The habits of success and the people who achieve them are not simply accidents. These people who achieve success and productivity understand that you don’t simply stumble onto a productive daily outcome. There are relatively simple processes that you can use that should lead you to an extremely productive day and drive your success.
Most people never take the time to research and take these steps which is the exact reason why many people feel so stagnant with their personal and professional lives.
Let’s start with preparation. There is a famous quote that goes like this: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four hours sharpening my axe.” The statement shows that preparation is essential for success. Sometimes just 10-30 minutes first thing in the morning is enough to save yourself from a long unnecessary process of trial and error that essentially drives the unproductive events of your day.
Take examples from the previous day to see what when wrong or how things could have been better. This is another strategy to use when trying to orchestrate that highly productive day and a tactic used by the highly successful. It’s hard to critique yourself and give honest criticisms of your behavior, but it’s a necessary tactic to be able to see patterns and understand where you are losing time and going wrong. If you do the same thing over and over, how can you expect different outcomes? Try new things and achieve new results!
The people around you influence your day, as well. It is said that we are the average of the top 5 people we hang around. Think about it: if you hang around math wizards, chances are that you will be decent in math by association. However, if you hand around individuals who are immoral or partake in criminal activity, you may ultimately find yourself mimicking their behavior and beliefs. Give your time to people that are going in the same direction that you want to take your day, and they will be better influences on your productivity.
Physical activity is a constant in a highly effective day. Activities like martial arts provide an outlet and opportunities for reflection. Highly effective people exercise in some form 3 – 5 times a week. Experts show that kids who exercise are able to handle physical and mental challenges better than their peers. Exercise fosters a good mental structure for kids. Kids who exercise normally have a better outlook on life, a lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes, and a lower risk for becoming overweight. The benefits of exercise extend far beyond a productive day and has excellent benefits to an individual’s overall health.
Goal setting is another tool that successful and productive people use on a daily basis. Set 2 – 3 goals for yourself each day so that you know you are making progress.
The Reactionary vs the Visionary approach
Imagine if you were able to plan your day using goals and set up a plan around those goals. How much more productive would your day be? How many days have you gone through without having a plan and making it up as you go? Try going through the day with a road map, a plan of some kind ,and you will experience a highly productive day.
Lastly, prioritization and scheduling are important to achieving productivity. Do the most important tasks first. The order of importance goes back to your daily goals. If you don’t make goals, it is difficult to prioritize your tasks. By prioritizing your day, you remove the guesswork of what to do and when to do it. We procrastinate mostly when we don’t think we can find the time or we are not prepared to do the task at hand.
Prioritizing can relive some of the mental pushback and anxiety related to procrastination while also eliminating non-productive days. Once again, preparation is key; a famous quote regarding this idea goes, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Now, let’s get out and just do it. Striving for a productive day can help you aim to lead a productive life. In turn, you’ll be able to foster effective habits for productivity in your children, as well. Prepare, reflect on the previous day, prioritize, schedule, exercise, choose a better crowd, set goals, and just get it done.
Javill Byron is an accomplished martial artist, entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist based in Miami. As the owner of Top Shot Miami and WMB Martial Arts, Javill strives to serve as a valuable resource for individuals who want to improve their physical abilities and learn to protect themselves. Javill is especially passionate about helping children with disabilities and children who are bullied.
As a philanthropy-minded person, Javill Byron devotes much of his time to his nonprofit, WMB Foundation, Inc., which provides services to families and children diagnosed with ADHD, ADD, or Autism and aims to promote academic success and generally enrich their lives.
Originally published on JavillByron.org