One may think that productive day is the day when many items are crossed off the list. In reality only items that move you towards your life vision should be counted. You need to be clear about where you want to be, act to move forward, and prioritize your time accordingly. You need to have clear mind.
So what does it mean having a clear mind?
I’d say it’s knowing your direction, constraints, and ability to stay on course. Your direction is defined by your life vision. Your constraints are defined by your life season. Your ability to stay on course is defined by your habits and systems.
- It all starts with a life vision. Think about the way you want to spend your days. Write it down and read it regularly. We’re talking about lifestyle you aim to have in 10-15 years. It’s not enough to just think about it once.
- Know your life season to have feasible expectations. Moving forward life vision sometimes goes easy and fast, but sometimes it feels like there is no traction at all. In some stages of your life you have lots of freedom, time and energy. In others you have obligations to the family, health problems, or any other natural constraints slowing down your ability to move towards life vision. Remember it’s a long game. So be kind to yourself when natural constraints appear. On the other hand don’t hesitate to be hard on yourself when you derail because of laziness, procrastination, or just being “busy” with not important chores.
- Habits and systems make your progress sustainable. It’s a rare luck to have quick and fun journey towards life you envision. Almost everyone has to go long path. Moreover moving to a certain lifestyle actually means building up certain habits and systems supporting such lifestyle. What helps us to move forward are not big shifts here and there. It’s small steps that we do daily.
Keep the wheel spinning by reviewing all three pieces regularly. And enjoy the journey on your way to the results you envision.