Let us face it. Much as we would like to be on top condition every day, we still often experience many dreary spells. These are those days when nothing seems to go right. Not a pleasant feeling, I agree, but did you know we can greatly minimize, if not completely avoid, these miserable feelings?
Yes, we can reach our fullest potential and enjoy each day by following these tips:
We must have definite goal for the day. A purpose-driven life runs smoother and reaches its goal much faster. We may run into hitches along the way but the momentum built by our strong urge to move on pushes these obstacles on the side. It is similar to a strong current of raging water that breaks its way through boulders and mud. By not allowing small problems that come up on the course of our day to blur our sight of our goal, we attain our purpose sooner. However, to achieve this effect, our goal must be something we are passionate about and strong enough to pull us towards its attainment. With a goal properly set up before us, our task is halfway done.Yes, we can reach our fullest potential and enjoy each day by following these tips:
We must draw up a plan of action. Before a builder even starts hitting on the first nail, he must have drawn up a definite plan on how we will finish the job. The same must be true with us. We must plan each action we will take to accomplish our goal for the day. If our purpose is to mow the lawn, we must first clear all the clutters around and place them in their respective storage, we must see to it the blades of the mower are sharp and the motor well-oiled and maintained, etc. The same is true if we are to bake a cake. All the ingredients should be at hand, the oven heated to the desirable temperature, the recipe book ready, etc. In short, being organized result to 100% efficiency and very satisfying result. With a plan, we become in full control of our actions for our desired result.
“Living your life without a plan is like watching television with someone else holding the remote control.” – Peter Turla
We should manage our time. Going hand-in-hand with our plan is the efficient and effective management of our time. Once we have our plan of action in place, then it is easy for us to allocate a time slot for each activity. We should act first on the most difficult task early on the day when we are still at the peak of our energy. Later, we can tackle the lighter tasks as our energy wanes. We should limit or completely eliminate time wasters such our addiction to social media, e-mails, or socializing over the phone, or watching the TV. Planning and good time managements are great tools in the attainment of our full potential.
“Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” -M. Scott Peck
We must maintain a positive outlook. Our mind is a very potent mover of our actions. Our day’s productivity depends on it. The mind dictates on us to have a positive attitude to keep us moving forward until we finish our tasks. Our positivity is contagious and can affect those around us to be productive as well. With the resulting vibrant working atmosphere around us, the attainment of our full potential is within our reach.
“Positive and negative thinking are both contagious.” -Stephen Richards
We must practice self-discipline. Staying focus in whatever we plan to achieve requires discipline. This moral strength in us helps us to fight distractions and keep us from straying far from our goal. For example, by being disciplined, we can overcome the urge to open our e-mails several times a day, or set aside whatever we are working on to chat over the phone or watch our favourite TV show.
By curving our unproductive and wasteful habits, we keep our focus and utilize our full potential to the achievement of our goal.
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort.” -Paul J. Meyer
We must avoid complexities. Simplicity makes life easier and our purpose more achievable. Let us not unnecessarily complicate matters, thus making them seem more formidable than they actually are. Complexities result to stress and frustrations. If we let ourselves be entangled with too many details, we are soon overwhelmed and may cause us to give up our plans prematurely. .
“Free yourself from the complexities of your life! A life of simplicity and happiness awaits you.” -Steve Maraboli
We need to recharge ourselves. Just like a battery needs recharging every so often to prolong its life, so do our mind and body. Pushing ourselves to the limit is counter-productive. If we allow ourselves to become too tired and exhausted, our judgement is blurred, our movements falter, and our over-all health suffers. Let us build-in short breaks into our schedule, 15 minutes every hour is ideal, for a short and refreshing walk, stretching, or deep breathing. These breaks can do wonders to rejuvenate us for more productive tasks ahead.
“Take time to recharge your batteries. It’s hard to see where you’re going when your lights are dim.” -Robert H. Conelly
Let us try to enjoy what we are doing. Generally, working is not really a walk in the park, but it need not feel like sweating in hot
mine shafts either. Again, it is a matter of our personal perspective of things —our mindset. When we start to feel that the task is turning a bit tedious and boring, we should stop for a while and take a refreshing break. To continue working under such uncomfortable feeling will only make the task turn into a burden.
Renew our purpose behind the task. Let us keep in mind the reward we will reap at the completion of the job. It must be something very important and valuable to us or we would not have started the project at all in the first place. This way, we can continue with our work with a lighter feeling, and even with a smile on our faces.
“To get all there is out of living, we must employ our time wisely, never being in too much of a hurry to stop and sip life, but never losing our sense of the enormous value of a minute.” -Robert Updefraff
The above tips, if taken seriously, may push our daily effectiveness and potential to a very high level of productivity…even reaching 100% !