There are three areas of your life and business that, if mastered, will have the biggest impact on your success:
- Staying focused daily on your Vision and your Goals.
- Developing rock solid time management habits, rituals, routines, boundaries and rules.
- Database and Relationship Management.
…so, if you want to prioritize the actions that will drive your 2020, start mastering these three areas.
Let’s take a deep dive into the second action item on this list - developing time management and productivity skills.
If you’ve been around me long enough, you’ve heard me discuss the concept of “Creating an Ideal Day.” But just to review, let’s cover an example of an ideal day using my own model:
4:00 a.m. Wake Up, Freshen Up, Coffee
4:30 a.m. Meditation and Review Goals
5:00 a.m. Plan Day/Review Calendar
5:30 a.m. Self-Development
6:30 a.m. Family/Get Ready for Work
8:00 a.m. Email and Correspondence at Home Office
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Execute Calendar and Plan
5:00 p.m. Review Day and Wrap Up
6:00 p.m. Family time and Unwind
9:00 p.m. Sleep
This “ideal day" will not work for everyone, but it works for me and my personal situation. Within my day, there are five major transition times when I need to “switch gears:”
- When I wake up.
- When I get my family up and going.
- When I transition back to correspondence and email.
- When I transition back to the family.
- When I transition to sleep.
Because these five areas each require a different frequency, it helps to understand that you need to intentionally “transition” from one version of yourself to another to be highly productive for your own purposes and also for other people.
Brendon Burchard, whose book “High Performance Habits” is one I use like a “guide book,” describes a “transition” as moving from and through different tasks, meetings, and events throughout the day, each requiring a different version of you. If you don't work on transitioning expertly, moving between these things will suck your energy - and your efficiency.
I read Burchard’s book on spring break in 2018. It’s definitely in my Top 5, if not Top 3, books I’ve read. He covers his 6 High Performance Habits in the book; the 2nd Habit is “Generate Energy.” He introduces his “transition mantra” for releasing negativity and setting positive intention to best transition from one area of your day to another (page 98). You’ll spot this mantra and more Burchard wisdom on the From the Desk of Jim Miller Facebook Page.
Since I’ve made transitioning an important part of my day, it’s become somewhat of a habit that I do naturally. As I was driving from Chicago to Union Pier last Tuesday night, I was grateful for that hour and a half drive that allowed me to decompress and transition to being “a different version” of me for a few days. I made a point to relax and not be on the same frequency that I am most of the time when I’m in Chicago (which is high octane “go, go, go”).
I’ve learned the importance of mentally “switching gears” to increase my effectiveness and it has made a huge difference in my energy level.
As you approach each client, your family, and your friends, they all require a different version of you. If you want to perform at a high level, it is your responsibility to get good at transitioning. You shouldn’t require others to adapt to where you are – you should adapt YOUR focus to those that you are spending time with. Maybe that sounds unfair, but I’m encouraging you to become an expert at transitioning because it’s your goal to be in the top 5% of performers, right? The 95% don’t think about things like this and only about the top 1 or 2% actually implement it and perform at this level.
My success language aims to help you perform in the Top 5% and aspire even higher, with your eye on the Top 1% of performers. Last week’s Pep Talk was about expressing gratitude as an effective way to amp up your frequency. The Thanksgiving holiday is over, but gratitude should still be central to your priorities. This week, we’re talking about practicing “transitions” in order to be a better version of yourself – for you and for everyone you engage on a daily basis. It’s all of these concepts stacked on top of each other that make the difference between an average producer and an elite-level producer.
If you are looking for a new book to read this month, try Brendan Burchard’s “High Performance Habits,” and when you get to Habit #2, pay special attention to the concept of “transitioning.” Learning to hone your focus and sideline the distractions makes you the best version of yourself for clients, friends, and family.
