2 Things That Can Make a HUGE Difference to How Successful You Are

byMarcus1978

4.1K followers

Updated 7 years ago

I believe there are two key factors that can significantly determine how successful you are going to be:

• Your ability to be organised.
• Your ability to be self-disciplined.

These are really two sides of the same coin, but I mention them both to really drive home to you just how important they are.

Being Organised

You need a plan, something to work to. If you start each day without much idea what you're working on that day, and progress through the day without really knowing what you'll get done by the end of the day...you're doing it wrong, really wrong (in my opinion).

That doesn't mean your plan can't change as things unfold. If you realise something is going to take longer than you originally anticipated, you can edit your plan accordingly. But you do need a plan because it will keep you focused.

I use a program called Efficient PIM to organise myself. I have lists of tasks categorised into priorities of High, Normal, Low. I then plan out my day in 1 hour chunks with breaks in between.

If you aren't organised, you're more likely to get distracted by whatever shiny objects happen to catch your attention or whatever fun ideas randomly pop into your head. Any time I come across something new or have a new dea, if it's not part of what I am currently working on I save it as a task in Efficient PIM to look at later.

Every Friday afternoon I go through my tasks in Efficient PIM and plan out the following week in full.

Being Disciplined

I start work at 8am every day, Monday to Friday, and I try my best to stay focused on work stuff during the working day.

We work on the internet, which is the biggest distracting toy that has ever been invented. If you're not self-discplined with your work time, there's a high chance of you getting taken off track and spending half the day watching YouTube videos.

If I come across something not related to my work, or if I think of something not related to my work, I make a note of it in a text file called "Later", which I can look at in the evening once I've finished work.

If you are disciplined like this, you can actually get more done in less time. That means you don't need to work 15 hour days. Instead, work a 7 or 8 hour day, be disciplined with that time, get stuff done, then draw a line under it and relax.

Bonus Tip: Take Regular Time Off

Question for anyone who says they work on their business 7 days a week and/or who does very long days: Are you sure all of that time is focused on activities that progress your business forwards?

I've long suspected that anyone who says they work longer than normal length work days/weeks actually wastes a lot of that time. So, check how much of that time is useful work and how much of it is wasting time while pretending to work on your business? For example, do you really need to read everything your friends post to WA?

If you were to work solildly for 7 long days, week in, week out, you would wear yourself out, get aches and pains from sitting down too long, and probably drive yourself insane.

So, spend less time working on your business, be more organised and disciplined with that time, then regularly give yourself time off, and live a healthy, balanced life.