How many times have you felt like you had SUCH a busy day, yet couldn’t really think of one thing you got done? I bet it happens more often than you realize.
I used to be like that… living that “busy” life. Running here and there. Back to back meetings. Crazy schedule.
Yet not really getting anything done.
Or at least not anything that helped me move towards my goals.
If that feels familiar to you, here are a few tips to change the way you live your day, so that the way you live your day changes the way you live your life.
1. Set Priorities
Don’t live according to your to-do list, live according to your priorities. Hopefully you’ve set goals for your year or quarter (however you set your goals). If not, do that first! (Here’s a great resource to help you out)
So pull out that list of goals and ask yourself, what can I do today to get me closer to one of my goals? THAT should be your priority for the day. THIS is what gets scheduled on your day first, before everything else.
But what if there are more goals and more things? Glad you asked…
2. Be Limited
It’s easy to get carried away in saying I’ve got this priority and that priority and this needs to be a priority too, and that’s got to get done, and… do you see where I’m going with this?
You’ve got to limit yourself. No more than three priorities in a day. Period. If you’re going to do something well, you can’t do it all. So prioritize your priorities. Which three items will make the biggest impact getting you closer to achieving your goal?
3. Cut It Out
Now that you have your (no more than) three priorities, it’s time to get brutal. Everything else gets pushed aside so you can focus on your priorities. I know! This part is SO hard. I mean there’s all the people you have to please, right??
Wrong.
Numero uno is you-o.
If you’re not moving towards accomplishing your goals, you aren’t living your best life and fulfilling your purpose. So it’s time to say no to all the other things that clutter your day and take up your time, keeping you away from the things that matter most.
4. Start Hard
Get the hardest priority out of the way first. We usually procrastinate and find anything and everything to distract us from doing the one thing we fear most. So do it first.
Get it out of the way so you know that the worst part of your day is behind you.
You also have way more energy early in your day, so use that energy to your advantage and tackle the thing that feels the biggest, hardest, most impossible thing to get done.
Even if it’s just calling to talk to your mother-in-law.
5. Finish Strong
After the hardest thing, do the one thing that would make you feel most accomplished in the day. It’s the priority that, once you get it done you would feel like super woman, able to take on the galaxy!
It’s probably the one you look forward to the most because you know you’re going to have the endorphin rush afterwards. You know that by doing this one thing you’ll be crushing that path to your goal. You’ll lay your head on your pillow tonight feeling amazing.
You’ll wake up in the morning feeling amazing, and ready to take on a whole new day full of priorities, not filled with busy stuff.
And that day of intention will lead to another day of intention. And another. And another. And before you know it you’ll be flying down the road to the finish line of your goals. Your days will be filled with meaningful accomplishment instead of energy sapping busy work. And you will be on your way to living a fulfilled and purpose-driven life.
Are you ready?