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It’s not enough to Dream of Success. It’s not even enough to set goals.
The only way to truly achieve your dreams and build the business you’re meant to build is to sit down and just do it.

And that’s where many of us…well, fail is a strong word. But it’s the doing that trips us up more times than not.

We overbook our calendars until today’s to-dos become next week’s past dues. We procrastinate on the things that are important while attending to things that are merely “nice to do.” And sometimes we simply take on too much—even when we know better.

The answer? Embrace these five productivity hacks that top coaches use to get more done in less time.

1. Rituals and Habits: Simply put, a ritual or habit is a consistent way of doing something. You have a morning ritual (wake up, brush your teeth, work out, shower, and head to your office), evening ritual (check homework, tuck the kids in, watch the evening news, and hit the sack), weekend ritual (sleep late, mow the lawn, catch a movie, visit your mom), and many others.

The trouble is, if you’re not careful with your rituals, they can turn into productivity killers. Is checking Facebook or email a part of your morning ritual? Is turning on Skype a part of your at work ritual? Distractions such as these can turn even your best intentions into hours of wasted time.

Take a good look at your rituals. What are you doing that you should not be—or that should be moved to another part of your day? Make your rituals more efficient, and you’ll automatically get more done.​

2. Calendar Management: Want to know how much time you really have available for that new project? Try blocking off time in your calendar for all your existing projects. Fill in all your client calls, your business administrative tasks, time for meals and breaks, outside appointments, and everything else you’re committed to. What’s left might just shock you.

Make it a habit to block time in your calendar for every commitment, and you’ll never again over-promise or over-commit.

3. Learn to Let Go: Here’s a news flash. You do not have to do everything in your business. You can (and should) hand off those low-level tasks to someone else. Hire a VA to create your documents and manage your calendar. Let your tech support person manage your blog and email. Turn over your bookkeeping to an accountant. The time you free up will allow you to work on what’s truly important—and that only you can do.

4. Work Hard, Play Harder: You are not a machine. You cannot work all day every day and hope to be at your best all the time.

Take a day off. Get some rest, or relax on a long, slow hike. Take a friend out to lunch. Go shopping with your kids. See a movie or a play. Do something—anything—other than work.

Not only will you return to the office feeling much more refreshed, but you’ll find yourself more creative and productive than before as well.

5. Focus: Multi-tasking is impossible. You cannot efficiently create a new product or program while you’re simultaneously surfing Facebook, keeping an eye on the kids, and answering the phone every time it rings.

Instead, use your calendar to block time off for important tasks, then turn everything else off so you can focus. No phone, no Facebook, no kids or husbands or neighbors or pets demanding “just a minute” of your time. Tune everything out, and you’ll find your work getting done much faster.
Managing your time and turning up your productivity is not something that comes naturally to most people, but when you learn to master this skill, you’ll find your business grows right along with you. 

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The most successful people in the world did not arrive there by accident. Truly successful people, whether they are millionaires or have just found their true life purpose and get to enjoy living it every day, are in that position for a specific reason: their habits.

You can work, and work, and work at becoming successful until you are completely burned out. But if you don’t develop the specific daily habits of successful people, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get there.

I’m going to share 5 of these successful habits, and I hope you’ll consider integrating them into your life.

1) Successful People Believe in Themselves

If you’re going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. Believing in yourself is a choice.

Of the hundreds of super successful people I have interviewed throughout my career, almost every one of them told me, “I was not the most gifted or talented person in my field, but I chose to believe anything was possible. I studied, practiced, and worked harder than the others, and that’s how I got to where I am.”

Successful people assume in favor of themselves and act as if achieving their goals is completely possible.

2) They Set Goals

Experts on the science of success have revealed that the brain is a goal-setting organism. And successful people know that if they give a goal to their subconscious mind, it will work night and day to achieve it. They set high goals that are both realistic and measurable, and they make an effort to work towards those goals every day.

3) They Go the Extra Mile

Successful people know that if they want to really excel in business, school, and life, they have to go the extra mile. They give the people around them -- their customers, team, family -- more than is expected and, in return, they’re handsomely rewarded with loyalty, referrals, opportunity, and money.

They don’t focus on the “What’s In It For Me” policy. They don’t put stock in whether something is fair or whether they’ll be compensated or recognized for more effort. Instead, they focus on exceeding expectation, paying extra attention to detail, and providing quality work above all else.

4) They Take Action

Successful people know that the world doesn’t pay you for what you know; it pays you for what you do. They make a point to create a vision, set goals, break them down into small steps, visualize and affirm their success, believe in themselves, and then get out there and go for it. They are keenly aware of the fact that nothing happens until they take action.

When you take action, you trigger all kinds of things that will inevitably carry you to success. You begin to learn things from your experiences that cannot be learned from listening to others or from reading books. And you begin to attract others who will support and encourage you.

5) They Practice Appreciation

Successful people know that when they show appreciation to the people in their lives -- such as their employees, loved ones, or colleagues -- they not only make those people feel better, but they themselves feel better and more successful.

The fact is, people are more likely to help you achieve your goals if they believe that you appreciate their efforts. There is no downside to this. Appreciation costs nothing, and no one has ever complained about being over-appreciated.

Keeping these 5 habits in mind, I want to leave you with a bit of homework to complete. Write down 2 of the habits that I listed above that you feel you can -- and should -- incorporate into your day-to-day life.

To hold yourself accountable, leave a comment below with the habits you plan

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul®and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

This is a guest post by JackCanfield. If you would like to write an article for our blog, please fill out a contact form with your request. 
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Writing a “101 Tips” or “101 Ideas for…”  Book

This is possibly the easiest type of book you can write.  Research consists of gleaning tip after tip from multiple sources, all focused on your one topic, which is determined by your Title and Subtitle.

In order to make your book especially potent, however, follow these tips:

Don’t just dump your tips into your eBook any old how:  First, organize them into categories.

Then weed out the duplicates

Deliberately include three categories of tips (for your reference only:  Your reader should just be aware of a strong, well-balanced mix)… 

• Basic tips for that topic everyone needs to know (and in many cases, probably does know.. but your basic tip will reassure the latter category of reader that you know what you’re talking about)

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• Lesser-known tips that are potentially highly valuable – the sort of tip that can make the reader say: “Wow.  It was worth buying the book just for that tip!”

 

• “Insider” tips that the reader would never have found out through regular channels.  For this, you either need a mastery of the topic yourself or you need to interview someone who is a master, or who has simply done the thing your reader is struggling to learn.

Make sure your tips are “presented” nicely in strong, short sentences. Don’t ramble.  Don’t use “fluff’ words or unnecessary “filler” phrases that distract readers from your point

“If you want to try this little tip, you could always squeeze lemon juice on bits of apple to really prevent things like some discoloration” does not sound half as authoritative and definite as: “To stop apples turning brown, sprinkle cut slices with lemon juice.”

And, of course, never, EVER lift tips verbatim from other sources (including PLR).  If you do quote other sources directly, be up front about it and credit every source in your Acknowledgements or Appendix… or even arrange your tips by source, using the source as a subhead.   For example:​

Don't have the confidence to write your first book yet? Check out our Renewing Your Confidence workshop