By Bruno Savoyat
Do you want to be even more productive and satisfied in both your life and in your work?
Let’s talk about doing more with much less effort.
What’s the point of being super productive if you are not productive with the right tasks?
What’s the point of spending hours on a goal and then realizing you’re on the wrong project?
Let’s have a look at your calendar and how you schedule your tasks. Your daily schedule is in fact a reflection of who you are and could also determine the outlook of your future.
Vague goals will lead you to vague results. Specific goals will lead you to specific results.
There are 3 basic questions to consider for any action you want to take or are asked to take, whether it is a small task or a big project, apply this 3-point questioning method and your focus will change in the direction that you want it to go.
So the first question is not “What am I going to do?”
Your first question should be, “What am I looking for as an outcome?”
Question 1: What specifically do I want to achieve?
That’s your goal. To know exactly what you are looking for.
It is by directing your focus on your outcome that you take control and gain power.
Having clarity is your power.
When the target is very precise, your brain will align itself with the right trajectory.
Knowing what you want as the outcome before you ask yourself what you should do and before you do it.
Too many people focus on to-do’s with a task list or several to-do lists thinking they will get ahead this way, but in fact they are spreading themselves much too thin.
Your focus should be on the results. If you want to increase your productivity tenfold, be very specific about what you want to achieve:
– When you are organizing a meeting: What is your objective? What is the objective of the participants? When you are aware of this, the meeting will be very efficient. You are not there to spend an hour together! You are there for results.
– When you spend time with your spouse or your child or a friend, what is your desired outcome? Do want to make him/her understand how important he/she is to you? Do you want to teach him/her something? Do you want to be inspired or do you want to have a pleasant moment that relaxes you and takes your mind off things?
It is therefor not the list of tasks that counts, it’s the actual outcome that you want to achieve.
You can visualize your expected result in a very precise way in your mind, as if it was a movie at the cinema, and experiencing it as if it has already been achieved.
So your first question is: “What do I want to achieve?” or “What is expected of me?”.
Question 2: Why do I want this as a result?
Your second question should not be: “What to do now?”.
No, your second question should be: “Why do I want this result?”.
This “why” will allow you to venture deep inside your consciousness to find the best resources, the best values, and a strong motivation.
Do you want to achieve this result because you want a better life, because you want to help the planet, because you love your family, or perhaps you want to give the best to those you love, because you want your team to succeed together, or rather because you want to take a step in your career?
Of course you could explore further the “why” of this “why” with a deeper meditation and discover on a deeper level the reasons that push you to seek this result.
It is in your personal response to your “Why” that will extract your strongest motivation. Your motivation is your energy, it is the main force that drives you forward towards your desired outcome.
Question 3: How do we achieve this result?
Your third question is not only: “how do you get to that result?”, you need to delve deeper and
Follow a 4-step approach to get there:
1) Brainstorm to find the best options.
2) Identify the actions that have the most impact, the ones that take the least time, the ones that are the most economical, and the ones that are the easiest for you.
3) And only now write down your action plan: When do you do what? Organize it in a structured and realistic way.
4) Then act on your plan.
When you follow this method in all aspects of your life, you will transform your life.
When you apply this model to your work, you will increase your productivity tenfold. You will accomplish more in less time, with less effort, and with much less stress.
When you follow this model with your team and your whole team gets into the dynamic, you will increase their productivity just as much as your own.
It is very easy to be busy. But is it efficient to be busy with the wrong things? Think about what you want to experience? What do you want from your work? Is what you do aligned with your values?
What is the one project you could do that would radically change your life or your work? It is really quite valuable to take the time to reflect on this.
Remember: A decision without execution is just an illusion.
To conclude: When you want to make a change that will impact your life or your work; go through your 3 questions:
- What specific result do I want to achieve? Clearly describe it.
- Why do I want to achieve this result? What is my deepest motivation? Make the statement: I want to succeed.
- How can I do this in the most efficient way? Write an action plan.
Why not take action now!
With PEP, we help professionals develop skills that can be used in all aspects of their lives and put them into practice for success.
Bruno Savoyat.
Manager PEP®worldwide France and Switzerland.
Author of the ePEP Program (elearning and coaching).
Author of the book “Si simple ! Mettez du PEP dans votre vie et votre travail!” translated into Dutch “Gewoon Doen ! Breng wat PEP in je leven!”, and translated into English “So what ? Let PEP impact your life!”