Work at Home Productivity Tips -

by Jan Ferrante

I was contemplating success factors this morning after waking up at 4 am and deciding to get up and get a start on things.

Funny how thoughts come so easily at this time before the house starts moving for the day.

I was thinking about how so often I do so much, but don't see the success that I am looking for.

And it occurred to me that it was a two part problem with a fairly simple solution.

QUIT WHILE YOUR AHEAD – OR BEHIND?

The first thing was that I often quit before I have done enough to create a success.

It isn't a matter of giving up, I just have an internal “good enough” bar that is not good enough for the success that I seek.

I don't think that this is a form of laziness, rather it is a form of ignorance and lack of exposure to mentors and examples in my life who operate from a “raised bar”.

As I have worked to remedy this with various coaches over the past years, through it all the one lesson that I came away with over any other is that they all think big.

Not in terms of a grandiose vision, although that probably does come naturally as well, but in terms of what is needed to accomplish a task.

Knowing the factors of success seems to be a built in feature for them (although I suspect like everything, they probably learned it as well).

A PERSONAL EXAMPLE OF A SUCCESS FACTOR GONE WRONG 

An example of this concerning online business is that while I may have been be happy to add a good article once or twice a week (on a good week), turns out once or twice a day is what is expected. Not of me, but of my coach for himself.

While I thought of good article marketing as sending a few articles to a submission site once or twice per week (on a great week), turns out “the bar” is to send the articles to a leader in my industry to post to his/her newsletter.

See the difference?

I have a tendency to quit things before they are quite finished, but when they are “good enough” to be presentable. I work laboriously on websites, to get sidetracked before I monetize them. Or I monetize them, and then forget to market them.

It all comes down to having a plan that involves thinking bigger, and completing each component on a regular basis. Quitting at “good enough” before every piece in place is a recipe for disappointment and failure.

I see this in every area of my life.

I use what I call my BOOST Circuit to keep my house clean. If I don't use it, it doesn't get done and things fall apart very quickly. Why?

Because I “did it yesterday”… because I can't figure out what to do… because I don't have time as the task becomes more momentous… because I pick at a few things sporadically instead of doing a little of everything everyday.

ABOUT THINKING BIGGER

While thinking bigger in this context is key, there is a danger to confuse this with envisioning big things with no set plan, or a plan that is not realistic or attainable, or that isn't even ours, it merely looks good.

And there is a huge danger of burn out when we think bigger than what is reasonably comfortable for us. The key here is not to do more, to set goals for ourselves that are not “us”, but to seek out and TAKE ACTION on the activities that will see us succeed on the things that are truly important to us.

It is often a matter not of doing more of anything, but of doing more of the right things and of having a winning mindset while we are DOING them (not to be confused with dreaming of them).

DOING MORE DOES NOT ALWAYS GET YOU MORE

The second thing is that I tend to do too much. Sounds like an oxymoron but it is quite logical. It may be better explained as doing too little of too many things.

A major success factor is having FOCUS and having enough energy… and hours in the day.

I can't count how many projects I have worked on, been totally pumped about and brought almost to completion… just to become sidetracked by another.

Operating life this way is the kiss of death to success.

Taking on only what you can handle… finish one thing before you go on to the next… these are things that your mother probably told you.

And they truly do lie at the foundation of any success story.

ACTION TIPS

Ask yourself…

What is your “bar”? Is it high enough?

Do you see it to completion?

Do you have too many plates spinning… too many crashing?

Answer these questions and get to work immediately on your plan to remedy any of these habits that are getting in the way of your success.

Further Reading: I came across an awesome site called The Success Factor. Lots of good reading there about success habits both personal and career.