With a new year in hand many if not all of us are looking forward to having a better year than the one past whether it was good or bad. The truth is the year is only better if you are better. Being better at whatever it is you do can simply be put as being more effective. For those who have this as a goal in 2022, we have 5 great tips on how to be more effective. We will also delve into how these tips help and some practical application elements.
Think in terms of impact
The first place to start would be to think in terms of the impact of things you do. If you have a choice to make between say two items you want to purchase or two service providers the way most people would look at it is the cost of each. To go a step further you really should be looking at the impact of things rather than their cost. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking because something costs more it’s better. Price is what you pay, value is what you get. So think about the impact that things will bring and that includes your actions.
Have a bias towards action
When in doubt, do something! Action will always lead to results, well the right action at least. At all times, in all things develop a bias towards taking action towards the things you want or need. One of the most important life lessons I have garnered is that action isn’t selective. If you do the right things you will get the results. Other things are selective and sometimes they determine how far you will get but action is not. You are better off taking action in almost any situation than not.
Relationships
Zimbabwe is famous if not infamous for the degree to which connections matter. As I said earlier other things are selective and connection is certainly one of them. If we remove connections such as clan or family what we remain with are relationships that did not exist at one point that had to be initiated and nurtured. Even those family relationships need nurturing. A big part of how effective you are is who you have access to. Others will struggle for vital information while others know who to ask and have them just a phone call (or text message) away. Focus on relationships and nurturing them, the payoff will be worth it.
Keep track
In my experience and I’m sure many will say the same tasks that do not get completed suffer this fate more because we forget them than theta we cannot execute on them. Many tasks and eventually opportunities have slipped from my grasp because I failed to take action promptly. How well you track your plans, goals, tasks and activities will determine how well you perform at them. It doesn’t matter the method or medium you choose to use. Digital or paper the result is the same, the better you track your goals and tasks the better your chances of achieving them.
Results vs activities
Given the situation, it’s important to know your goals and important to match those goals with the right sort of action. Sometimes you desire to achieve a known result. For example, saving $10000 n the year is a result. You know exactly how much money you want to save. But how do you get there? Unless you happen to have $1000 to put into savings in one go you will have to break that goal down and go about putting money into savings every day, week, fortnight, month or quarter whichever applies to your income pattern. That right there is an activity. In many cases we get results through activities however activities can be goals within themselves. In most cases where you have a behaviour related goal, it’s an activity. Distinguishing between the two helps you in finding the right approach for the goal.
The achievement has a lot in common with marathon running. You have to focus on many little things while trying to run as fast as possible but preserving yourself for endurance as well. Complicated. These tips can help you get a little clearer on just what it takes to be more effective.
