When you are in your accomplishing sweet spot, you are actively creating the life you want to live.
Looking up the word accomplish in the dictionary, it says that accomplishing is about achieving or completing something successfully. Keep this definition in mind as you check out the list of “secrets” below!
–To keep yourself encouraged, make sure to recognize all that you are doing! We tend to focus on all that we did not get done. One fun thing to do is to add to your list of to-do’s things that were not originally on your list, that you do all day and check them off! Sometimes we are just focused on what was on the list that we did not get done, but forget all of the things that we have done all day.
–Keep your goals reasonable, but right on the edge to stretch you a bit. Keep a reasonable number of goals by knowing yourself and what motivates, rather than defeats you.
–Build self-efficacy (belief in yourself that you can do things) by setting tiny habits one at at time. Check out the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg and also the book Atomic Habits by James Clear for some inspiration and direction. A tiny habit is something small that you do consistently and it is within your ability to do. As an example, recently I set a tiny habit to write some gratitudes right before going to sleep each night. It has worked because I put the action with another action- bed/gratitudes. And I put the book and pen right on my nightstand so I can’t miss it- making it easy to follow through. My next frontier tiny habit is to get to bed earlier to accommodate writing first thing in the morning. A tiny habit can be anything. Put it together with another action you are already doing consistently and you will have a great opportunity for success.
–Ask for help! Remember the relationship conversation last week? We aren’t here to do it alone- we need each other and our lives are better when we remember that. Who can help you with your tiny habit, hold you accountable or help you with any challenge you have right now? What stops you from asking for help?
–Be consistent in favor of what you want. Consistency works both ways- be consistent with bad habits, you will get a result you won’t want. Be consistent in great habits and they will compound into even better than you might have imagined. Read The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy for some great examples of this!
–Focus on progress, not perfection. Making progress, however big or small, is the name of the game. There is no such thing as standing still. If you are not making even a little progress, you are moving backwards.
-Plan for accomplishing by working on a weekly plan (I do mine on Saturday afternoons now, but for years it was Sunday afternoon- make it a time the is consistent and works for you.) Set yourself up for success by planning each day the night before, looking at your schedule to see what unspoken for time you have and plug in the priorities from your master to do list. Then put the list away. Only bring it out if something gets cancelled to find the next priority. Stop discouraging yourself by carrying around a long to do list on a full day, expecting you should have checked things off the list. Be real with your time. Also, planning the night before may help you sleep better- try it!
-Review your goals often to make sure you are making some progress. The ones with no progress after a period of time are prime for you to ask- how important is this?
–Cultivate a growth mindset (can do/can learn) versus a fixed mindset (I am only capable of what I already know). The growth mindset sees any progress is proof of moving forward and proof that more is possible.
Are you ready to accomplish? What point above speaks the most to you? How can you use that idea to start accomplishing more or better today?