5 Simple Techniques To Become An Extraordinary Achiever

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Are you like me? I am usually much more productive the day before a vacation. I work faster, follow my task list, avoid unproductive activities and achieve great results.

How much more might we accomplish if we worked every day like we were going on vacation the next day? 

Studies show that this kind of “action orientation” is a trait successful people have in common. They move faster, try more, try harder, start earlier and are in constant motion.

CC Image courtesy of Aaron Fulkerson on Flickr

Thomas Jefferson put it this way: “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing. The rising sun has never caught me in bed in my entire life.”

An action-oriented person differs from a workaholic. A workaholic over-focuses on work—and neglects the other areas needed for balanced living. Click HERE to see all seven goal areas in my recent article or click HERE to receive my entire eBook on life management when you subscribe to my free email updates.

How can we work like the day before vacation? How can we stay motivated, on time and on track?  

I don’t always do this super well, but I have learned some great ideas that have really helped me be an achiever and I hope can help you as well:

1. Use 3×5 Cards to Envision Your Goals

This suggestion is simple but powerful: Write your goals on 3 x 5 cards—one goal per card. (Of course you can use your computer, phone, iPad, etc. if you prefer an electronic version.)

You might also want to illustrate your goals with pictures related to your dreams: that car you want to buy, that body you want to develop, the book you want to write and so on.

Keep the cards handy and review them regularly. Posting your goal cards in prominent places can also provide visual cues that can help motivate you become an extraordinary achiever.

2. Use a Daily Goal Progress Tracker

For example, check off each day when you have worked toward your goals on a chart like this:

My Daily Goal Tracking

Progress for the week of: ____________

GOAL MON TUES WED THUR FRI SAT SUN TOTAL Describe your goal XXXXX5

As an alternative, there is a goal tracking website called http://www.irunurun.com. I use it virtually every day.

3.Consider Using the Spiral Notebook Method

I’ve found Brian Tracy’s “Spiral Notebook” method helpful. He suggests you write in longhand your top goals and the current date. Each subsequent day simply write them again by memory.

At first you might struggle to recall each goal, but soon it will become easier. You will probably find your goal list becoming more clear and concise over time. You may also find that the order of priorities will change.

In approximately 30 days, as you write the list over and over, you will become far more focused and begin to make rapid progress on your goals.

4.Eliminate Goals and Refocus Regularly

To improve focus and help prevent burnout, consider following Bobb Biehl’s advice to revise your “To Do” regularly. He suggests the following process that I have found quite helpful:

• Ask yourself: “If I could only accomplish one goal, solve one problem, or seize one opportunity in the next 12 months, what would it be?” Focus 60% of your time here.

• Like Steve Douglass ask, “What 3 things could I do in the next 90 days to make a 50% difference by the end of the year?”

• Ask yourself, “If I could only complete 1-3 things this week, what would they be?”Ask yourself, “If I could only do 1-3 things today what would I do?” Write these things on your “To Do” list.

5.Add New Goals When Appropriate

Reaching goals builds confidence. Relish the satisfaction of a goal accomplished and give thanks to the Lord.

Then, once you have reached a goal, replace it with a new one.

Extraordinary achievers are always looking for the next mountain to climb.

The Bible tells us to: “Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count. Don’t be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do.”(Ephesians 5:15-17 CEV)

I hope these techniques help you to become an extraordinary achiever. As you do, please leave me a comment about how that has happened below—thanks.

If you found this article helpful, you might also enjoy my articles on:

• 4 Easy Steps to Set Goals and Become Far More Productive

• Finding Your Life Purpose

• Discovering Your Core Values

• Developing Your Life Vision

This article and the others listed above are based on one of the chapters in my eBook called Don’t Miss Your Life. You can get it for free when you sign up to receive my updates via email.

4 Easy Steps To Set Goals And Become Far More Productive

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I love to play basketball. Since the objective of basketball is to put the ball through the hoop, having a hoop to shoot the ball into is essential. Without a hoop to aim for, we would aimlessly throw balls in the air. It’s a ridiculous thought. In basketball, goals are absolutely essential!

CC Image courtesy of Ryan Fung on Flickr

It’s the same way in the game of life. Having goals to shoot for is essential. Without them, life can be aimless.

Studies reveal a sobering truth that 35% of Americans have a written will; yet fewer than 5% have written goals. More people are prepared to die than they are to live!

Goals are our hoops to shoot for in the game of life.        

Here are 4 easy steps to help us set great goals and become far more productive:

1. List Needs and Wants

Needs are problems that must be solved, and wants are problems that you would like to solve. For example: I need food but i want to eat at really nice restaurants.

People who have a hard time with goal-setting can usually think of problems that need to be solved and thereby determine their goals. See my article on this topic HERE.

To maintain life balance, consider and write down needs and wants for each of the following 7 goal areas:

SpiritualFamilyCareerPhysicalFinancialSocialRound-out goals: these round out life with cultural, intellectual, community, ministry, hobby and recreational achievements.

If you have done this step, congratulations, you have taken a huge first step.

2.Prioritize and Determine What You Will Accomplish

Place a star by your highest priority needs or wants in each of these seven categories.

Then decide how many of these wants and needs you are really determined to aim for. Circle these—perhaps 5 to 7 of them.

Congratulations, you now have a set of goals to work toward and trust God for!

3.Check The Integrity of These Goals

Make sure the answer is “yes” to each of the questions below for each goal?:

• Is it MY goal? (You can’t set other’s goals and likewise you must own your goals.)

• Is it in agreement with my Core Values?

• Is it morally right and fair to everyone concerned?

• Is it consistent with other goals?

• Can I emotionally commit to finish this goal?

• Can I “see” myself reaching this goal?

• Is it God’s will?

If the answer is “no,” to any of these questions, you should replace or modify the goal.

4.Turn Goals Into Faith Affirmations

If you believe your goal is God’s will (the last bullet point above), then your goal is a statement of faith about what God will do through you.

This is a good thing since Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

So rewrite them into faith affirmations:

• Turn negatives into positives. For example—not “I will lose 15 pounds” but “I will weigh ______.”Set a specific date for achieving each goal.

• Add an “ing” to make statements active. For example, “I will be living smoke-free by March 3.

• ”Include a positive feeling word like “happily,” “joyfully,” etc. For example, “I will be overjoyed to pay off all my consumer debt by _________.”

Goal-setters achieve far more in the game of life—because they have something to shoot at.

Why not use these easy steps today?

Question: What is one of the wonderful goals you trusting God to do through you? You can share below in the comments section.

Please note that your goals may be short-sighted if you don’t also determine:

• Your Life Purpose

• Your Core Values

• Your Life Vision

This article is based on one of the chapters in my eBook called Don’t Miss Your Life. You can get it for free when you sign up to receive my updates via email.

How A Life Vision Helps You Reduce Stress And Accomplish More

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On August 31, 1997, I found myself in the hospital emergency room with a frightening heart problem. Numb from the shock of this unexpected event, I watched the monitors tracking my racing and sporadic heartbeat while an IV dripped medicine into my arm.

CC Image courtesy of Mark on Flickr

I was only 42 years old.

Could this be a heart attack? Is this the “big one?”

My crisis played out against the backdrop of the tragic death of Princess Diana that very same day. News reporters and mourners reported about and reflected on her life on the television.

I wondered if I was next to die young.

Thankfully it turned out to be a bit of a fluke. I had overtaxed my body. I realize now that my life was out of control. I was putting in many hours of overtime, working two jobs and we were raising three boys. I was out of shape physically and was mentally, spiritually and emotionally exhausted and overextended.

Looking back, it seems I was running around in circles doing all kinds of stuff and not getting very far in the process.

Like me, it seems many are like Pine Processionary Caterpillars who mindlessly follow each other in a continuous procession. As an experiment, a botanist put a bunch of them in a circle on top of a flowerpot. They followed one another in that circle for seven days until they finally died of exhaustion and starvation—even with their favorite food just inches away.

To avoid being like them, we need a plan—a personal vision for our lives.

A Life Vision allows us to:

• break free from the mindless routines

• implify

• focus

• find direction and motivation

• accomplish more as we focus on what really matters.

A compelling sense of mission has been documented as the key to survival in such hopeless situations as Nazi death camps and prisoner of war experiences.

What is a Life Vision? A Life Vision is the fulfillment of your Life Purpose, Core Values and personal calling. It is the answer to the question “What should I be doing?”

Identifying your Life Purpose and Core Values will prepare you to write your Life Vision. I wrote about how to identify your Life Purpose and Core Values in earlier articles:

• What is the Meaning of Life?

• 4 Steps to Identify Core Values and Make the Best Decisions

Now let’s look at how can you determine your Life Vision:

Take Time to Think, Pray and Write

Here is a wonderful passage of Scripture about discovering vision: “And the LORD answered me: ‘Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.’” (Habakkuk 2:2-3 ESV)

This passage says that God’s vision:

• Must be written down (v. 2)

• Will seem long in coming and will require waiting (v. 3)

• But will surely be fulfilled (v. 3)

God has a specific vision for each individual Christian’s life and we can follow these steps to discover it.

To the best of your ability, seek God’s perfect future for your life. This is an exercise in “future perfect” tense. I recommend a minimum of 30 days for prayer, meditation and seeking counsel with family, friends and mentors to develop your Life Vision.

Consider Key Questions

As part of the 30 days of discovery, ponder, discuss and make notes on your answers to these questions:

• I may have dismissed the thought many times for various reasons but I really should be doing …what and why?

• What would I do even if I didn’t get paid anything to do it?

• What would my life look like if/when my Life Purpose is fulfilled?

• What am I uniquely gifted to do?

• What activities have been most responsible for my success to date?

• People who know me well believe I am most helpful and fulfilled when I am involved in…what and why?

• If I could only accomplish three things/goals before I die, what would they be?

• (Or what three problems would be solved?)

• What do I want others to remember me for?

Craft a Life Vision Statement

After considering these questions, craft your personal Life Vision Statement.

Example—My Personal Life Vision

Here is the Life Vision I wrote many years ago and revised recently:

I am fulfilled and joyful by being a delight to Jesus, a wonderful husband to Carolyn, a hero to my boys, a trusted friend, and an author and speaker who leads many to Jesus and helps Christians mature.

What is your Life Vision? If you’d like to, please share it below.

This article is based on one of the chapters in my eBook called Don’t Miss Your Life. You can get it for free when you sign up to receive my updates via email.