Just over a year ago I published my first book, One Percent Better.
Every day I get e-mails and in-person messages thanking me for the positive life-changing lessons.
But do you know the clear winner, the most popular lesson?
The Big 3.
So simple, but so actionable.
How is it that some people seem to have time to get all things done, and others can't even seem to get out of their own way?
I'm a productivity nerd, but it can really be summed up with one quote...
"Most of us overestimate what we can get done in a day and underestimate what we can get done in a year."
Think about it...
Right now your day might look like…
Work.
Homeschool the kids.
Social media notifications.
E-mail.
Workout.
Meal prep.
You get it.
It’s just a constant barge of tackling the next thing that comes in front of you, putting out fires as I call it.
Checking social media, being reactive to every stimulus that comes in front of us, and never actually getting anything done.
So, what can you do?
Do less.
The Big 3.
Another favorite line of productivity that I constantly remind myself of is...
Discipline = Freedom
You have to create rules, you have to build in daily disciplines of what you're going to say yes to and what you're going to say no to.
I'm challenging you to have the discipline to only focus on the big three each day.
What are the three things you're going to get done that will move you forward or bring you the most joy?
Most of us have 101 things on our to-do list, and what happens?
We get none of them done because we get so overwhelmed, we pick at all of them, allow distractions to come in, and never actually make substantial progress on anything.
Limit yourself to three things.
For example, my three today are:
1. Write this E-mail
2. Meet w/ our Team
3. Two Consulting Calls
Will I get more than that done today?
Probably.
In total, all three of those will probably only take me 3-4 hours.
However, it allows me to focus on the three most important things.
Once those are done, then I can move onto anything else if I have time, but I'm not going to allow distractions until those three are done.
It also allows you to feel like you accomplished something today.
Too often the list is so big, we never make any substantial progress on it every day, so every day feels like there is so much more to do.
Make the list smaller.
Being productive does not mean you're busy.
It means you actually produced things that moved the needle, made progress.
We all can be busy checking social media and responding to e-mails, but that doesn't result in any progress made.
Being productive is a skill.
Just like any other skill, it takes practice and it must be developed.
To practice, begin by writing down your big three for the day.
Oh, and if a healthier life is important to you, a workout will be on the big three, even if right now it’s done virtually.
What are the three things for you today?
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling