It’s tempting to think of people who are very productive as extraordinary, but the good thing is that you can also improve your productivity by looking at how these people work and deal with problems.
Good work habits and success go hand in hand for a reason. Although improving your work habits won’t ensure wealth, it will help you achieve more than others. Remember
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” — Paul J. Meyer.
Here’s what highly productive people have to say about the different traits that make you get more done:
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Ability To Break Your Goals Into Easy-To-Perform Tasks
“Nothing is particularly hard when you divide it into small jobs.” — Henry Ford.
“Effective performance is preceded by painstaking preparation.” — Brian Tracy.
Key Takeaway: Have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve and consider using the Pomodoro technique to get it done in small chunks (Focus Bear can help).
Ability To Identify The Right Task To Focus On
“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” — Peter Drucker.
“Simplicity boils down to two steps: identify the essential, eliminate the rest.” — Leo Babauta.
“Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” — Caterina Fake.
Key Takeaway: Identify what is worth your time.
Ability To Focus On Your Strengths
“All things will be produced in superior quantity and quality, and with greater ease, when each man works at a single occupation, in accordance with his natural gifts, and at the right moment, without meddling with anything else.” — Plato.
“It’s not knowing what to do; it’s doing what you know.” — Tony Robbins.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” — Steve Jobs.
Key Takeaway: Focus on what you are good at, and you’ll be more productive.
Ability To Embrace Some Level Of Imperfection — Perfectionists Get Little To Nothing Done
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” — Mark Twain.
“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” — Henry C. Link.
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” — Bruce Lee.
Key Takeaway: If you are worried about getting it right in the first instance, you will probably not get anything done.
Ability To Take The First Step
“Action is the foundational key to all success.” — Pablo Picasso.
“Soon is not as good as now.” — Seth Godin.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney.
Key Takeaway: If you don’t start, there is no productivity to increase.
Ability To Focus On A Task
“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The Sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus” — Alexander Graham Bell.
“If there are nine rabbits on the ground if you want to catch one, just focus on one.” — Jack Ma.
“It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.” — Warren Buffett.
Key Takeaway: Eliminate distractions and concentrate on one thing at a time.
Ability To Manage Time
“Time management is not a peripheral activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends.” — Brian Tracy.
“The true price of anything you do is the amount of time you exchange for it.” — Henry David Thoreau.
“Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.” — Charles Richards.
Key Takeaway: Time is a currency; spend it wisely.
Ability To Know When To Take A Break
“Don’t worry about breaks every 20 minutes ruining your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.” — Tom Rath.
“Never mistake motion for action.” — Ernest Hemingway.
Key Takeaway: Taking breaks between long hours of work will increase your productivity.
Ability To Create Time For Self-Appraisal
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last long. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar.
“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.” — Elon Musk.
Key Takeaway: Always find a way to reflect on what you have done, what you are doing, and how it affects the future. Your morning routine is an ideal time to incorporate self reflection via journaling/meditation.
Ability To Develop A Personalized Pattern
“Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all.” — Nathan W. Morris.
“You look at the fundamentals and construct your reasoning from that and then see if you have a conclusion that works or doesn’t work. And it may or may not be different from what people have done in the past. It’s harder to think that way, though.” — Elon Musk.
Key Takeaway: Find a system that works for you and stick to it. What is distracting for you is unique.
Conclusion
These quotes are motivation from people who have been through the stage you are currently in and have expressed what got them through it. What you need to do now is start with the scariest, be persistent about achieving it, achieve it, and move on to the next one.
Remember, “Work hard, have fun, and make history.” — Jeff Bezos
If you want help with your productivity, try out Focus Bear.
Hi I'm Jeremy, and I understand the challenges of living with ASD and ADHD.
