Organized Effort

There are many days I start work without making a plan for what I want to accomplish. These are usually the days I get very little done.

The days I tend to get a lot done are the days I get organized; the days I make a list of all the things I have to get done. The thing is, making this list doesn't take long at all. Usually it only takes at most five minutes to make this list. Most of the time I have most of the things I want to do already in my head. I just need to write them down.

I only have to write the things that are in my head at the time. As I think of other things I want to do throughout the day, all I have to do is add them to the list.

Now that I have the list I can group together the things I need to do by determining which tasks can be done at the same time. I will usually run the clothes and the dishes at the same time. Then when both are done I will empty both an put away the dishes and fold and put away the clothes.

While I am waiting for the machines to clean the dishes and the clothes, I can be writing or doing yard-work or dusting and vacuuming or any number of other tasks that need to be done.

The idea is to organize yourself. Know what needs to be done. Have a way to remember all the things that need to be done, and make that list disappear. Having a list will keep you from procrastinating, keep you from forgetting what is next when you are done with one task. It will keep you organized. 

The Golden Rule is a Great Place to Start

I have been reading a book about Wealth. The authors have a different view on the Golden rule that I have never thought of before. They state not everyone wants to be treated the same way you want to be treated. My first thought was "Really?"

We are taught as kids to treat others as we would have them treat us. It is a teaching you can find in the bible taught by Jesus. Check out the verse Matthew 7:12. It is a teaching that has been taught for millenia and frankly holds true to anyone who wants to treat others with respect.

I think the Golden Rule is a great place to start. You know how you want to be treated. You know yourself better than anyone else. It is a little naive to think that everyone else wants to be treated the same way you want to be treated, but if you need to make a decision about how to treat someone, how you would like to be treated is the best place to start unless you know for a fact they want something different.

Why would you want to treat others like you would want to be treated? Most people would say Karma. What goes around comes around. If you treat someone badly, sooner or later you will be treated badly, sometimes even worse than your treatment to others. If you can treat others the best way possible, then good things will in turn happen to you. People remember how you treated them, even if they did not deserve it. They will be more likely to help you out when you need it latter on.

Brainstorm What is Sucess for You

There are different levels of success. You have to determine those levels for yourself. Where do you want to be in the different areas of your life. Do you want to be married or do you just want to date. Do you want to move up in a business that is already proving its success or do you want to start your own business. Do you want to drive a super nice car or are you more interested in motorcycles.

Success is different for everyone. Some people are more interested in achieving power and status. Some people just want things in their lives. They believe the more they have the more successful they appear to be by others. Some people believe success is emotional. If you can find someone to love and to be with for life you are successful. The thing is, what is your success to you?

 Know where you are going. You don't have to know exactly where you are going, but if you don't have a general direction for your life, then you will sit there in one place not doing anything. That is the exact opposite of success. Are you worried you might be moving in the wrong direction? I don't believe that is possible. As long as you are moving towards a specific goal then you are moving towards your success.

It is true you may change your direction. In fact you may change your direction several times throughout your lifetime. That is fine. All you have to do is reset your goals to charge towards your new success. Even if you are going in the exact opposite direction your old efforts gave you the experiences that provide unique knowledge that may help you later in life.

I find that if I sit down and think about what I need to get done, I write those things down and make a simple plan to achieve those needs before I actually get started, then I am more likely to get those things done. One example is my writing. I find it difficult to just sit down and start writing. I don't know what it is. there seems to be some sort of barrier that keeps me from starting. It might be fear that I will not like what I create. It might be fear that I will run into some sort of stumbling block that will keep me from hitting my objective.

When I know I want or need to write, I will sit down on the couch away from the computer with a composition book and make a list of the objectives I need to write about. I will thing about the path my characters need to follow to get to the objective for that day. Then when I am satisfied they know where they are going, then I can sit down at the computer and start writing. Not only does this help me write a better story, I will also get more words on paper in a shorter amount of time.

You can take this way of planning and apply it to your life. Find a composition book and sit down at the kitchen table with your breakfast and start to brainstorm what you want to accomplish for the day. Write down some of the ways you can get those things done. Then sort them into a sequence that makes perfect sense for the time you have that day. You may follow that schedule, you may not, but you will be surprised at what you will get done just because you planned for it that morning.

You can do this same thing for goals that may take longer. Think about what you want to get done over the next week. Plan that out. You can write down what you want to be done in the next month or the next year or even the next ten years. You plan your life. You can get as detailed as you want with those plans. The more you plan for, the more likely you will accomplish your goals and become a success.