The 6 P’s Of A Positively Productive Day

What “productive” looks like is up to you. It might be meeting a deadline at work, or it could be getting all your deadlines met so you can take a day off from work.

Whatever today’s definition of Productive is for you, here are 6 P’s that will help you get there:

Plan

The cornerstone of any productive day has to start with planning. You might plan the previous night or early that morning… it doesn’t matter. The key is that you take into consideration work, relationships and your own individual needs and interests. Having done that, prioritize the tasks so you know where your time could be best spent.

Picture

One of my favorite quotes is, “The soul never thinks without a picture” by Aristotle. If you want to be motivated to carry out your plan, create mental pictures. What does a productive day look like? Also reflect on the benefits of getting the right things done. Imagine the smile on the face of your boss or your children. Picture how relaxed you would be with a difficult task completed.

Prepare

You know the types of interruptions or distractions you will face-you just may not know WHEN they will show up. Prepare for them before they occur. How will you manage them so they don’t derail your day? If it’s a poor work habit like procrastination that is limiting you, develop a way to deal with it before it strikes.

Postpone

Put off those daily tasks you enjoy doing but don’t really contribute much to taking care of your high priorities. Put them later in the day or use them as a reward for accomplishing something difficult.

Persist

Other people probably won’t share your passion to be productive-don’t let them get you off track. Communicate to them the reasons you are focused on a particular task and how its completion will be of benefit to them in some way-or why its so important to you. As much as it is within your ability to control, keep chipping away at time spent in meetings or at least persist in being the voice that tries to keep them on track.

Ponder

When the day is over, evaluate your results. Do you feel differently as you look back on what you accomplished this day? What were those moments when you maintained your discipline? How could you create a repeat of today’s success tomorrow?

Put the 6P approach to work today and see if your tomorrow isn’t more of what you wanted it to be!