Successful People Never Confuse Activity with Progress

Often we rush through our day doing lots of different things, but what exactly do we achieve? We are so busy going through the motions as they say, that we allow very little time to effectively plan our day, instead we just keeping doing the same set things and strangely we often expect different results. Regardless of whether you are at work, home, or in social settings, how much time do you actively think about the activity that you are doing? How do you measure if that activity has been a success? To often our mind is on to the next thing before we have even completed the task we are working on.

There has been much talk regarding the virtues of multi-tasking, however if we are not fully attentative to the task at hand we do not produce our best work. Recent research from Harvard University suggests that when people multi-task the standard of their work suffers. Indeed the research concluded that focusing on one task at a time can actually save us time.

Thinking about multi-tasking reminds me of when I was a student I worked in a call centre for a large mobile phone company. I can vividly recall a customer calling me with an enquiry and in the background there was alot of noise. She told me that she was in a queue at her local bank. She also had young children with her and sounded very harassed. I had to ask her a series of questions and she was very curt in her responses. She then told me that she ws trying to do to many things at once, without thinking I replied 'well don't'. On reflection this was a pretty rude thing to say, but to my surprise and relief she actually agreed. She then decided to take a seat in the bank and we finished our call. Now as a busy mum I can relate to this lady's plight, but it also makes me aware of the things that I need to get done in a single day and I plan accorindingly, often around my son's nap time!

Successful people effectively plan their day and don't waste time on tasks that give them little gain. They set goals and then put steps in place to achieve them. They monitor their progress regularly and adjust course when needed. How often do you do this? If you do then good on you, you are no doubt reaping the benefits of your diligience.

However, if you don't it's never to late to start. Try to fully commit to being present in the moment and plan how you will measure your progress in different areas of your life. Then watch how much more you accomplish. List things that need to be completed and then plan the best times to achieve them. Be mindful of your progress and stay on track.

Successful people review their progress regulalary and adjust course if needed.