Do you ever feel that somedays it’s like “ground hog day” and the wheels keep spinning?

I’m telling my age now, however there used to be a carton where there were two dogs and each morning they would “Bundy on” with their staff cards and say to each other “Morning George, Morning Ralph” and go and do the same thing each day – sound familiar?

Or, what about when you get that journal out or open that file on your computer and the list seems to go on forever. No matter how hard you work or long you work, the list just keeps on growing and growing.

We were discussing this exact same issue on one of my group coaching calls with a few of our clients just the other day. When one of them said “I am just feeling so overwhelmed with so much to do.” I totally got it. If it’s not overwhelm, then it’s usually confusion or operating in chaos; or maybe immense frustration and operating in franticness. I think we have all been in this space at least once or more in our lives. I know I have.

However, the good thing is we don’t have to stay in it. Or as I say to clients “Don’t stay in the trenches.” It is important to stop and put the head up to see where you are going and reset. This is why I have developed these 5 key productive hacks that work a treat and when the client above used them, she was unstoppable. She range later that day and was blown away with the confidence, clarity and certainty of what she have accomplished, yet more importantly the head space she was in before, during and after completing the tasks.

So, lets deep dive into them

1. Who is showing up?

Do you realise we have over 555 different characteristics within us! Yep, that’s true, it is a lot. We have the lover, the hater, the negotiator, the dreamer, the salesperson, and on and on. Yet, what generally happens is that we blur the lines in “who” is showing up for the task at hand. For example, when you need to smash out your emails and be super focused, diligent with your words, and express clearly what needs to be said, you are not going to tap into your high energy, team motivator, inspiring big picture talking person are you? So, the question is “who needs to turn up for the task at hand?” This process will allow you to access the right characteristics, at the right time, for the right task.

2. Order of Priority

How many things are on your list? Which one do you do first, second and third? This little technique takes away any confusion or overwhelm. Firstly write down your top 1-20 things you need to get done for the day. Then go through the list by comparing each one to the other. For example, what is more important, item 1 or item 2 (put a mark against the most important out of the two). Then, what is more important 1 or 3 (mark again). Then more important 1 or 4… Go through this till the end, then repeat. What’s more important 2 or 3, then 2 or 4. Repeat this process and what has the most makes needs to be done first and so forth depending on number of marks

3. Start early, start fast

Some people like their sleep and I get it. However, the morning is the best opportunity to get stuff done before people even get up. I’m usually up by 4:15am and take my daughter to the gym together, then meditate, coffee, goal dump and then get the kids ready for school. All done by 6:30am. Through years of research, high performers start early, and start fast. Getting up before most other people gives you an extra advantage. Imagine this, by getting up 1 hour early every day you have 365 hours over your competitor. What can you achieve with these extra hours?

4. Turn down the noise

Beep, ding, dong, whoo whoo. What ever the noise is of your notifications, alerts, reminders – TURN THEM OFF. They are one of the biggest distractors and they get you out of your momentum in a second. By turning down the noise around you will allow you to stay in your lane, focused and on task. Even turn down other noises like TV, the news, radio. All these aspects takes the mind down rabbit holes that sometimes takes way too long to get out of.

5. Rewards along the way

One of my mentors, Dr Fred Grosse shared with me with amazing process. He mentioned your day needs “10’s” in them, every single day. A “10” is something that “makes your heart sing.” It is something that fills you up, something when you do it, gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. From a kiss from a loved one, or a good cup of coffee, by putting 10’s throughout your day, especially after a task you have been putting off, will give you something to works towards.

So, go ahead and give these fives hacks a go and noticed the difference. With over 10 years of coaching people and transforming their business and home lives, these have resulted in huge success. Let me know how you go!