Welcome to the Top 10 Laws of Productivity Series. Today we look at a very important law which in absense of, will seriously hinder your efforts. Today’s law is to have a clearly defined objective.The lack of applying this law will allow your efforts to be controlled by every random pull of your thoughts and external variables.
The law is very simple and widely known as being important, however it is vastly under utilized and under emphasized. Many times I have sat down to do a task or get some sort of work done, however I did not clearly know what I was trying to accompish within the time I was working, or even worse, did not have an idea of what it was I was working on. When I did this, I got hardly any work done, or it took a very long time to get any measurable results.
When you do not have a clear thought out end point, or milestone, your mind can not fully get into the work because most of your thoughts will be scattered and unfocused. Whether you are building a website, drafting a business plan, writing a book, constructing a home, or any type of work that you can imagine, this law applys to you.
Next time you go to do something, stop for a moment and decide clearly in your mind, and even on paper, what exactly you wish to accomplish and in what amount of time. For instance, if your goal is to work on a book that you are writing, define how many pages you will write, what topic you shall cover, and what time limit you will set for yourself.
Combine your clear objective with setting limits to achieve optimal results. Do not undervalue the importance of this law. Once you have it mastered, your mind will have less resistance on the path to your desired end result. Without it, you will not have an end result to work towards. Think about times in the past have you been extremely productive and effective? Did you know exactly what you needed to have done, in what context, and in what time period? Chances are that yes, you did. Be conscious of this today, and in the future.
Have anything to share? I’d love to hear it. Have a very effective day, and keep in mind your end result!
