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Need a little inspiration this morning?

Having trouble getting yourself motivated?

Get on track with 5 invaluable pieces of advice from productivity gurus.  

Craft your plan the night before.

“Make [a] list of goals and tasks the night before.

Your ability to make good plans before you act is a measure of your overall competence. The better plan you have, the easier it is for you to overcome procrastination, to get started and then to keep going.

By writing down your goals before you go to sleep, you will think about the things you need to do and mentally prepare yourself to do them before you even wake up the next morning.

When you plan each day in advance, organize your list by priority, and stick to your plan, the work will go faster and smoother than ever before. You will feel more powerful and competent. You will get more done, faster than you thought possible. Eventually, you will become unstoppable.”

— Brian Tracy, New York Times best-selling author of Eat That Frog!  21 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

Keep the big picture in mind.

“You need to be able to step back and review the whole picture of your life and work from a broader perspective as well as drop down ‘into the weeds’ of concrete actions to take, as needed, and at appropriate intervals.

For most people, the magic of workflow management is realized in the consistent use of the reflection step.  This is where, in one important case, you take a look at all your outstanding projects and open loops . . . on a weekly basis.

It’s your chance to scan all the defined actions and options before you, thus radically increasing the efficacy of the choices you make about what you’re doing at any point in time.”

— David Allen, New York Times best-selling author of Getting Things Done:  The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Apply a twist on the KonMari Method.

“I have not yet read Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up . . . Everything I’ve heard about it rings true to me.  I love the concept of keeping only what gives you joy.

My friend . . . came up with a different take on the concept as she was organizing her office for the new year.  Instead of asking, ‘Does this bring me joy?’ she asked, ‘Will this be helpful for what I want to accomplish in the coming year?’

I think this is a wonderful question to ask yourself. Why should something take up valuable real estate in your room or mind when it does not serve you?”

— Liz Sumner, productivity coach & blogger

Envision yourself in the end zone.

“I’d like you to imagine at the end of each day connecting to what’s really important to you and your greater purpose.

Visualize yourself already having achieved it and how great it feels and how things will be different now that you’ve reached those goals.  How much more focus would you have?

Make a point to spend the first hour or two in the morning focusing on something that advances you toward those ultimate goals that you’ve set for yourself.”

— Penny Zenker, author of The Productivity Zone:  Stop the Tug of War with Time

Answer some key focus questions.

“Will you take just a moment and write down a short answer to the following two questions? . . .

Question 1:  What one thing could you do (something you aren’t doing now) that, if you did it on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your personal life?

Question 2:  What one thing in your business or professional life would bring similar results?”

— Stephen R. Covey, New York Times best-selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:  Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

What’s your favorite quote that motivates you to be productive?