A big chunk of our lives whether we like it or not is majorly governed by the habits we have. What’s even more important is that these said habits can help lead us to feel and think in certain patterns. Basically, what’s being said here is that we’re actually a product of our habits in the end. As people go through their daily lives without taking a moment or pausing to think about what they’re actually doing, it’s usually very easy for them to assume they’re working as effectively as they possibly can. It’s vital you pause from time to time and observe the other people around you when in action.
If you haven’t read Stephen Covey’s book on this subject then I strongly advise you do. It’ll open your eyes to things you may not have thought about or considered in your life ever before. His book takes a close look at the things most of the very successful people tend to do and shows how their maximum effectiveness is achieved by the habits they’ve managed to integrate into their daily lives. Now, since we know how powerful habits can be, you might want to strongly consider paying close attention to those that can get you operating at a high level of effectiveness. Take a look below and see why.
Being Proactive
You’ll never get anything done if all your fond of doing is sitting around and waiting for things to ‘magically’ get done for you. Individuals that are effective understand that there’s no value they’ll ever get from overthinking or spending most of their time with words than with action. Undoubtedly the most powerful thing one can do is take matters into their own hands and instigate movement. Humans have that natural need and desire to wield some influence over the world surrounding them so it’s actually against your best interest to just react to circumstances and external events. Assume responsibility and take charge of your life.
Begin With How It All Ends In Mind
Don’t spend your life tackling any job or task that comes your way or working aimlessly for large parts of your life. Remember, life is really short. Have a clear vision of what you’d like your future to look like and accordingly align your actions to work towards that goal in order to eventually make it your reality. Yes, while action is vital to success, the impetus for your most effective, powerful actions can sometimes come from knowing where exactly your end lies. If you go through life with that in mind, you’ll be able to maximize your productivity which will then, in turn, allow you to reach your very rewarding, highly desired end goal.
Understand First Before Looking To Be Understood
When presented with a problem, many people normally tend to jump right to the solution giving part. This is often a mistake. You first need to take a bit of time and really listen to what the other person has to say and only after this can you make your recommendations. Avoid jumping into things before properly understanding what’s going on because this will usually ultimately result in ineffective actions which will help get you even further away from finding a proper solution. Allocating some time to plan and sort through can end up greatly benefitting your end result.
Put First Things First
Prioritize your work and always try as much as you can to focus on what’s most important first. This means that you should always start by concentrating on the things that get you closer to achieving your end goals or the vision you have for your future. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by tasks that are urgent but really unimportant. Also, don’t stop halfway when things get tough in work that has many steps. Avoid this temptation and find the will to push through. How difficult the action may be should not change the fact that it’s a priority.
Visualization
People that are effective have the ability to imagine favorable outcomes in whatever situation they may find themselves in. If you simply aren’t getting where you want to be or are feeling bogged down, try practicing visualization for a few minutes here and there and see what happens. Visualize your end goal and what you need to do to get yourself there. This might just be the most powerful habit of them all. It could be the key you’ve needed to unlock your full potential.
Conclusion
Being a highly effective person will certainly get you to achieve your goals faster and who wouldn’t want that right? In the end, the most successful people fully understand the importance of adopting healthy, effective, winning habits. They also continuously strive to create, cultivate and build winning mentalities and habits in order to get them where they really want to be. Follow these habits and this could definitely be you.