I have mixed feelings about willpower and it’s importance in goal setting and achievement. The main reason is that if you have a clearly articulated goal, outcome or dream you want to achieve that really excites you, you don’t need any willpower to get it done.

Willpower to me is an excuse for impotent goal setters.

Without exciting goals you would need willpower to get motivated.

For example, I don’t smoke. It takes no willpower for me to avoid picking up a cigarette, cigar or pipe. The same is true for overeating. I value my vitality, health and wellbeing so much that I don’t overeat or abuse alcohol or other ‘substances’.

If you’re struggling with willpower and are trying to harness more of it – you’re probably heading in the wrong direction.

Focus on your goals, dreams and aspirations instead.

When you do, you’ll find an unquenchable thirst for achievement that will create relentless enthusiasm within you and you’ll be of the same point of view that willpower has no place in genuine and authentic achievement that is congruent with your life’s purpose.

Give it some serious thought the next time you think you’re lacking in willpower – or when you see someone with very little of it.

Share these thoughts with them because that’s what someone did with me when I was a teenager and it changed my life and perspective forever.

Back in the days before the Internet, there was a time management concept I heard about called the “1 Touch Rule”. Simply stated, it meant that when a paper came into your IN Tray (or on your desk), you were supposed to deal with it the FIRST time you touched it, hence the name – 1 Touch Rule.

I totally understand that at first, it’s much easier said than done, but with practice it gets easier. In fact, you’ll quickly reach a point where you simply won’t touch anything UNLESS you can deal with it in 1 TOUCH.

One of my pet peeves is people not managing their emails. They open them, skim and close them WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING other than wasting time. The next time they go to that email is the SECOND TIME = another waste of time.

The 1 Touch Rule led me to create a concept I call Gap Management. In simple terms, it means using the gaps that occur in all our lives. For example, if I got a message to call a client, I would do it when I knew I would get his/her voicemail. I would leave a FULL message so he/she could deal with the issue BEFORE they called me back – avoiding telephone tag and another multi-touch scenario.

I teach these strategies in my Platinum Program. All I can really do in a blog is introduce the concept and let you know there is a better way to get more more things done in less time. At my workshops, over several hours, I can explain and show you how it’s done with real case studies and examples as well as answer your specific questions. Contact us if you’re keen to learn how to get a lot more done in less time.

I know what you’re thinking… This is just another motivational play on words. It’s not. I mean it, I’m dead serious.

This is one of the most important time management lessons I learned early on in my career. When I got out of university and the whole world lay in front of me and my career was just starting, I wanted to ‘do it all’…

The problem is – there are only 168 hours in a week.

So what’s a driven, ambitious go-getter to do?

Simple: Apply the concept of Concentration Of Focus. Do one thing and only that one thing until you master it and can do it exceptionally well BEFORE you start something else.

Easier said than done when you have multiple interests and a lot of enthusiasm!

One of the strategies I use to ‘park ideas and concepts’ is to write them down and explore them in my journals. By writing them down and adding to them whenever I get a flash of inspiration helps me remain on focus with my current, primary goal or outcome.

I’ve achieved a lot by anyone’s standards and yes, I have achieved multiple goals simultaneously, but each one was accomplished with laser-focused discipline within the context of this philosophy.

I see it all too often, people flip flopping all over the place, trying to run a business, make money online, trading stocks, buying real estate with NO FOCUS OR DISCIPLINE.

They attend all the free weekend events and seminars hoping for the next big thing and off they go in 1, 2 or 3 different directions.

They are called DABBLERS.

I could go on and on about this, but I’ll save you the rant.

All I want to say is what’s in this blog post title – to get more done, you have to do less.

That means you need to cherry pick what you’re going to put your time and effort behind UNTIL you succeed at it.

What you’ll realise is that you might not be willing to do what it takes and you’ll need to switch to something else.

That will help you to better select your outcomes and goals.

One thing is for sure, if you don’t have Concentration Of Focus, you’re sub-optimising your results.

If you want more guidance on subjects like this, I offer a wide range of Business Coaching and Mentoring Services.

According to sound and acoustic expert Julian Treasure, working in an open plan office decreases your productivity by 66%… Watch this short video that can help you improve your personal productivity.

My blogs are all about showing you examples of antimimeticisomorphism – the goal setting video below is a classic example. I agree and disagree with it, because there is a subjective element to it, but for now – watch it and make up your own mind.

This is the kind of video I will have my clients watch and we’ll discuss it in a MasterMind Session to reveal key nuances and distinctions. If you’d like to participate at this level, give us a call.

As you know, as a regular reader of this blog, it is focused on concepts and ideas related to one central theme- Exponential Mindset Thinking™. Today’s post is timely because of the tragic circumstances of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

This BEFORE and AFTER photo says it all..

Someone once said
“what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger”

That being said, this is a testament to the Japanese people’s resilience and their engineering and construction expertise deployed with flawless execution.

I know several local Sydney Engineers who discussed this with me just last week – also impressed by the lighting-quick speed of construction.

This is proof positive of the power of the human spirit to overcome all obstacles and the brilliance of professional engineers to provide solutions that affect us all.

Productivity Tip #1

When traveling, test traveling at different times of the day to test and determine which one is MOST productive and efficient for you. Contrary to popular practice, taking an early flight (when you have the option not to) is not the most productive option – especially if you sleep on the flight. Also, you want to consider traffic to and from the airports and coordination considerations. I now travel more often at midday – avoiding traffic as well as getting things done prior to the flight, being wide awake and working on the flight and then picking up loose ends when I arrive at my destination. It’s all about “Perfect Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.”

Productivity Tip #2

Upgrade your hotel room and/or pick a different hotel or apartment when traveling to familiar cities. You’d be amazed at how different each choice can be. I vary my hotel selections from trip to trip for variety as well as based on what I am doing. If I am meeting with several clients, I will rent a 2-bedroom suite or apartment so that I can have visitors in a comfortable environment. The point is TEST the options – sometimes an upgrade is less expensive than hiring a separate boardroom.

Productivity Tip #3

This one’s a personal favorite of mine, it’s been called time shifting – recording your favorite TV shows or sports and watching them without commercial interruptions (saving you time) when it’s convenient for you. With Tivo and Digital Video Recorders, there is no excuse not to do it. I simply will not watch live TV anymore. If it’s sports, I’ll start to watch it 15 to 30 minutes after it starts and “chase play” through the commercials. I simply cannot afford waste associated with commercials.

I am not the only one doing this – the entire world has embraced time shifting. All it takes is the foresight to plan ahead and make the commitment to stick with it. Trust me, once you start, you will never go back.

These productivity tips are important because we all have the same amount of time – 24 hours in our day. The difference between successful people and less successful people is their use and leverage of time.

The more productive you can be, the more time you gain to do what you really, really enjoy.

When I talk to my clients about productivity, efficiency and effectiveness, I triangulate or combine the Pareto Principle, Goal Setting and several other strategies in a concept I call Voluntary Simplexity. It has its foundation in the movement from the 1980s called Voluntary Simplicity that was made popular with the International Bestseller “Your Money Or Your Life”.

When you apply it, it slows your life down, much like the slow-motion effects in the movie The Matrix.

Imagine being able to live life with that level of confidence, peace and serenity, all without compromising results but improving them. Have a look at my personal mastery website and you’ll see the holistic approach I take to business growth.

Neo And Agent Smith in The Matrix

A new survey*, commissioned by Virgin Active Health Clubs has uncovered the lengths tired Australian workers will go to in order to catch up on sleep. Results show that a whopping one in three workers, an equivalent to more than three million Australians have taken a sick day to catch up on sleep, with a further one in five workers (21%) admit to finding a quiet place to doze off while at work.

The research also points out that Australians are keen to improve their lives with a massive 89% wanting to change their daily routine to achieve a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. The most common area in which Aussie workers would like to do this was more exercise (81%), followed by a healthier diet (66%) and more sleep (60%).

The Natural Sleep Reporter and Sleep Expert, Elizabeth Shannon commented on the findings, “Millions of Australian workers are underestimating the effect that lack of sleep can have on your body. In addition to reducing motivation and productivity at work, there are also many related health risks, such as increased stress and anxiety, weight fluctuation and sexual dysfunction associated with sleep deprivation.”

Results from the Virgin Active ‘sleep’ survey also showed that the average worker is getting about six hours sleep a night, approximately two hours less than the suggested eight hours. To add further fuel to the work/life balance debate, it was also highlighted that as many as 62 per cent of workers believe a regular 20 minute lunch time nap would make them more motivated and productive in the workplace.

Elizabeth Shannon is not surprised that Australians would welcome a daytime snooze with the majority of workers (63%) interested in a 20 minute lunchtime nap if there was a safe, comfortable and affordable sleep environment close to their work.

Luckily, Virgin Active Health Clubs recognise the tired trend and have entered the market with sleep pods – a comfortable, safe solution to catching up on sleep and a step in the right direction towards worker productivity.

“I believe that if people made more time to take a regular nap, they would feel the vast benefits within a few days. For busy people, daytime naps are a brilliant way to clear the mind whenever it’s overloaded, and let the subconscious go to work. A quick snooze allows you to come back to tasks fresh, re-energised and with improved decision making, paving the way for sharper thinking and clearer insight,” Elizabeth Shannon said.

Officially opened in November 2010, the Virgin Active Health Club, Pitt St Mall Sydney has been specially designed to take a whole new approach to getting fit and feeling great. With a non-intimidating atmosphere, friendly, tailored work out plans, helpful staff and cutting edge facilities such as sleep pods, members will definitely be on the right path to achieving a healthier and more balanced lifestyle.