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Over the course of a typical day, week or month, we always have things to get done along with things that can best be described as distractions. You know: The stuff that gets in the way and pulls us away from the right tasks.
Unfortunately more times than not, we get pulled into solving others’ problems or we get seduced by what I call the “shiny object syndrome” or “SOS.” A shiny object always looks great, but when you get closer, you realize that it isn’t as good as you first thought.
There will always be distractions and shiny objects. Our challenge is to fight them off and condition ourselves not to be tempted by them in the future.
There is never enough time in a day to do everything you want to do. More days than not, many of you leave work frustrated over your lack of progress. You end the day wondering, “Where did all the time go?” Unfortunately, to make matters worse, many of you take that frustrated burden home with you.
Highly successful people have mastered the skills of identifying their priorities each day. Those priorities are related, obviously, to the vision of what they are attempting to accomplish within a certain timeframe. The first thing successful people do is to strive for clarity on their vision. Then, with their priorities known, they tackle the first important task, get that done and then tackle the next one. Successful individuals always work with a sense of clear priorities which helps them develop a healthy sense of urgency.
Related: How to Stop Being Distracted
So take these two suggestions, and put them to work for you. But I must warn you: For them to work, you must be committed and consistent in their application.
1. Start each day with the question: “What is the one thing that I must do today that will get me closer to my goal or desired result?” Work on that thing first.
2. Next, learn to say no to those trivial things, and trust me they are trivial, that drain you of your time, energy and focus. You know what they are.