I am a huge fan of Brian Tracy! Through the years, I have learned so much from him about how to get clear on my goals, priorities my work and use a system that let’s me gets things done quickly and easily. I hope you find his article below as helpful as I did.

Have Everything At Hand
One of the best ways for you to overcome procrastination and get more things done faster is for you to have everything you need at hand before you begin. When you are fully prepared, you are like a cocked gun or an archer with an arrow pulled back taut in the bow. You just need one small mental push to get started on your highest value tasks.

Clear Your Workspace
Begin by clearing off your desk or workspace so that you only have one task in front of you. If necessary, put everything on the floor or on the table behind you. Gather all the information, reports, details, papers, and work materials that you will require to complete the job. Have them at hand so you can reach them without getting up or moving. Be sure that you have all writing materials, computer disks, access codes, email addresses and everything else you need to start and continue working until the job is done.

Make It Comfortable
Set up your work area so that it is comfortable, attractive and conducive to working for long periods. Especially, make sure that you have a comfortable chair that supports your back and allows your feet to sit flat on the floor.

The most productive people take the time to create a work area where they enjoy spending time. The cleaner and neater your work area before you begin, the easier it is for you to get started and keep going.

Assume The Position
When you sit down, with everything in front of you, ready to go, assume the body language of high performance. Sit up straight, sit forward and away from the back of the chair. Carry yourself as though you were an efficient, effective high performing personality. Then, pick up the first item and say to yourself, “Let’s get to work!” and plunge in. And once you’ve started, keep going until the job is finished.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, take a good look at your desk or office, both at home and at the office. Ask yourself, “What kind of a person works in an environment like that?”

Second, resolve today to clean up your desk and office completely so that you feel effective, efficient and ready to get going each time you sit down to work.

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I often seem to have far too many great ideas and projects in various stages of completion. That unfortunately leads me to feel overwhelmed and lacking focus. Does this happen to you?

Though I used to believe that multi-tasking was a good thing, I’ve come to realize that thinking we can multi-task and still be effective is far from the truth. The real key to achieving our goals is focus and that can only happen if you chunk your projects or your objectives down into bite-sized pieces.

Why You Procrastinate
Procrastination for most of us becomes a challenge, because when the task seems to big it’s easy to put off getting it done. In Brian Tracy’s book – Eat that Frog – he talks about taking on the toughest things first when kicking off the day. The idea is that it’s better to get the hardest things done first before everything else, because usually the toughest things are the most important.

I’ve put into practice this idea of doing the hardest things first – the things that usually take the longest, but boy of boy is the feeling of getting it done worth it!

Start With One Step
Wired as we are, you will definitely find it much easier to break down your projects into manageable steps and then take them on one at a time. Work through each step to the very end. Finish it before moving to the next. Before you know it – you’re done!

Forget Perfect – Just Get Going
This can sometimes be a killer for me. I’m so worried about getting it perfect that I don’t get started at all. Get going – that’s the key. Once you start moving forward the energy and momentum of the project takes on a life of it’s own. You’ll begin to feel excited and motivated about what you’ve accomplished.

So as you are winding down 2008 and thinking about what you want to accomplish in the coming year…make your list, then break each objective into bite sized chunks and then get moving!