First, the first sentence kind of irritated the grad student in me. I wanted to edit the sentence APA style (it, there, that). The second sentence is a little lengthy, which can lead to confusion.
Other than that, people are drained by work, kids, and finding time for self. People also want to improve productivity and accomplish dreams, but first, we need to identify goals, schedule time to complete goals, and make a commitment to achieve goals.
Goals also require a change. We have to identify goals, in addition to monitoring and identifying progress. We also have to find time to work on and complete goals. We also need to be honest with self, when accomplishing goals. Next, we need to identify why we want to accomplish each goal. Specify each goal, with details. For example, the book discussed finding a new home versus finding a better living situation.
Next, the book discussed time destroyers. Some of mine included procrastination, pessimism, and not having a plan to tackle large tasks. I need to break goals into smaller tasks, schedule time to complete tasks, and focus on one task at a time.
I am also subject to time distortion, or over estimating time needed to complete a task. I also rush into tasks without thinking.
Finally, the book provides tips for being more productive. The tips include:
- Plan and schedule all tasks, including small, moderate, and large.
- Track daily activities to determine time wasters.
- Identify distractions (television, websites, online gaming, etc).
- Group and double up tasks
- set aside time blocks to work
- use a friend as an accountability partner
- reward self for achieving goals
- set aside a dedicated work space
- don't let failures get to you
- Attempt tasks, even if you do a bad job
- limit negative emotions.
- remind self of past successes
- get sleep and rest.
