When can you be sure that you have full control of your life? Imagine waking up in the morning, go to work, do tons of activities, and come home at the end of the day feeling you’ve accomplished nothing.
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If you’ve experienced this feeling, know that something needs to be done about it. I used to swing it at work; starting my day with emails once I power my laptop on. After reading a couple of emails, I got lost replaying to those emails senders or working on their agendas.
Some days, I got none of my tasks completed! To make matter worse, I thought I was not working hard enough to get my tasks completed. I started to work harder than before. After some years, I came to realize that I was doing it all wrong.
Hard work was not a solution to my problem. Why? I was not planning my work days. Therefore, I lacked the focus to work on my tasks. Here is a list of what I’ve learned that helped me take control of my life.
Schedule Your Daily Activities
Taking control of life needs a daily routine. List all your daily tasks when you wake up in the morning. Write down the time you’d spend working on each activity. Once you develop your daily tasks list for the day, stick to the schedule.
You may make some changes or miss some of your activities. Don’t leave them out, reschedule the time to continue working on them. Make this your daily routine if you want to accomplish your tasks.
Develop a Clear Goal
Vague goals mean nothing but time wasted. Develop a goal with clear tasks; it will help you to accomplish more. Here is a list of what you need in a clear goal.
- Clearly spell what you want to accomplish.
- Why do you want to accomplish it?
- How are you going to accomplish it?
- How would you know when you have reached your finish line?
Focus Your Energy on One Task at a Time
You’ve probably heard that if you multitask you get more done. Instead, studies have shown that those who multitask get less done. They lose the focus; therefore, perform at their poor level.
A multitasker may start many tasks going on at the same time. The problem they don’t see is that most of their tasks will be completed with poor quality. If you want to complete your tasks with good quality, focus on one task at a time.
Make a Decision Faster and Stick to It
Use your gut feeling when making decisions. You also must learn how to make decisions faster. Mastering the tactics of making decisions faster may help you to complete your tasks on time.
If you keep on postponing, you may never make a right decision. Every delay brings many ideas that may lead you to lose focus. Once you have made a decision, take action on the matter; do not reverse it.
Worry Less About Criticism
People will criticize you whether you do good or bad. Some criticisms are positive, but most of them are negative. Instead of focusing on how to respond back, do something positive to shut off the critique.
Once you decide to stick to your daily routine, people around you may view you negatively. Pay no attention to them, stay on the top of your daily routine and knock your tasks one by one.
Learn How to Say “No”
It is not a bad idea to support others, but you want to do it when you have the time. Do not set aside your tasks to support others seeking your help. Complete your activities, then lend a hand to those who may need your help.
It is not easy to say “No.” But you can learn some techniques to help you say it. Be kind to those who seek your help; clearly, explain to them why you may not assist them immediately.
Question: What else could you do to take back control of your life? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
What do you think about goal setting?