Most people are not as productive as they would like to be nor as productive as they can be.
Can you relate?
Even though people think of me as highly productive, I do not have my productivity thoroughly handled. I would like to be way more productive—and I know I can be. It would change my life.
You can become productive in any area of life. For example, you can be productive in your workouts at the gym, with your children, while cleaning house, or folding laundry. And you can be productive when working on a project, like a writing book, producing a financial report, changing the oil in your car, or painting a room.
Productivity Leads to Freedom
Why should you want to increase your productivity? The more productive you are, the more freedom you have.
That’s why I said that being more productive would change my life…for the better.
Think about it… Productive people knock off the items on their to-do lists. That means they have more free time to do the things they want to do or to do other things than what’s on their daily, weekly, or monthly task agenda.
Or they can add new items to their to-list.
The Five Pillars of High Performance
My productivity has increased over the last year and a half, and, therefore, so has my freedom. I have more time to workout, walk, read, and spend with friends and family.
I attribute this change to a focus on mastering the five pillars of high performance.
I am a Certified High Performance Coach and put the strategies and tools I’ve learned to use in my life. Plus, I work with my clients to help them use these principles.
The five pillars of high performance are:
- Clarity
- Energy
- Courage
- Productivity
- Influence
As you can see, one pillar is dedicated to productivity, but I believe the other four allow you to become more productive and put effective productivity strategies to use.
Let’s take a look at each one individually. (I’ll leave productivity for the end.)
Clarity
If you don’t know what you need to accomplish every day, it’s hard to accomplish anything. You need clarity about what you plan to do or achieve in every hour—or in every minute—of your day. When you are clear, you can produce the results you desire and accomplish tasks efficiently.
Also, when you possess clarity about why you need to perform these tasks, you feel more inclined to get them done.
Clarity on the reason you do what you do is the Big Why behind your actions. It drives you to action—even when you might have to do something you don’t like.
Clarity also helps you plan your day. It helps you know what you have to do and when you will do it. That helps make you more productive.
Energy
If you don’t have the energy to accomplish tasks, it feels hard to complete projects or make progress. You don’t have the mental or physical stamina to be productive.
To generate the energy necessary for a more productive life, you need to:
- Show up well-rested every day. Sleep seven or eight hours per night. If you can’t, then meditate during the day or nap to catch up on needed rest.
- Take frequent breaks. If you take a break every 50-minutes, you’ll return to the task fresh.
- Drink more water. Drink a glass of water each time you break.
- Oxygenate. On your breaks, also do deep breathing exercises, Tai Chi, yoga, or take a walk.
Courage
Sometimes the reason you’re don’t experience higher productivity lies in your fear of taking action. Procrastination, for instance, often stems from an attempt to avoid that which seems scary, uncomfortable, or uncertain. Fear of failure also keeps you stuck I avoidance, too, as can fear or rejection.
That’s why you need courage. It helps you to push through fear and take action.
Courage also supports your attempts to changes in ways that increase your productivity. Such changes could be working in an entirely focused manner for 50 minutes (and not checking the internet), speaking to anyone (a boss, friend, child, or spouse) about an issue that needs to be resolved, or going to bed or getting up earlier.
We all tend to be afraid of change—even switching from one task to the next. But courageously approaching change helps you get things done.
Influence
You probably have lots of things you don’t want to do or are afraid to do. That leaves you working slowly if at all. Even though you say you’ll do something, you don’t.
To change that behavior you need influence over yourself. (Imagine wanting to eat just one potato chip…how do you make yourself stop?) You must find a way to persuade yourself to do what you want to do.
When you are clear (have clarity) about why you want to do something, you won’t struggle to influence yourself to action (or inaction). Your Big Why keeps you committed to a path—to lose weight, exercise, focus at work, be present with your kids.
Productivity
Once you have clarity, energy, courage, and influence, you become more productive. You become able to get more done in a day’s or a week’s time.
You know what to do when to do it, and why to do it. You have the energy to get the task done efficiently, and you have the courage to take action as well as the influence over yourself to ensure you take action even when you don’t want to, it feels hard, or you feel afraid.
By mastering the five pillars of high performance—clarity, energy, courage, influence, and productivity—your life will change.
Increase your productivity, and watch your results—and freedom—skyrocket.
Do you need to improve your productivity?
If you would like to be more productive personally or professionally by mastering the five pillars of high performance, apply for a FREE Certified High Performance Coaching strategy session. (Click here to download the application.) After the strategy session, if you sign up for a 12-week Certified High Performance package, mention this blog post and I’ll throw in a FREE ticket to Brendon Burchard’s next High Performance Academy event (value $997).Photo courtesy of Kaspars Grinvalds/123RF.com
