Today, i want to share with you a tool for increasing productivity by Peak Performance specialist, Craig Ballantyne.
Goal setting, i am sure, is not a new concept to most of you, however what is more important than just setting goals is the ability to reassess your pace
and direction and make necessary changes to your course so that you reach your destination.This is known as Sensory Acuity, in other words, the ability to notice small changes and take corrective actions in order to ensure goal achievement.
To be frank, although i used to set goals, and be precise about what exactly i want, there was something missing. For example, i used to set the goal in January and work towards achieving it. However, due to so many changes in circumstances, factors and situations, the goal that i set a few months back in January didn't really feel the same. This was probably due to so many changes that we see on a daily basis which over months have a compound effect resulting in a lowering of motivation levels. I was looking for a way to reassess my goals on a daily basis, which acts as a positive reinforcement and reaffirms my beliefs.
After reading an article on ETR , Early to Rise, a few weeks back, i got a productivity tool that has helped me gather myself and set forth towards my goal achievement again.
A Small Secret:
The secret that i am going to share with you is a technique that must be used daily and would need you to use a dairy.
1) 5 Achievements (yesterday): In our journey towards achievement and self discovery, it is important to have those small celebrations along the way. Listing down your celebrations, is one way of acknowledging your success and giving yourself a pat on the back.This reinforces your beliefs in your abilities and has a very calming effect, at least on me.
2) 3 Challenges (yesterday)- On your journey towards achievement, it is also important to acknowledge areas where you might have faltered and which need to be worked on. This way of self-assessment, makes you look inward and look for ways to overcome that challenge.
This is an important aspect of sensory acuity because it is at this stage where you get feedback that you can make note of and make changes, if necessary, to your achievement strategy. The idea is not to be bogged down by these challenges, but to look at them as opportunities to stretch your muscles (mind muscles and physical muscles) and learn something new..
3) 5 Things to achieve - OK, i admit it, there have been instances in the past, before i came across this technique, when i blindly listed all the things i had to do during the day. Yes, i made a To Do list, and by the end of the day, as expected, there were many things i hadn't completed. As a natural consequence of this, i had this deeply seated feeling of unfulfillment at the end of the day. Let me remind you , whether you are feeling good or bad today, it has a compound effect, no matter how small, on the activities that you pursue next whether it is the next hour or the next day.
So instead of a To Do list, choose 5 major activities, which upon completion would give you a sense of fulfillment. This way, you can focus on the things that matter rather than those that don't. In other words, you move from just doing things, to really being productive and achieving!
This tool has really helped me become more fulfilled and has given me a sense of confidence in my ability to overcome challenges and conquer my fears, and i hope it helps you too..