioritizing your own needs. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to be helpful. It simply means you’re at capacity right now and any more is going to put you under unnecessary pressure. When you use no to stay in control of your to-dos and commitments, you’ll find it a whole lot easier to get more done in less time. 5. Delegate There’s no rule that says you have to do everything yourself. A quick way to shrink your to-do list is to identify what tasks you can hand off to other people - at work and in your home. For example, what tasks could you delegate to your team or your VA? And if the answer is nothing, ask yourself how you can train others to take on some of your workloads to free up your time. In the home, how can you better allocate household chores? What could your children or partner take on to free you up? Also, consider paying for help. What else could you do if you employed a cleaner or a gardener? You may not be able to make more time, but you can often buy it back by getting tasks off your list temporarily or even permanently. So don’t feel stuck. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking this is it. Instead, commit to sharpening your productivity practice so you can better use your time and become your best self. What’s your favorite productivity practice? 

 Do you feel under pressure to show up, hit your goals, and make awesome happen? If so, you’re not alone. In a world of social media highlights, it can feel as though everyone else is living the perfect life! Comparisonitis shows up and before you know it you’re comparing where you’re at with those influencers you admire on Insta. Why aren’t you as far along as they are? Grrrrr. It’s not a good place to be. Feeling as though you’re not where you ‘should’ be undermines your confidence and steals your motivation. It’s a habit that takes away from your achievements and undermines your current success. So instead of setting yourself up to fail by measuring yourself against the wrong benchmarks, why not simply commit to do your best? Take this approach and the only person you’ll ever have to beat is YOU. It’s an approach that’s hugely motivating and inspiring. When you are your own competition, you get to control the game. You get to hold all the cards. You get to set the finish line and choose the metrics you want to crush. And let’s be honest, all you can ever ask of yourself is to do your very best - in every situation. But how can you make it more likely that you’ll do your best? Here are five powerful strategies to try. 1. Write down your wins When you’re always on the go, juggling a big to-do list, and hustling after your goals, it’s easy to lose sight of what you’ve already achieved. It’s easy to see why… when you’re always busy, it’s hard to take a pause and reflect on how far you’ve already come. That’s why writing down your wins is such a powerful strategy to adopt. It can actually fuel further success and inspire you to do your best. When you write down your wins, you crystalize your successes. You take ownership for them and this helps boost your confidence and self-esteem. Writing down your wins also allows you to reflect on your performance. This helps you get clearer on what it looks like for you to do your best. It’s easy to get distracted and skip over your wins, but write them down and you’ll build up a record of what’s possible when you do your best. 2. Prioritize your day Do you regularly hit the pillow wondering where your day went? When you’re busy, but not productive it’s easy to fall short of your goals. And when the needle doesn’t move because you’ve run out of time, your confidence takes a hit. Being your best doesn’t mean doing everything. In fact, it’s impossible to do it all - there just isn’t enough time. Instead, focus your energy on doing the most important things - or the 80/20. Identify which tasks on your to-do list will move the needle furthest and fastest and do those first. When you prioritize your day in this way, it’s easier to do your best. That’s because instead of wallowing in overwhelm and doing lots of things badly, you can ramp up your performance and output on the tasks that really count. One of the simplest ways to prioritize your life is with a Weekly Action Plan. Write a list of everything you need to do, by when. See everything that’s on your plate in one place, and you’ll find it easier to figure out which tasks to do now, next, and later (or even never). 3. Create good habits that stick Good habits make it easy to do the things that matter - on autopilot. When you don’t have to think and you remove decisions, you can get more done with less time. So if you want to do your best, cultivate the habits that empower you show up as the person you want to be - in all areas of your life. For example, take daily walks, start meditating, practice journaling, make Friday night date or plan your week on the Sunday before the week begins. Then go a step further and track your habits until they become so ingrained, you feel wrong if you don’t do them. A tool such as the Habit Roadmap will help you do this. 4. Become an evergreen learner Your best is a moving target. Each time you learn something new, take a risk, or step out of your comfort zone, you get a new insight into who you are and what you have the potential to do. So if you want to do your best, commit to a learning diet. Become insatiable about topping up your skills, sharpening your strengths, and overcoming your so-called weaknesses. The more you know and understand, the more you’ll be able to think, problem solve, and create. There are countless ways to learn. So mix it up and discover what ways work best for you. For example, you can: - Read a book - Take a course - Get yourself mentored - Stay accountable with the help of Facebook groups (such as the BestSelf Alliance) - Go back to school - Reflect in your journal - Ask questions of people who’ve got the results you want - Listen to podcasts - Watch TED talks In today’s information rich age, you can create your own learning curriculum around the topics, special interests, and knowledge that matters to you. 5. Do your best with S.M.A.R.T Goals If you want to do your best, you need targets to head towards. Without a clear target, your efforts will be more scattergun. That’s why we advocate S.M.A.R.T goal setting. This strategy goes deeper than setting intentions alone. That’s because a S.M.A.R.T goal is: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-based In other words, S.M.A.R.T goals create a specific finish line. This creates the clear direction you need to figure out your action steps and get busy implementing. With a stretching, but clear goal to work towards, you can hustle with purpose. You can hone in on the tasks and actions that move the needle. And you can feel inspired to do your best to get the result you want. In the absence of a clear, achievable goal it’s more likely you’ll drift. And when you feel aimless in your day-to-day it’s a lot harder to do your best. If you want some help setting S.M.A.R.T goals for everything from business, to health and relationships to money, download these S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting templates - they’re all free! When you do your best you can feel your best. And when you do your best you get to live with the satisfaction that you gave it your all and achieved the results and outcomes of which you are capable. A commitment to do your best - in every situation is a catalyst that can help you step into your best self. And with this five strategies to try, you may find it easier than you think to get the results you want.