We tend to think really big and while this isn’t inherently bad, the downside is that it often makes the barrier for taking action quite high.The risk translates into seeing our projects more complicated than they actually are and thus postponing taking actions.

Start small

Our brains are naturally hardwired to perform at their best not when they are thinking negative thoughts or even neutral ones, but when they are thinking positive.

Concentrate on the positive

When you generate lots of new ideas as you’re making progress, you tend to gradually expand your project’s objectives.The risk: it will make it nearly impossible to ever truly complete anything. Always keep in mind your core objectives when deciding what to work on.

Focus on your core objectives

They ultimately ad up to big success.It’s crucial to pause periodically to acknowledge what’s been accomplished – even if there’s a long way yet to go. The easiest way to do this is to set yourself smaller milestones worth celebrating.

Celebrate small wins

For example, perhaps you can complete a particular task in 30 minutes, and it would take three hours to implement a more efficient method. If that 30-minute task must be completed daily, and a three-hour fix would cut it down to 10 minutes or less each time, it’s a fix well worth investing in. The more reoccurring tasks you automate and delegate today, the more productive you can be going forward with less effort.

Invest time to save time

Blame is nothing but an easy way out of taking responsibility for your own outcomes. It’s a lot easier to point a finger at someone or something else instead of looking within yourself. Blame is not constructive; it does not help you or anyone else.

Don't play the blame game

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

To be productive in the long term, you have to not mind being wrong in the short term.You have to take a stand, test your theories, and then admit it if you realize that your theory was wrong.

Don't mind being wrong

You must challenge yourself to take action sooner rather than later.Planning and strategizing are important parts of the beginning of a new project, but be careful not to lose yourself indefinitely in these steps.

Don't just wait around

Productive time and energy are not infinite. Seasoned achievers know they must guard their time and energy (and their focus) closely.

Practice saying No

Besides the intelligent art of getting the "right things" done, there is the often-forgotten art of leaving the "wrong things" undone. This past month at our first annual Think Better, Live Better conference, dozens of people asked me how Angel and I "get it all done."

STEPHEN KING

Similar ideas

STEPHEN KING

CHUCK CLOSE

Adopt a Bias Towards Action