One of my guilty pleasures is watching a reality show from England called Masterchef: The Professionals. I’m useless in the kitchen, however, I am definitely a foodie and watching them create scrumptious dishes makes my mouth water. I’ve even decided to start offering food tours on Airbnb Experiences here in Japan, because to make my lunch break more productive.
I’ve found life to be a constant test… The key in every area, is to focus on the little things that are the most effective. No need to resort to dirty tricks or complicated strategies, hard work is where it’s at. The key is knowing where to put the right effort.
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In the first round of the competition, chefs are asked to first perform a skills’ test, then there is a cook-off in which they prepare their signature dish. Amazingly many of them actually undercooked their meat. Nerves certainly do play a part, but they have years of experience under their belt. There’s really no excuse.
Want to know the secret of success? It’s not what you might think. In any field, it’s nothing fancy or flashy, in fact, it’s downright simple. It’s doing the little things. A lot. Every single day. That’s where the magic is.
I’ve found life to be a constant test. We’re tested at work. We’re tested in our relationships. We’re tested with our finances. We’re tested as students, as workers, as parents and as friends. The key in every area, is to focus on the little things that are the most effective. No need to resort to dirty tricks or complicated strategies, hard work is where it’s at. The key is knowing where to put the right effort.
Yesterday, my son qualified for the Junior Olympics for the second time. The first time, his relay team was the final team to qualify on the final competition. They qualified by a fraction of a second. 0.11 seconds to be precise. A tenth of a second is all that separated them from success and failure.
Hard work works. Unfortunately, so many people spend their time looking for shortcuts, never willing to do the little things that make the difference. There’s nothing wrong with trying to find a better way, I’m a big believer that any company or individual, regardless of how productive and successful they are, there’s always room for improvement. That being said, you’re still going to have to put in the work. There’s just no getting around it.
My son goes to four swimming lessons every week, plus morning sessions on the weekends waking up at 5:30am. He’s ten. It’s not easy for adults and it’s not easy for kids. But everything good in life comes from labor. The farmer works hard all year to ensure of a harvest come fall. Elite athletes put in hours and hours of practice. No matter what position you have, every successful person has put in the time.
Getting in shape takes time. Building a successful business takes time. Learning a language, mastering a new recipe, creating a CD, writing a book, you name it and it takes time. Here’s the good news, we can all make the time.
Now some of you reading this might be saying, “You don’t know my situation. I just don’t have the time.” You may be very busy, that’s very true. Thankfully, I’m a time management and productivity consultant, so let me share with you a few basic tips to help.
Tip 1: Start with No
A lot of people have no time simply because they say “Yes” way too much… You’ll need to say “No” to the good, in order to say “Yes” to the great.
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A lot of people have no time simply because they say “Yes” way too much. A friend invites them to a party – yes. We’re going downtown, wanna come with? – yes. Start by freeing up your calendar and being selective about what you say yes to. You’ll need to say “No” to the good, in order to say “Yes” to the great.
Tip 2: Focus
Distraction is the #1 enemy of productivity. It’s the silent assassin that prevents you from getting your work done. Turn off your phone when you’re working on the report. Shut off all alerts on your computer. Limit your time to fun – TV, video games, sports. It’s easy to lose track of time when we’re having fun. Use a timer instead. Give yourself an hour, when that hour is up, shut it down.
Tip # 3: Work from a list
In order to focus, you need to know what to focus on. At the end of each day, plan the next day. The key is to figure out the main things you need to work on tomorrow. At first start by brainstorming, but once you have everything down on paper, eliminate everything but three. Then list them in order of importance. Those are your focus three.
Anyone can “find” the time. The question is, will you?
Photo by Uriel Soberanes on Unsplash