Posts Tagged ‘Staying Focused’

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Practice Isn’t Enough

Monday, October 6th, 2014

You’ve probably heard the old joke about the man stopping a cabbie in New York to ask for directions. “Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?”

“Sure,” said the cabbie. “Practice, practice, practice!”

Nice gag, but practice by itself in any field will not guarantee success. Practicing the right things in the right way will. Winners find the best of the best as their mentors and coaches and are relentless in applying and practicing the guidance they receive. The greatest artists, scientists, and athletes hook up with teachers that know more about the craft than anyone else, then they follow their advice.

The same thing applies to business. Don’t think that doing something over and over is enough to achieve mastery. Find people who’ve been there before who can tell you where to focus your attention and how to practice your skills. That’s the ticket to success that really works.

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The brilliant BHAG

Sunday, August 24th, 2014

Goals are important. That’s not news to anyone. But every goal in your professional life should have another goal hiding in quiet parentheses behind it – the Big Hairy Audacious Goal, or BHAG.

Hit the http://www.thankgoditsmonday.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=3635&action=editgoal set by the boss and everything’s fine. But don’t watch for fireworks and champagne corks after you hit the goal. Instead, if you make a habit of hitting those BHAGs, it’s a massive and ongoing opportunity to be noticed.

If your goal is 20 closed deals in a given period, hear that as 25 or 30. Don’t even THINK about the number 20. Consider the BHAG your actual goal and move heaven and Earth to get there.

The BHAG gets you out of the habit of thinking too small. It changes your own sense of urgency and possibility. So hit the real goal, by all means. But always put a BHAG in its shadow, ready to break free. Then create an ironclad plan to make that happen.
Your work and your life will never be the same.

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Build structures for time optimization

Monday, June 23rd, 2014

Your brain is a wonderful thing, but it isn’t perfect. Sometimes it needs a little help. And one of the best ways to help your brain to be its best is by building structures to optimize your time.

If you are not using a checklist for your job, you ARE going to miss things. There’s simply no way your brain can keep track of everything efficiently without that simple external structure. Whether it’s an app on your phone or a pad of paper on your desk, it’s an absolute business essential.

Break down each item on the list into steps, and force yourself to report in to the steps along the way. While you’re breaking it down into smaller bits, be sure to spend time on the big picture as well. Build times into your calendar to work toward key results, or they won’t happen.

Whether it’s the small picture or the big picture, don’t cross your fingers and hope. Build the structures that optimize your time and ensure that things happen.

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If You Were The CEO

Monday, June 16th, 2014

Let’s imagine for a second that your fairy godmother comes along, and “poof” you’re now the CEO of your organization AND you are featured as running the #1 organization in your industry, AND you’re doing it without breaking a sweat.

Let me ask you: Would you be operating on the same habits, decision-making skills, and thinking as you have now? Of course not.

Well, what if today, you made every decision, managed your calendar, and thought and performed AS IF you were at that level? Would that change your performance on the duties you currently are in charge of? Of course you would!

AND would it make you infinitely more promotable and allow you to get more done with less time and effort—and focus on what really matters? There’s no question!

Imagine your success if you grew by 10 to 25 percent every quarter in your ability to do your job and the job of the person you report into. Think of how much more effective and promotable you would be. The way to get there is to let go of the “story” about why you’re too busy to sharpen your skill-set. Start sharpening it every day without exception.

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Keep your goals visible

Monday, June 9th, 2014

You made a New Year’s resolution to set goals, and you’re doing it. Bravo! But are you doing it as effectively as possible?

Goals are only effective if you act on them, and you can’t act on them if you can’t see them. Too many people create a list of personal or professional goals, then sock it away in a drawer somewhere. Those goals are as good as dead. They will never happen.

Instead of filing them away, create a very visible place for those goals.

I have a friend who made her list of goals the screensaver on her computer. She sees them a hundred times a day, which means there’s a good chance she’ll achieve them. Laminate them and put them up in the shower. Stick them to your steering wheel. Whatever it takes to keep them front and center.

Organize your goals into separate lists according to timescale—goals for the week, for the month, and for life.

Don’t include everything. Life offers thousands of opportunities, but maybe ten of those will take you where you want to go. Don’t let those crucial ten get lost in a list a mile long. Focus on the ones that count, then post them where you’ll see them every single day.

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