How to Create a Strategic Future
Can you imagine running a successful play in Football without planning it out? Singing a solo without rehearsing? Getting paid, but not knowing how much? Waking up and going about your day—not knowing the date, time, or season? For us to really walk with purpose in our lives…it’s important to be present, productive, and intentional with our time, resources, relationships, and pay check.
I live by this motto:Make Utilitarian Life Choices! (Greatest Good for the Greatest Number). This isn’t some philosophical mantra, it has to do with the way I prioritize the various factors of my life! Do the most with the least! Here are a few tips on how I strategize:
ONE : Time is money. You want to use your time efficiently and effectively.
3 Ways to Help
Time Block.Look at your schedule and schedule how much time you will spend on specific tasks. Then, not only will you feel better about the time spent… you’d be amazed what you can accomplish when it’s not just YOU flying by the seat of your pants.
Need to get a project done? Put it on the calendar. Google Calendar is LIFE. And No joke, Trevor remembers a time where I had a paper calendar… in 2016!
When you have the time, don’t waste the time.I have this rule for myself. If I have the time to work out that day, I will do it. I’ll do something. Because the second you put it off until the next day SOMETHING comes up that next day and now you’re out two days. I also really try hard not to schedule things during my allotted workout time.
TWO : Resources are scarce. You want to be a steward.
3 Ways to Help
Take time to evaluate.Step back, and reflect. Use an app like Mint to see how much money you’re really spending on stupid sh*t! Make your dollars go towards things that give you, your relationships, or your work LIFE.
How much money do you actually make/have to spend?How much food are you wasting in any given week? How many calories could you save by cutting out wine at home?
Become strict. If something is a priority for you, treat it like a priority. Don’t let random occurrences stop the flow of motion towards accomplishing what you set out to do.Also... learn how to say "NO!"
THREE : Use the 80/20 Rule. 80% productive, 20% veg/relax
3 Ways to Help
Setting Limits.Set limits on how much time you spend on Social Media or watching Netflix. Remember when your parents had a TV/internet limit time? Maybe do something as simple as; don’t allow yourself to watch ANY of your shows until 9PM. So if you need to relax before that you can read, meal prep, chat with your Mom on the phone, etc.
Get something accomplished on the weekend.No one likes to wake up Monday morning to a clutter pig sty. Even if you just take a little time to get something productive done, you’ll feel so much better about starting the week fresh and ready to go.
Change habits.Can’t go without your latte? Maybe drop the Diet Coke at lunch. Just start with small habits and work from there. Slowly but surely, eliminate the things that are holding you back in your productivity, happiness, and overall well-being.
FOUR : Positive Relationships
3 Ways to Help
Eliminate Time Sucks.Is there a relationship you feel is unnecessary and unhelpful in moving your life & career forward? Someone who is sucking time, energy, thoughts, and positivity out of your life? BE DONE WITH IT! You can even choose who you make small talk with at work.
Get Rid of Energy Sucks.I want to give an example of my own energy suck. I was once working with this girl who would literally make me cringe several times a day. I just ended up shutting in and not communicating with her unless I absolutely had to. It made my day MUCH more bearable. Just changing the energy I was putting into the transaction helped tenfold.
Work on What Counts.Relationships are the WAY to moving forward in your career, friendships, peers, etc. and so you need to water those seeds as much as you can. Quality time is never wasted if it’s spent with people that you value and that value you. There is nothing worse than spending loads of time with or on someone that isn’t going to provide longstanding significance in your life.
I truly believe that if you can step outside yourself and identify one or two places where you need improvement… and then implement a strategy to up your game—you can really start to see BIG changes!
Hope you liked this lil' Tuesday Inspo post!
xoxo
