If you'd like some proven techniques for increasing your personal effectiveness, read on...

Here are some tips on how we can enjoy a high degree of effectiveness, and enjoyment in our lives…

• Get all your ‘things to do’ down on paper. Having things whirling around in your head and not on paper creates mental clutter, uses valuable mind-space, and gives us the impression that there is more to do than there really is. When you get everything down on paper, you’ll find that things become a lot more do-able than they might have seemed.
• Keep a great planner system. We believe in this so much that we’ve devoted a lot of time and energy to creating special Action Planners for introduction into our Coaching Programme (these are also for sale through our website – see www.exceptionallife.co.nz/). One of the ways that I have found to enormously increase my personal effectiveness and sense of being on top of things is to write everything I agree to do down in my Planner, at the time of promising to do it. This way, it means less mental clutter, and the ability to relax in the knowledge that I’m not forgetting any promises made.
• Take some time to look at the big picture and identify your key ‘blocks of time’. Be sure to include activities for your ongoing mental & physical wellbeing, such as exercise & relaxation, and also time with those who are most important to you. See where these blocks of time can be fitted into your week and create a schedule. Stick to it, although when needed, be flexible enough to move things around.
• Stay on top of your paperwork (and this also goes for all ongoing jobs in your work and around the home). Remember a little at a time goes a long way and saves us from the dreaded task of hours spent wading through tax receipts, unopened mail, overflowing laundry etc.
• Cultivate a bias toward action. What do we mean by this? Notice where you are procrastinating, and take immediate action. It takes a lot more energy to procrastinate than it does to actually get in there and start the task. Remind yourself of this constantly. We have learned (from battling our own procrastinations and from working with countless others to overcome theirs) that the best way to overcome procrastination is to break the task down into manageable bite-sized chunks, and to commit to taking the very first step. Often it’s a case of the task feeling so over-whelming (when it’s not broken down into small steps) that stops us in our tracks. Take a tiny action, and the rest becomes easy!

About the author

I'm a professionally trained and credentialed coach with over 1200 client hours. I have a strong corporate background (previously a Brand Manager with Unilever in Sydney), and am passionate about working with executives to make work-life more productive and enjoyable. I hold an M.Com in Marketing and HR, am a mentor and trainer of coaches, and have achieved the PCC credential through the International Coach Federation.