Motivation Monday: Josh Hinds on doing the right tasks...

I just recently found Josh Hinds.  I think much of his writings can apply to me and my business goals.  I especially like this article right now because it is a constant battle I have with myself figuring out how to balance everything and make sure that I am being productive and not just doing busy work!

Productivity – All Tasks Are Not Created Equal By Josh Hinds
If there’s one thing you must grasp if you wish to experience an increase in productivity and a strong sense of achievement day to day it’s the concept that not every task is created equal.
This is especially true when it comes to those things which when completed will lead to a greater sense of accomplishment & feeling of success and achievement.
Far too many people look at having completed the items on their To Do lists as a sure sign that they’re achieving at a great level. The problem with this line of thinking is that in many cases the items which make it onto our lists are little more than busy work — items which do require attention, but in the grand scheme of things having completed them doesn’t serve us in a greater capacity with respect to our larger, more important goals — the big things that when completed actually move us closer to our grand vision — the one we hold for our lives, whether personal or professional.
The challenge is that while you may feel like you’re making progress, because after all, you are checking items off during the day — if you’re not taking a careful inventory and ensuring that the things you are working on in the first place will yield your greatest R.O.I.O.T (return on investment of time) then it’s likely that you will end up feeling as though the larger life plans you hold for yourself aren’t making any headway.

Which by the way you would be correct, they aren’t, not because you aren’t working, but because you’re not working and putting forth the necessary effort into the specific task needed to yield the exact true result you are after.
That’s why I say, all tasks aren’t created equal. Commit this to memory — and always be asking the question “If I work on this task, when completed will it yield the greatest overall result and sense of accomplishment for me.
Will having achieved it move me closer to my larger plan?” If the answer you get back is anything but a resounding yes then you need to reschedule what it is you’re planning to work on and replace it with a task that will yield you the greatest return on investment of time (R.O.I.O.T). It’s that simple.
You and I have a choice as to what we give our time to. We don’t have a choice as to how much time we have. No matter how hard we try we’re not going to be able to squeeze anymore than 24 hours out of our day. The good news is you don’t even have to try IF you’ll grasp and put into practice the ongoing habit of asking the question mentioned above, and working on those items which when completed will yield the greatest results.
To clarify here’s a make believe To Do list item — I’ve made reference to an example which will serve you the best and one which might be more in line with “busy work”, which may make you feel good to get them done, but in the grand scheme of things won’t serve you had you instead chosen to spend your time on other things.
Example item that might appear on your To Do list…
* Vacuuming the house - while this can certainly be a worthwhile undertaking, is it really as important say if you’re larger goal was to “increase your sales for the month”?
No of course it isn’t.
A far more effective use of your time would be to schedule this as a lower priority item, or find a way to have someone else do it for you if that’s a possibility. While it may feel nice to complete this task, it’s not going to yield the same result if you were to replace this task with one such as “give a follow-up call to the people I met at the seminar I attended who showed an interest in my product or service”.
As you can see the latter is going to move you closer to what you’ve identified as your most important goals. Plus, once you’ve completed the tasks which will have the greatest return on your investment of time then you can go ahead and knock out the other things.
The key thing to remember is that you’ve got to be vigilant in working on and first completing those items which will give you the greatest return on your time spent.

Josh Hinds of http://GetMotivation.com specializes in helping people to achieve maximum success and live the life of their dreams. He is the author of Why Perfect Timing is a Myth: Tips for Staying Inspired and Motivated Day in and Day out! available at http://GetMotivation.com/booklet/

Monday Motivation for September 28th 2009

This couldn't have come to me at a more proper time. NOW, I am totally not one for ditching friends. However, I do think you need to look around and think about those you invest the most of your time with and in. If they do not meet your same values and goals, then maybe you need to start by bringing newer people into your life with those same values and goals. And spend less time with those who drain you! Good Luck and Happy Motivation Monday. Go out and make it a GREAT Week!

Melissa

The Number One Factor of Success
by Kevin Ngo

What's the number one factor of success? What one thing can you do start doing today that will greatly improve your odds of living a more successful, happier, fulfilled life? This one small, yet powerful, key will literally change every aspect of your life for the better. All it takes from you is to make one important decision.

So what am I talking about here? What is this number one factor of success that only takes a decision yet can guarantee an improvement in your life not only financially, but physically, mentally, relationship wise, and everything else?

Here's the answer in 3 words: Your Peer Group.

Your peer group is the group of people you spend most of your time with. If you want a good indicator of how your life will turn out, just examine your closest peers.

There's a saying, "Birds of a feather flock together." This means that people tend to associate with other people who are like them in characteristics and interests. Do you think the things you do, the habits you have, and what you're interested in have an effect on certain aspects of your life? Of course.

I know this may seem like high school peer pressure mumbo jumbo but it's not. Here's an experiment you can do to prove that your peer group, those you spend the most time with, do in fact influence almost every aspect of your life.

The Proof
Take a look at your body. Now mentally compare it to your peers. If you're a little on the heavy side, chances are, so are your closest friends. If you're fit and working out everyday, chances are, so are your closest friends. Take a look at your income. Now compare it with your closest peers. Chances are that your income is probably no more than plus or minus ten percent from the average income of your closest peers.
Let's look at your habits. If you smoke, chances are, so do your closest friends. If you complain a lot, chances are, they do as well. Look at how you dress, the activities you like to do, even your opinions on certain things, chances are, they're similar to your closest peers.
Make the Decision
If you are unsatisfied with where you are in life right now, you must either get yourself to live at a higher standard and get your friends to do the same, or you must get new friends. I know that seems a bit harsh, but it's an important decision you will have to make if you truly want to experience greater success in all areas of your life.

The reason why this is the number one factor of success is that when you surround yourself with people who have higher demand and expectations for themselves, you will naturally be pulled up to their level in regards to what you will demand of yourself. If the people you associate with all workout consistently and watch their diets, just to feel like you deserve to be around them, you will automatically start to do the same things.

The Hard Truth
I know people should accept you for who you are otherwise they're not your real friends but the fact is that if you want to live your life at a higher standard, to require more from yourself than you've been demanding, you must step up your game.
If the friends you have now are all living at a lower standard than you want to experience, then in order to change your life, you must associate yourself with people who are already experiencing the life you want.
Hopefully, when your peers see that change in you, they will become inspired and start to live their lives at a higher level as well. So why can't you just improve your life but stick with the same friends? When you start to improve your life, when you start to expect more from yourself, some of your peers may feel like you're leaving them behind and may start to associate with you less or even try to bring you back down. It's not because they don't care about you, it's just that they don't want to lose you, and this will effect you.
It's a decision that, for many, isn't at all easy, but if you really want to make a change in your life, and you're looking at your friends right now and saying to yourself, "I don't want to be like them", then you have to make that difficult decision. This doesn't mean you can't be friends with them, it just means you must spend less time with them and more time with people who live at a level you want to live at.
The number one factor of success, choosing the right peer group, admittedly isn't an easy one to implement but maybe that's why most people end up settling for a life of mediocrity instead of experiencing the life they've always felt they could obtain but never did.
Read more: http://www.motivational-well-being.com/number-one-factor.html#ixzz0SQ8UzIEs