Achieving goals is awesome, it makes you feel like your day wasn’t wasted.

To complete a task you need motivation, you will probably postpone that task if it is:

  • Too long
  • Too expensive
  • Too complex
  • Not rewarding enough / useless

There are simple ways to help you achieve more without being much more active than you actually are. It requires ORGANIZATION.

We all talk about how being productive at work is important. It is, but, it’s also important to be productive in your personal life.

Ask yourself

  • Think about yesterday.
    • How many things did you achieve?
    • Are you satisfied of what you did?
    • What tasks do you wish you had done?
  • Do you have regrets for not achieving your goals recently?
  • Do you have something that you have not made time to begin? Why haven’t you started yet? What/who is blocking you?
  • Think about yourself in ten years.
    • What will you regret?
    • Have you spent too much time at work?

Simplify your tasks

The more complicated the task is, the more likely you are to postpone it.

If a task can’t be done in less than 2 hours (define your own threshold), divide it into smaller tasks.

Before adding new tasks to your list, be sure to complete a few existing tasks. If you just keep adding new tasks, you’ll get lost in your list and you won’t get things done.

Get ready to make efforts

There is no magic.

You won’t lose 10kg in one month. You won’t become a pianist if you don’t have a solid practice routine. You won’t become rich without any efforts (even if this ad promises you to make $100.000 in only two days). You won’t find happiness if you don’t know what makes you truly happy (that’s another topic)

If you really want something, work hard to get it.

Stop multitasking

Human beings are not built to multi-task. You can handle doing a few tasks at once but you will be far less productive compared to completing tasks one-by-one.

Order your task list, grab the first one, do it.

Find time for yourself

  • Work : don’t work for free. The less time you spend at work, the more time you have for your life.
  • Social networks : you’ll stare at other people’s lives later. In theory you should have more interest in your life than in others.
  • TV : are you really going to watch that stupid show again?
  • Sleep : find the right amount of time you need and stick to it

FOCUS

If you are not really focused on what you want to do, either you won’t do it or you will do it in far more time than required.

Here is a simple list that will help you to focus on your task:

  • Throw away your smartphone
  • Disable all notifications
  • Close all your social network tabs
  • Find a calm place where you won’t be disturbed

Very simple process

It sounds stupid, but it’s really that simple:

  • Grab a task
  • Divide it into a set of very simple sub-tasks
  • Do all subtasks
  • Take a break
  • Repeat step 1

Sum up your life

Every month, write down what you have achieved (not in details). By the end of the year, have a look at what you did and ask yourself these questions :

  • Am I happy with my life?
  • How could I improve in my life?
  • What kind of changes do I need?
    • Small : improve your way of eating, save money, start exercising, etc.
    • Big : quit your job, do something you are not comfortable with, go abroad, etc.

This is very important, in order to improve your life (I mean getting happier) you have to know what has been good / bad.

There is no simple formula to increase happiness. You have to find it by yourself.

Conclusion

Time goes by so fast, if you don’t want to have regrets on your deathbed, start living now.

There are dreamers and there are doers. You can be a doer, if you really want it.