How to Make Something Happen Every Day

It's pretty easy to have a whole day go by and have nothing to show for it. Ever have one of those days where you say, "I know I got up. I think I ate breakfast. I got to the office. And then it's a blur..." It's a real problem when you start stringing those days into weeks, because they eventually become months and then years. That's not much of a story to tell and it's all too common. If you want to break out of that pattern then you need some strategies. These are some that have worked for me.

photo credit: Brandon Christopher Warren via photopin cc

Five Strategies for Making Something Happen Every Day

1) Start the Night Before. 

Part of my inspiration for this post was Michael Hyatt's Productive Day post. He said that he gets to bed on time. I don't know how much sleep you need, but you know how much you need. Get it. I'm an early riser. I know lots of people who say they aren't. When you ask them a few more questions you find that they typically don't get to bed until after midnight. If I went to bed at midnight, I wouldn't be an early riser either. I know how much sleep I need by listening to my body. You can too. If you need 7 hours a night, then get it.  If you need 9, then plan accordingly. Failure to get your minimum keeps you from performing optimally each day. If you are going to make something happen, why start the day in a hole?

2) Plan before you Stand. 

Movie directors plan their movies before they shoot them. They sketch them out on story boards. I do the same thing with my day, in my head. After I wake up, but before I stand up, I visualize the BIG things I am going to do during the day. I think about what it will take to accomplish them, why they are important to me, and how I will feel once they are done. I sometimes discover during this process that I have forgotten some needed element. This give me a chance to correct my action plan before I've even started. Most importantly, the plan before you stand methodology lets you validate your approach, before you actually begin.

3) Do the Hard Thing First.

The list of things you are going to get done in any given day is always shorter than the list of things you'd like to get done. Why not go for a big win first? I guess if you need encouragement, you might want to start with the easy stuff, but that can sometimes kill your drive. So start big. Do the thing with the most impact first. After that, everything else will be easy.

4) Avoid Low Value Distractions.

The Internet has made getting distracted easier than ever. I could be writing my book, writing things that matter, or reading all of the cool stuff flowing past my screen in Twitter. My phone beeps, and I am off looking at Facebook. The real book, the work that matters can easily get lost among the distractions. The only real way to make this problem go away is to turn it off. EMail, Facebook, Twitter, that's my list not yours, I put them in a box. I don't allow alerts, I set my phone to DO NOT DISTURB to get the focus I need to get the big things done. When working on an extended project, I only read emails at specified times during the day. If you are going to get the big thing done, you can't let the little stuff sap your attention. Turn it off.

5) Reward Yourself.

The race is long and if I don't break it up into pieces I find it hard to keep up my best effort all the way to the end. So, I set up rewards for getting hard things done. Incentives work for the economy, they work for my kids and I figure they must work for me as well. There are certain things I really like to do during the day that I set up as rewards for getting things done. It might be a trip out for a special cup of coffee, a ten minute conversation with a friend, a walk around the block or smoking a cigar. I consider those activities, as well as the sheer internalized joy of getting good work done in front of me, as rewards. This can help me move forward when the going gets tough.

These are just a few of the techniques I use to try to create things that matter every day. If you've got some tools to add to this list, then drop me a line or post a comment below. I'd love to hear your ideas for staying focused.

Bang a Drum. Build A Tribe. Start A Movement.

On March 22, 2013, I spoke to a sold out crowd at TEDxGreenville 2013 on the simple and accessible techniques of building a tribe. The presentation was an overview and a challenge to entrepreneurs, cause marketers, and individuals who just need a hand to find the people who can help them, draw them in, and give them a common purpose.





Thanks to TEDxGreenville for giving me the opportunity to inspire a few more people to call their tribes.

Five cool rules for a better 2013

Looking for a few useful techniques for making 2013 your best year yet? You might try some of these ideas I've witnessed in action.  Picking even one or two of these might put you on the path to a year with more achievement and less stress.

1. Begin every day with a word of thanks. This isn't just something your mother taught you, it's a proven technique for enjoying life. You can brighten your outlook on life simply by being grateful for the things that work or support you in your life.  How can you be grateful? You might write it in a journal. Or you could choose to begin each day by writing down a few things you are thankful for on an index card and put that card in a box.  I did this one year and kept the box on my desk.  It had the added benefit of being a place to go when things got tough.  When I was having a particularly hard day, I would open the box and read some of the cards.  It reminded me about how lucky I am to have so many good things in my life. It gave me the energy boost I needed. Then I went back to doing the hard work of what lay before me.
2. Know your why. A sense of purpose and hope is the most powerful motivator a person can have. If you know why you do what you do, then you are ahead of everyone who cant articulate it.  More importantly you will have the personal juice to continue when times are tough. If you don't have a Why, then find it.  You may find it in your family, your community, or in whatever spiritual connections you may have.  Find it.  Embrace it. Live it. It is the ally that lives inside your head.
3. Be responsible for you. I can't inspire you. I can't delight you. I can't make you mad. You do all of that for yourself inside of your own head. This is a hard concept to make work, and it is certainly a master technique.  If someone says a thing that makes you mad, then remember one thing is certain. You decided how to react.  It  might even be reasonable.  But you decided. Now, knowing that you are in complete control of you and your reactions, how might that outcome be different?
4. Have a goal. Don't know where you are going? You are not alone.  Is that what you want? Where do you end up if you aren't aiming for a goal? Who knows. You might be lost. You are probably working someone else's plan. How does that feel? If you opened the book of your life to a spot covering ten years ago would it be much different? Pick a mountain that's meaningful to you. Start walking... then head that way every day.
5. Begin each day with a planned outcome. Having goals for the future is great, but what about today? Before you get out of bed, could you come up with one, two, or three cool things you are going to get done today?  It might be something important or urgent. It might be work that needs to be done.  It might be some way you can make your life better. It might be a measurable and decisive step towards your goals.  Whatever it is, why not live the moment of your success in your head before you even get up. Then get up and make it happen.
6. Deliver more than expected. What little thing can you do that will bring a smile to someone's face? Sure you can put 13 doughnuts in a box, but is there something completely unexpected you can do that will leave others with a positive story about you?  I have a friend that puts cartoons on his invoices.  He delivers the bill, but it makes me smile. Why not leave the people you meet with an unexpected smile?

Got some cool rules of your own?  Share them!

A Wearable Reminder of My Strengths. What Works for You?

I've been thinking a lot lately about playing to my strengths.  The thing that makes the idea powerful is actually finding ways to complement your weaker points making sure those things still get done.  I got to thinking about this because I've got a Mastermind group that is using the Strengths Finder 2.0 book to make sure we've got everyone on track. I have found it too easy to spend too much time on stuff I am not good at.  That has kept me from making the progress I would like to make at the stuff I can do well and easily.  It was the right message at the right time for me.  I think it's helping others in our group as well.  Since I can sometimes get sidetracked, I got my strengths stamped onto something I can wear round my neck.

I'd love to hear what little things you do to keep your thoughts focused on the ideas that are important to you.

Your Day Tech Radio - 2012-08-23 - Phil for Rent

I think we are making some pretty good radio.  It looks like there are people enjoying the show. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty unlikely that Eric and I are helping anybody with their tech problems, but we are having a pretty good time. Some of the listeners seems to want more of this.  I promise, twice a month is probably all you can stand.   Take a listen here.

We have some big news at Tech After Five

In the last couple of hours I have posted in our tech after 5 linked in group that we are about to expand to the state of texas. This is a very exciting for us. We are absolutely looking forward to this expansion. We have got a great partner with feet on the ground in dallas. We will announce the details shortly, there will certainly be a more formal press release. We will be announcing expansion into dallas, fort worth, san antonio, houston, and beyond. This expansion will at least double our current size and might even triple it if we reach its full potential.

Your Day Technology Show 2012-07-12 (Video)

We've moved to Thursdays! We are now live the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month with various pre-recorded segments in between.  That is to say we are live on the radio and streaming.  This is another of our Google hangout experiments. This is the whole show including the off-air calls from July 12, 2012.

Why do people go to Tech After Five?

Have you wondered why people go to Tech After Five? We're asking the people who attend why they attend. We're getting some great stories and are going to be sharing them on the Tech After Five website. I mention it on the blog for another reason entirely. I shot this with a Flip Video camera. 

Yep, it's shaky and handheld, but with a little effort I got a story worth sharing. It's not perfect, but it is working. I know you'd never do this, but a lot of the time I keep myself from doing a thing because I want it to be perfect. Doing something is better than nothing any day.  You probably didn't need to hear that, but I sometimes need to remind myself.  Do something. You'll have something to show and you'll be better at it next time.




ps: The people who don't go to Tech After Five don't get anything out of it. The people who do come  can make things happen. Just like Jason Powell.