Episode 88: Five Ways to Supercharge Your Success for 2018

December 11, 2017 | Maggie Patterson

It’s that time of year, the time when we’re planning and plotting how things will be different. How we’ll have our best year ever. How we’ll go all Oprah on the situation and be our best selves. But how exactly are we going to do that? In this episode, we’re breaking down specific ways to supercharge your success for 2018.

Here’s the scoop from Episode #88:

You know it and we know it – you’ve got plans. Lots of plans. Big ones. Little ones. A list of new habits and projects. Not to mention you want to do ALL the things in 2018. But when it comes to business, if there’s one thing we know around here, it’s that you need more than a plan. You need action to follow-through on it.

This is where today’s episode starts. We’re sharing five ways (plus a bonus way!) that have worked for us that will help you to create new habits and routines in 2018. This is so you’re more productive, and ultimately, able to simplify your day-to-day.

#1. Form One Habit at a Time

If you try and do all sorts of new things at once. you’ll probably get overwhelmed and just quit. If you can focus on one habit at a time you’re far more likely to succeed.
Figure out your “power habits” vs. all the habits you want to change. These are the ones that will have the biggest impact on you and/or your business, whether it is the way you feel or your productivity. Pick bite-size changes that you can actually stick to. This could be walking, or quitting a bad habit (like drinking pop!) or listening to podcasts.
Develop a routine for whatever works for you. Repetition is great for forming habits.

#2. Focus on Everyday Actions – Every Single Day

All or nothing thinking can be completely detrimental. Like I=if you don’t do something one day, you just quit entirely. Or if you aren’t able to do something right to the end, you decide that only doing a little bit is useless.
When you have things as part of your routine and make them non-negotiables, it will help you stick to the plan when things suddenly throw you off. Just focus on getting that thing done that day, and let tomorrow take care of tomorrow.
Book recommendations:
- The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)
- Better than Before (Gretchen Rubin)

#3. Put Your “One Thing” First

We’ve been really focused on doing this during this quarter – and it’s worked most days! By prioritizing and being clear on the “one thing that makes everything else easier or unnecessary”, we’re able to move the bar faster.
Our “one thing” this quarter was lead generation (and visibility which is linked). Focusing our efforts here has been a game changer for us. We’re further ahead financially, and strategically because we got rid of things that didn’t move us towards that goal.
Make this your mantra: “What is the one thing that by doing it, makes everything else on my list easier or unnecessary?” That thing needs to be your focus. (Credit, The One Thing)
Book recommendation:
- The One Thing (Gary Keller & Jay Papasan)

#4. Time Block Each Day

Time blocking every. single. day. is how you achieve your goals, and this includes doing the one thing.
Any given week needs to have time blocks for strategic planning, work planning, administrative work, etc.
By having time set aside beforehand for these things, it helps to eliminate context switching and false emergencies because you know that you already have time set aside in your schedule to deal with that particular issue.
Don’t seek 100% compliance here. There’s going to be times when your creative flow is different or you are just not into it, but you need to plan for it. You won’t survive in your business without it. Trust us.

#5. Include Padding (or Buffer) Time in Your Schedule

Avoid the time suck and relegate all the time suckers into “padding” time in your schedule. This includes social media, emails, etc, – whatever contributes to context switching and false emergencies.
We typically do about three a day – one in the morning, one at the end of the day and one in the middle around lunchtime. This is where you put everything that sucks your time like emails. You can decide if you are going to set up a task or delegate or whatever. The goal is to maximize your efficiency.
Scheduling padding also gives you breathing room for client requests you don’t expect.

Bonus: Rewards

Rewards are an important part of the habit loop.
Some people respond to rewards better than others. It’s different for everyone so figure out what works for you.
The best type of reward is relating it back to something that has a direct outcome on your health, mood, how you feel, etc. For Brittany, the concept of running and knowing she will feel better afterward is the reward. For Maggie, it might be something like a monthly subscription box because she can look forward to it arriving and then playing with all the goodies.
The habits that you can tie a reward that’s directly tied to how you feel are almost always going to be the habits you stick to long-term.

Action Steps:

You can’t do these all at once. You just can’t. So focus on one for a quarter and really master it before you add more in.
Be patient with yourself, you’re not going to be perfect, just keep on it.
Understand what sends you off course, whether it is a break in a routine or something else. Have a plan for how to get back on track when you’re straying.
Make the time for the 5 minutes each morning to review your plan and adjust time blocks/padding.

We want to help you supercharge your success so we have put all our tips together in a course with videos, tools, and techniques. We’re offering this right now at a great price for 2018 so visit us over at our website for more information.

Thanks so much much for listening and join us next time for another great discussion!