Get Smart About Your Productivity

Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian is someone who knows the difference between activity and productivity.

Don’t confuse activity with productivity. Activity is a state of action; productivity is purposeful activity that produces results. By substituting productivity for activity, you’ll zoom to the top of the sales charts.

To start being more productive, simply adopt the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Returns, Timely) plan.

Specific: Write down the clear-cut goals you want to achieve – not a laundry list, but a few core goals. Take billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian’s approach: “Get get a checklist, then ride herd on it. It’s just a few items on a single sheet of paper.”

Measurable: Whatever you can’t measure, you can’t manage. Therefore, perform “x” number of calls, sales appointments and other income-producing activities each day. Be exact. Be accountable.

Achievable: Pick numbers that are achievable, because you can’t exceed your limits until you first know what they are. To consistently achieve the results you want, write down a simple plan, repeat it often in your head and stick to it — no excuses, no complaints. After all, you wrote the plan.

Rewarding: Of all the things you do for you business each week, ask which yield the highest returns on your time and money. Pursue the best and drop the rest.

Timely: William James said, “There’s nothing so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” Therefore, put a deadline on everything you do. Deadlines create energy, excitement, enthusiasm and urgency, and propel you to your goals faster.

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Stop pleading insanity (repeating the same behavior and expecting the same result)

and start getting SMARTer. To the degree that you change the way you think about your daily activities, you’ll be that much more productive and successful.

By Peter Bennett

Editor