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Unlocking Success: Embracing High Payoff Activities for Optimal Results

Sep 27, 2023 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Goal Setting, Happiness, Leadership, Leadership Development, Motivation, Productivity, Strategic Planning, Success, Uncategorized

In the fast-paced world we live in, it’s all too easy to become overwhelmed by an endless stream of tasks, responsibilities, and distractions. The key to success lies in identifying and focusing on the most important high payoff activities that truly move the needle. By harnessing our time and energy effectively, we can achieve remarkable results and create a meaningful impact in both our personal and professional lives.

High payoff activities, often referred to as HPAs, are the critical tasks that generate the most significant results and contribute directly to our goals and objectives. These activities differ from the countless trivial and time-consuming tasks that can consume our days if we allow them to. By prioritizing and dedicating our attention to HPAs, we maximize our productivity, effectiveness, and overall success.

One of the first steps in embracing high payoff activities is to clearly define our goals and objectives. This provides us with a roadmap to guide our decision-making process and helps us identify the tasks that will have the most significant impact on achieving those goals. It’s essential to regularly review and reassess our goals to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with our evolving aspirations.

Next, we must learn to distinguish between urgent and important tasks. Urgent tasks demand immediate attention, but they may not necessarily contribute to our long-term success. On the other hand, important tasks align with our goals and have a lasting impact. Focusing on the important tasks rather than constantly firefighting urgent matters allows us to invest our time and energy wisely.

Delegation and automation are powerful tools when it comes to optimizing our focus on high payoff activities. By delegating tasks that don’t require our unique skills or expertise, we free up valuable time to concentrate on activities that truly matter. Similarly, automating repetitive or mundane tasks eliminates time-consuming inefficiencies, enabling us to redirect our efforts towards more strategic endeavors.

Another crucial aspect of embracing high payoff activities is minimizing distractions. The digital age has presented us with an unprecedented amount of distractions, from social media notifications to never-ending email inboxes. Implementing strategies like time blocking, setting boundaries, and practicing mindfulness can help us create focused and uninterrupted periods to tackle our HPAs.

In conclusion, mastering the art of focusing on high payoff activities is a game-changer in today’s fast-paced world. By prioritizing tasks that directly contribute to our goals, we can increase our productivity, efficiency, and overall success. Remember, success is not just about working hard; it’s about working smart. Embrace the power of high payoff activities, and watch as you unlock your full potential.

Crafting a Successful Future: Mastering SMART Goal Setting to Achieve Your Dreams

Sep 26, 2023 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Ethical Leadership, Goal Setting, Happiness, Leadership, Leadership Development, Motivation, Productivity, Strategic Planning, Uncategorized

“Begin with the end in mind.” This timeless principle, popularized by Stephen Covey, holds the key to a successful and fulfilling life. Goals, like guiding stars, illuminate our path and empower us to shape our destinies. The act of goal setting is a deliberate step towards carving out our desired future. In this journey, understanding the essence of effective goal setting and utilizing the SMART framework can be transformative.

A goal is more than a vague aspiration; it’s a written, tangible target that delineates the results or outcomes we aim to achieve. 

The acronym SMART succinctly encapsulates the attributes that render goals effective: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. Let’s break down the components that shape these transformative goals.

Specific:

The specificity of a goal provides clarity that propels action. Define who is involved, what needs to be accomplished, identify the location, establish a timeframe, and outline the requirements and constraints. This precision turns vague ambitions into focused targets.

 

Measurable:

Measurement is the yardstick of progress. To make a goal measurable, identify the metrics that signify achievement. Quantify your goal by asking: how much, how many, and how will I know when it’s accomplished? Tangible metrics fuel motivation and track progress.

 

Achievable/ Attainable:

An effective goal stretches your capabilities while being within the realm of achievability. Plan steps that establish a timeframe allowing you to carry out the necessary actions. Aim high, but ensure your goal is grounded in the realities of your resources, time, and skills.

 

Relevant and Realistic:

Does your goal align with your current reality? Evaluate whether the goal serves a relevant purpose within your broader aspirations. Assess if the conditions necessary for success exist and if the goal harmonizes with your life’s overarching objectives.

 

Time Bound and Tangible:

A goal without a timeline often languishes in the realm of intentions. Establishing a deadline infuses a sense of urgency, motivation, and commitment. A tight timeline acts as a catalyst for action, propelling you forward.

 

Remember, a goal is more than a wish; it’s an intention coupled with a strategic plan. By adhering to the SMART framework, you transform aspirations into achievable milestones. As you progress, remember Covey’s timeless adage: “Begin with the end in mind.” Visualize the culmination of your efforts and harness the power of effective goal setting to craft a future of purpose, growth, and accomplishment. Your journey towards success starts with a clear vision and the determination to create it.

Unleash Your Inner Drive: The Power of Knowing Your “Big Why”

Sep 24, 2023 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Goal Setting, Happiness, Leadership, Leadership Development, Motivation, Productivity, Strategic Planning, Success

 

In the pursuit of our dreams and aspirations, setting goals is akin to charting a course for success. But beyond the realm of SMART goal setting, there exists a potent force that propels us forward—a force encapsulated in the simple yet profound question: What is your “BIG WHY”

 

A goal is a written specific target, a result, or well-defined outcome that we want to achieve, and while this definition provides a framework, it is the underlying motivation that truly ignites our passion and determination.

 

When you embark on your journey toward a goal, it’s vital to understand the benefits that await you upon achievement. These rewards serve as beacons, lighting up your path to success. Consider the allure of improved income, the tangible items you’ll possess, the enjoyment of greater respect from peers and colleagues, and the overwhelming sense of accomplishment that you will feel. These are the attractions compel you to push forward.

 

However, the power of your “BIG WHY” doesn’t stop at the allure of success—it also shields you from the perils of inaction. By striving for your goal, you sidestep the losses that could await: the loss of market share, the obsolescence of your company’s services, the potential reduction of current income, and the looming specter of increased stress. These are the pains you’ll avoid by staying resolute.

 

In essence, your “BIG WHY” is the North Star that guides your journey, ensuring you reap the rewards and evade the pitfalls. It’s the driving force that fuels your determination even when challenges loom large.

 

So, as you embark on your path to achievement, always remember to delve deep into your “BIG WHY.” For it is in understanding the profound benefits to be gained and the painful losses to be avoided that you unearth the unwavering motivation required to turn your goals into reality.

 

 

What is the Relationship Between Activity and Results?

May 11, 2021 | Business Owners, CEOs, Leadership Development, Productivity

Many people are running around crazy busy but are not really effective or productive. Being productive and producing amazing results requires a relentless focus on what really matters most in the organization. Productivity is really all about doing the right things, for the right reasons, and doing them in order of priority.

You will achieve positive results by doing the things that really matter most in your business and getting the right people, the A players, in the right positions to achieve your goals.  Achievement is simply the result of doing the “right things” consistently over a sustained period of time. Doing the “right things” is a direct result of your personal choice. Your future is built on the choices you make, day by day, moment by moment. Every one of those choices should be about moving you closer to your overarching goals.

When you spend your time doing the right things and doing them in order of priority, you can dramatically increase your productivity! How do most people today improve their productivity? They put in more and more hours! Working longer and harder is never the right answer because it only depletes our energy and produces little, real, or impactful results.

Time is the limiting factor – it is the scarcest resource- totally irreplaceable.

This challenging new normal is going to quickly weed out the weak and ineffective organizations and doing the right things matters more now than ever before.

As a leader or manager in your organization being productive is more about:

Planning and Goal Setting – Think Time

Communicating your goals and plans.

Gaining commitment from your team to execute your goals

Relationship Building

Delegation and Follow-up

Coaching and Training

Personal Development

Preparation and Prevention

Reporting, tracking & special projects.

My favorite quote from Peter Drucker is “There’s nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” I love this quote because I have seen people on a daily basis, in organizations I work with, being efficient doing things they should not be doing at all.  You do not have to handle every crisis, interruption, or inbox item. Be very, very selective about what you are giving your time and attention to.  Say yes to the right things and no to everything else.

The shift begins when you start focusing on “what really matters most” which is effective operations and clear strategy. 

Peter Drucker said over and over again “Don’t confuse motion with progress.” Just because you are doing things all day long does not mean that you are moving the needle any further. When in doubt, ask your self Peter Drucker’s question, “What can I and only I do, that if done well, will make a real difference?”  It is one of the best of all questions for achieving personal effectiveness. What can you, and only you do, that if done well, can make a real difference?

For more information, download this Getting Results Through Others Brochure – Click Here.

The Secret to Getting More Done

Mar 22, 2021 | Business Owners, CEOs, Productivity, Success

A principle that operates in every area of our life and business and one that can help you become more effective is the 80/20 Pareto Principle. The 80/20 Rule is one of the most important and helpful concepts of all time. It is also called the Pareto Principle after its founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first discovered it in the early 1800’s.

What it means is that approximately 20% of the ACTIVITIES you spend your time, effort, energy and resources on will produce 80% of your RESULTS. We call those top 20% of activities your High Payoff Activities or Wealth Creating Activities. Twenty percent of your efforts will produce eighty percent of your results.

On the other hand, 80% of the activities that you spend your time, effort, energy and resources on are producing only 20% of the results! We call them Low Payoff Activities. These low payoff activities will make little if any impact on your goals and your results. This means that only a small portion of your activities are vital and those contribute the most towards you goals and accomplishments.  This implies there may be just a handful of activities, perhaps only 2, 3 or 4 activities that are producing 80% of the results you currently experience! Focus on the 20% activities that drive your results. Focus on those 20% of activities that make the greatest impact to unlock higher productivity, greater profits and rewards in your business and personal life. You should spend 80 percent of your time doing the things that you do best. Typically, this means that if you have a list of 10 items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth as much or more than the other eight items put together.       

The bottom line is we all have the same 24 hours in a day to accomplish our goals.  As business owners you must constantly ask: what is the highest and best use of my time right now.  Am I working on the highest payoff activity I can?

Critical to your success is learning to say no to any activities, to anything that is not really a good use of your time.  Constantly ask what really matters most in my organization. Time is going to pass anyway so you may as well make the best use of it.

We all have the same 168 hours in the week to work with. What happens is we get enslaved in the 80% of the activities that are only producing 20% of the results. We spend 80 percent of our time doing unproductive and meaningless things, and by the end of the day we feel exhausted, frustrated, and angry.

Wasted time! Wasted effort! Wasted energy! Wasted resources!
Stop wasting your precious time right now and start applying the 80/20 rule to your business by spending your time, effort, energy and vital resources on those HPA’s that are going to return tremendous investment back to you.

It’s not the hours you put in that count; it’s what you put in the hours.

 

 

Clarity, Focus and Results are Three Keys to Success

Jan 12, 2021 | Business Growth, Business Owners, CEOs, Goal Setting, Strategic Planning

As I mentioned last week, I always talk about 3 words being the key to success in any endeavor in life. The 3 words are clarity, focus and results.  

Clarity – Do you have extreme clarity on your goals for 2021?  I find far too many people have clarity around what they don’t want in business and in their personal life rather than what they really want or would like their future to look like. Do you really know exactly what you want to achieve? What really matters most in your life and business?  Hazy goals produce hazy results at best. SMART goals produce the results you want.  

Focus– Goals are meant to provide focus and direction.  This also means you should only have a few really important and significant goals.  How many things can you actually focus on at one time?  The more goals you have, the less focus you have.  My favorite quote from Paul J. Meyer, founder of Success Motivation Institute, is, “If you aren’t making the progress you would like to make and are capable of making, it is simply because your goals aren’t clearly defined.” Over the years this has proven so true in my life and the lives of my clients. Focus is so important because you will only achieve those goals on which you are committed to take action.

Paul J. Meyer also said, “Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass.” Everything in that statement will exponentially take your power to focus to a new level.

What this means is you will have a crystal-clear strategy, a system and action steps to execute your goals. You will have a daily routine and daily habits to drive you toward your goals.  

Results – Results are all about your system.  The goal is the end-result you want to achieve personally and professionally.  Goal setting is easy – ask anybody! To really achieve an important goal; however, it is critical to have a system.  This is why you need software and  systems to drive your strategy and your goals program into the future.

You can’t keep doing what you’ve always done and expect different results.  You must identify the changes you will make in the future to achieve your goals.  John Dryden said, “We first make our habits and then our habits make us.”  Your daily routine and rituals, your daily huddles with team members and extreme focus on high payoff activities are the keystone building blocks of your personal and professional life. Putting these systems in place will give you the results you want.

I hope these ideas and concepts will spark some interest in you having your best year yet in 2021. We have the tools, systems and software to make your 2021 goals a reality. Let us know how we can help you by emailing me at michael@achievable.com.