What if I told you planning one day could have the power to increase your productivity ten times? Would you get to work and follow the steps? Would you take action and do something different from your normal routine?
Talk is cheap, and lately, I’ve been hearing so many people talk a big game of “changing their circumstances” but none of them want to put in the work. If you want to get BIG things done you must be productive.
You must be willing to put your money where your mouth is and get to work. Stop talking about doing something and actually do it.
The problem I believe most people encounter these days with staying in the same place as in previous years is what I like to call - winging it.
Winging it is when you go through life day by day with zero plans, zero goals, zero vision, and zero drive.
Is winging it bad? Not necessarily, and in fact, I do agree there are certain times when you’ll benefit from going with the flow.
Although, if you want to get RESULTS and you want to be EFFICIENT in your life, job, career, and more, you need to focus.
And one of the best ways that have worked for many years for me is to plan one day.
I hear it nearly weekly, “but Chris I have no time to do anything else each day!”
Here are the facts - everyone has 24 hours a day.
Whether you are Dwayne Johnson, Steve Jobs, Kevin Hart, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or yourself. You all have the exact same amount of time per day - 24 hours.
These people whether they are top-level CEOs, pro athletes, movie stars, or comedians are busy. Much busier than you are.
Yet, they accomplish so much more in one day than you do. So, please stop using the time objection in your life - it’s not valid.
The 24 hours you have daily are critical because these days add up to weeks, months, and years.
If you want to 10 X your productivity it all starts with NOW, TODAY.
And that’s exactly where your focus needs to be - today.
Maybe you’re not someone who says they don’t have time but rather you are already too busy to take on anything else.
Your day is already filled with priorities and obligations, leaving no room to do anything else.
My advice - make a daily assessment of EXACTLY what you are doing and what you are focusing on.
List what’s getting you closer to your big goals, if it’s not, eliminate it altogether.
People are busy being busy. This is a poor excuse if you want to be productive.
Being productive doesn’t mean doing as many random soul-sucking tasks per day as possible. Quite the opposite actually.
If you really want to improve your productivity you must focus on FEWER tasks that add the MOST value to your life and your goals - all the rest is noise.
Doing a bunch of random tasks each day is hindering your ability to perform at a high level consistently on the tasks that matter.
Figure out what your priorities are - and focus on them.
Maybe you are someone who believes that one day really won’t help me to 10 X my productivity! What an insane statement!
Now, this is what separates professionals from amateurs.
The doers from the slackers.
And the action takers from the couch potatoes.
As I stated earlier your days add up to your weeks, months, and years.
While one day doesn’t seem like much time, much of a commitment, or like it matters in the grand scheme of things - it really does.
The habits you form, the books you read (or don’t read), and the people you hang around with each day - shape your life.
Reread that previous statement one more time and let it sink in.
What you do today is literally shaping your entire life. While some things that happen are more insignificant than others, how you perform each day is how you will likely perform in the next coming months, and years.
This is the reason why so many people get caught up in the same job they hate for years and years before they decide to do anything about it.
The terrible days don’t seem like much but then a decade passes and they can’t believe they’re doing the same thing at the same place they hate.
Today is important.
And you have the power to level up your life or settle for average.
The choice is yours.
Now for the moment of truth. How do you actually plan your ONE day to ten times your productivity?
First, you must know where you want to go - your heading, your vision.
Without this planning, your day to grow closer to your goals is really really hard.
If you don’t know where your heading is yet - don’t worry I got you.
I created a free 5-day goal-setting course designed to help you answer just that.
Sign up now and start creating your vision immediately!
Once you know where you want to go and have a clear idea of what you want to achieve you must figure out the KEY areas that you want to improve.
What are the habits that would help someone to become that person YOU want to become? Create a list of no more than 5 items. These are critical habits which you will perform each day.
These could include reading, journaling, planning with a scheduler, meditating, exercising, daydreaming, thinking, going for a walk, and more.
Getting clear about your key habits will help you to create a routine around what you want to perform daily.
From here you will want to focus on LESS not more. Everyone wants to do a million things day. Slow down, take a breath, and focus on less. Cut out unimportant tasks in your day, and focus only on the tasks that are most important to get you closer to your goals.
Now that you have a clear idea of what you want to do, the goals you want to achieve, the habits you want to form, and focusing on only what matters you are well on your way to creating a 10 X productivity day!
It’s time to schedule your “perfect day”. Of course, I want you to understand that things will always come up day to day. And while you may not get everything done in your “perfect day” plan, I guarantee you’ll accomplish a lot more if you have one.
Schedule a full 24-hour day, from sleep, work, habits, exercising, planning and more. While I don’t recommend writing every little minor thing down like eating or going to the washroom, you want to focus on the big important chunks.
Once you have a clear idea and plan for your perfect day, try and replicate this day after day for as long as possible.
And one last thing, your vision will change and your goals will morph over time. Don’t worry about this, when the time comes and your focus shifts, shift your daily plan to accommodate your new goals.
Can planning one day really 10 X your productivity? I hope you can fully agree with my answer now - of course, it can!
It’s time to stop talking about taking action on something and go and do it. I recommend letting your actions speak for themselves, remember talk is cheap.
Eliminate all excuses and take responsibility for your day. Know that you have the exact same amount of time as everyone else.
If you’re constantly dealing with overwhelm, focus on less, not more. To be productive means to focus on the right tasks each day, not more.
Know what you want to do, where you want to go, and what you want to achieve.
With this information at hand, you can start planning your ONE DAY to 10 X your productivity once and for all!
Chris M Wilson
Chris Wilson is a keynote speaker, CTI coach, and entrepreneur. Through his Hover to Fly framework, he aims to impact the next generation in their careers and lives.
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