DJ’s Motivational Mondays | Productive Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is always on everyone’s list. I know cleaning out my garage is high on my list, but today I want to encourage you to think about what we can clean up in our business lives. In all the things we do to better our companies, what do we do that “pays” us the most? What activities do we need to focus on the most to ensure the best return? What can be analyzed and cleaned out of those daily activities to allow us more time to focus on what “pays” us the most? I am learning we typically gravitate to the things we feel are causing us the most problems, are the most pressing, or are the things we like to do. We need to continually review our established goals (almost daily) to provide focus as to what we should do first or second. Take five minutes at the end of the day to review your daily accomplishments and then outline the next day to help provide the focus and concentration on the items that need priority. I believe this process has helped me clean up my days and make me more productive.

Most highly successful people understand how important it is to have goals. They know their strategies need to be studied and altered regularly to achieve the results they aim to accomplish. They “spring clean” by making new written goals and by creating a fresh plan to focus their efforts on what provides the most return.

I encourage you to take the last five minutes of each day for the next five days for your own spring cleaning. Take a piece of paper and fold it in thirds. At the top of each third write in the titles, “Goals for the 2nd Quarter,” “Actions to Meet Goals,” and “Activities to Delete or Delegate from my Schedule.” Start with the goals and write down three or four things you’d like to accomplish. Move to the next section and fill in the actions you need to take to meet those goals. Lastly, in moving to the third section, think about your past quarter and write down the things that you need to remove or delegate to another person in your organization. Post this somewhere where you will see it every day to make this exercise beneficial for you personally.

If you would like more information on this topic, or if you would like me to come discuss this subject with your team, please let me know. dj.horn@fnti.com