Get a GRIP on Your Week
In today’s hectic and fast-paced world it can often feel as if your to-do list is never-ending, no matter how hard you work. I recently spoke to bestselling author Rick Pastoor about his GRIP method of increased productivity. Here are the 7 Motivators he recommends you focus on to work smarter, get things done and free up time for what’s really important:
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
To get to where you want to be, you have to be clear about what you’re trying to achieve. What are you working towards? What will your reward be when you get to the end of your rainbow? Keep that vision in mind!
Just one bite
When you’re trying to coax a child to taste a new food, you ask them to have ‘just one bite.’ Take the same approach when you’re tackling a new task. If there’s a report you need to write but you keep putting on the long finger, for example, take just one bite: commit to writing for three minutes to get started. Nine times out of ten, this exercise will give you the momentum you need to really dig in.
Hyper-focus
Our environment has a huge influence on our ability to get a job done. To achieve a state of hyper-focus, you must eliminate as many distractions as possible. A great way to do this is to switch off all of your unnecessary mobile device notifications. Your time, energy and attention levels are too precious to be disturbed by some random text! If it’s really urgent, you’ll find out about it.
Catalyst
Tapping into the energy of others is a powerful catalyst to doing great work. The key is to set up a system for sharing and gathering feedback with your team. If you can share what you’re doing early on in the process, you can get a boost of appreciation and make sure you’re on the right track.
Perfecting your craft
When you’re working on something, the end result is usually very satisfying. The problem is the end is often out of sight! This is why it’s vital to get comfortable with ‘doing.’ When you focus on the joy of improving and mastering your craft, you get a lot of energy to do the work at hand.
The boy scout rule
When you’re almost at the end of a task, you often need some extra motivation to bring it to completion. One thing you can focus on is the idea of leaving the world a better place than you found it. Remember – if you’re disciplined enough to do a small bite every time, over time everything you touch will be better off.
The chain reaction
You can really leverage finalizing a task by making sure others know it’s done. The dynamic of collaboration and connection is key: Your work is not finished until someone else knows about it.
To stop being stuck and start getting productive, you need to build the kinds of systems that will help you become the person you want to be. To learn more about the tools you need to get started, keep moving and get the job done, listen to the latest episode of “It’s a Good Life”.
