Top 10 Steps to Improve Yourself Professionally

#1: UNDERSTAND THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

“Good artists borrow, great artists steal” - Pablo Picasso.

Why experience everything yourself? Why learn everything from scratch?

NO! Learn from the people who have mastered it.

Challenge: Schedule 15 minutes each day to learn something.

Here are my tips on how to effectively learn new things!

• TED. Ted is the knowledge bomber. So much golden information, ALL THE TIME! I have shared my 4 favourites Ted Talks in this FB post.
• Websites like Lifehack.org, Quora or ProductivityHackr.
• Listen to informational podcasts.
• Read a book.

#2: THE ANCIENT “TODO LIST”

There is a reason everybody knows what a todo list is. The standard todo list is stupidly simple and incredibly effective.

Follow these steps to set effective to-do lists.

1. At the end of each day. Write down the things you want to accomplish tomorrow.
2. Order your tasks by importance.
3. The next day, concentrate only on the first task. Don’t move on to the second before you are finished with the first one.
4. When the day is over, move unfinished items to tomorrows list. Plan the upcoming day.
5. Eat, sleep, repeat.

TIP: On Sundays create a note for each day in the upcoming week. Whenever you get a task that can be performed better later in the week, write it down on e.g. TODO Friday.

#3: RULE YOUR PHONE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND

Technology is amazing. Absolutely amazing.

BUT. To use technology as your mobile phone efficiently, you need to be the lord of your phone, not the other way around.

Here are some tips to do this:

1. Turn off unnecessary notifications (e.g. Instagram like per photo).
2. Turn on “flight mode” or “do not disturb” during the time you need to be productive.
3. Schedule times during the day when you check your social media, messages, notifications, etc. No need to do this every 5 minutes.
4. Turn your phone “screen down” when you are working.
5. Place your phone at the other end of your room when you are trying to be productive.

Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and all other apps have one goal: To capture your attention and keep it for as long as possible.

Remember. YOU are in charge. Use your phone as a tool for life, not something that distracts you.

#4: TIMEBOXING!

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, - Ephesians 5, 15–16.

Time is everything.

There is nothing more important than time.

Why?

It’s the only thing you will NEVER get back.

We all got 24 hours. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Success is all about making the most out of those daily 24 hours.

To take advantage of your time, you need a time-management technique.

Personally, I love a technique called “Timeboxing”.

By the way, Mr. Elon Musk agrees with me.

Timeboxing is simply fixing a time period to work on a specific task. Instead of working on a task until it’s done, you commit to working on it for a specific amount of time.

BTW: Want to learn more about this technique? Grab this PDF for details.

“Time management is not a peripheral activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends. “ — Brian Tracy

#5: HACKS TO GET MORE TIME!

1. Learn to say NO to things that don’t align with your goals.
2. Screw perfectionism. Nothing is perfect. Screw perfect, Aim for “good enough”.
3. If a task can be automated. AUTOMATE IT! E.g. monthly bank payments.
4. Learn to delegate. You don’t need to do everything yourself, let people help you.

#6: THE DIVIDE & CONQUER PRINCIPLE

How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at the time.

Achieving a goal is like eating an elephant, you've got to do it one bit at the time.

You can’t eat an elephant in one sitting. But you can build your appetite for planning–and take small bites out of your biggest goals every single day.

When you break your goals into a thousand small chunks, it will be much easier to stay focused. Why? Because the baby-goals are realistic and motivate you to stay focused.

Therefore…

Presenting the Divide & Conquer Principle
1. Divide your goals into a thousand pieces.
2. Conquer each one of those goals.
3. —> Success!

#7: DRINK A GLASS OF WATER BEFORE YOU EAT

Nothing counteracts overeating like this.

Try it out and be amazed!

Wow. That was a short one. 3 to go!

#8: CREATE A MORNING ROUTINE

There is a reason that every productivity expert out there recommends having a daily morning routine. How you start your day makes you focused on what's important.

Want some motivation? Productivity coach Zack Sexton’s morning routine looks like this:

1. Water (20oz. often w/ lemon)
2. Cuddles (w/ fiancée Nikida)
3. Coffee
4. Meditation
5. Read something inspirational (often in sauna)
6. Shower (if sauna-ed)
7. Look at calendar
8. Start first journal entry in Evernote (including prompts about something learned, things to be grateful for, and what to focus on for the day)

#9: EXERCISE

I know. You can’t read a self-improvement tip without reading about this one.

But there is a reason for that.

Exercise is amazing.

Why?

• Health improvement —> Adding muscle mass. Weight loss.
• Mental improvement —> Develop brain health and memory. Reduce depression.
• Mental Break from life —> See exercise as an opportunity to take a break from life. A place where your mind can rest and your body can work.

• Capacity boost —> Boost energy levels. Helps you conquer the world.
• Creative flow → Having trouble solving your problems? Go out for a run and experience flows of creativity!

#10: Just do it.

Throw caution to the wind and just do it. - Carrie Underwood

These tips are useless if you don’t start taking action. Every self-help book comes down until this one principle. JUST DO IT!

It’s a wrap. Adopt these 10 things into your life and get ready to conquer.