Every young man has gotten advice along the way that has changed his thinking and the trajectory of his life.
Mine came from an author named Tom Hopkins in his book about sales.
The advice was simply this. “Do the most productive thing now” It took me a few years but I finally took that advice to heart and it made all the difference in the world for me and the success I had in life.
Too many people are just busy, they have no plan and all they do is put out the biggest fire at that moment. They will all claim they are working hard and they are… but they not working on the most productive things.
Your Job (how to apply)
In every job, there are going to be specific criteria that you will be judged on, and the very first thing you should do when you get into a new job or position is figured out what you are going to be judged on.
Now, this can be incredibly hard to do. If you ask HR they are going to refer you to the job description, but that is not going to help much. Sure you might get some type of review based on that but in reality, your direct boss or manager is going to have a separate set of criteria that he will use to determine how you are doing.
This is what you need to find out. It may be a project or personal goal he needs to accomplish and by helping him accomplish his goals you will accomplish your own.
Once you find out your boss’s goals plan your own department goals around his.
This will let him know you are on his team and he will start to look to you as someone he can count on.
Each day you should work on the most productive thing at each moment. This rarely means reading the paper or answering emails. There are always core things you can do to move forward in your career that will have the biggest impact.
If you are in sales that is going to mean prospecting and looking for new customers, everything else is just busy work. If you are a manager it may mean taking care of your team or whatever is going to move the needle the most.
Once you figure out the most productive you need to discipline yourself to work on it all the time. Cut out the busy work or the easy work and you will find yourself moving up in your career faster than ever.
Most people go through life just coasting and calling themselves busy when in reality they are not doing anything to move the needle. Then they complain that nothing changes.
The issue is that you are doing the same thing but expecting different results. This is the definition of depression and insanity but everyone does it.
Your Personal Life
This can make a huge difference in your personal life and where you end up.
Figure out what your own personal goals are and spend all your free time working towards them.
If you want to be financially wealthy can you honestly say spending time watching football or looking at your phone is going to get you there?
If you want to have a healthy relationship with your family but spend all your free time out drinking or hanging out with your friend, you will never get there.
This can be really difficult to do and its not easy but so worth it. If you discipline yourself now to do the things you don’t want to do. Soon you will have the freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want.
This Puts Everyone On Equal Footing
The one thing that everyone has the same of is 24hrs in a day.
The most successful people are the ones that have made the most of those hours. Whether they realize it or not they have done the most productive thing that moves them forward.
All the greatest leaders had this tendency. They all started by doing the most productive thing with the time they controlled. This is what allowed them to create massive industries and wealth.
This doesn’t always mean work
I apply this to all areas of my life the best I can but this doesn’t mean I am perfect with it and some would say far from it.
My family is very important to me and one of my top priorities. Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is spend time with my family.
This may mean playing catch or watching a movie with them or even watching them play sports.
If you apply this to your work life you will find that you are more successful and you will have more time to spend doing the things you want to do.
Let me know what some of the best advice you have gotten and wish you could pass down.
