4 Questions for Maximum Productivity - Focus on Results

Are you focusing on what you want or do you find yourself stuck in the negative trap and putting energy on what you don't have?  The following information is adapted from Brian Tracy's abundant material on the subject of productivity and performance.  I recently revisited and read these Brian Tracy Books:

• Eat That Frog - 21 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
  
• Focal Point - A Proven System to Simply Your Life, Double Your Productivity, and Achieve all your Goals
  
• Maximum Achievement - Strategies and Skills that will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed
  

Tracy states in Eat That Frog:
"You can get control of your time and your life only by changing the way you think, work and deal with the never-ending river of responsibilities that flow over your each day." 

Your "frog" is your biggest, most important task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate on.  It is also the one task that will give your the greatest positive impact on your life, business and results at the moment.  The key to achieving high levels of performance productivity is to develop the lifelong habit of tackling your major task first thing each morning.

4 Questions for Maximum Productivity - Remember to focus on results and what you want as you answer these questions for your business and life:

1. What are my highest value activities?
2. What are my key results areas?
3. What can I only do that if done well will make a real difference (in my life and business)?
4. What is the most valuable use of my time right now?

Here are some best practices and action steps to implement in your daily plan now:

• Do the Worst First
• Resist the temptation to clear up small things first
• Identify your high value tasks and do them first
• Examine each of your personal and work activities and evaluate it based on current situation
• Select at least one activity to abandon immediately or at least put off until more important goals are achieved
• The key to success is ACTION
• 80/20 Rule Applies to Everything!
  • 80% of salespeople spend 80% of their time on people who are not going to buy or sell
  • m20% of activities will account for 80% of your results

Identify Your Key Business/Sales Results Areas and the targeted activities for each area:

1. Prospecting
2. Trust & Rapport Building
3. Identifying Needs
4. Presenting Persuasively
5. Answering Objections
6. Closing the Sale
7. Building Referrals

• Grade Yourself in each area
• What one skill, if I developed and did it in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on my career?
• What am I really good at?
• What do I enjoy most about my work?
• What has been most responsible for my success in the past?

Continuous learning is the minimum requirement in any field:

1. Read in your field minimum of 1 hour/day
2. Take every available course and seminar, workshop 
3. Listen to audio programs in your car (average car owner spends 500 to 1,000 hours/yr in their car
4. Practice, practice, practice
5. Hire a coach or mentor!