Found this great post on one of my favorite websites www.GetOrganizedNow.com. Check it out: We’ve all seen them. We probably have envied them at some point or another. We’ve also all wondered that their secret is. Who are they?

Productive People!

They are the ones who seem to be getting so much done every day. We wonder, as we seem to fall further and further behind, how these people are able to accomplish so much. Follow along as we share some of their secrets with you.

1. Just do it!

It sounds so simple but it’s amazing how many of us don’t follow through on this one. We procrastinate. We come up with multiple reasons why we can’t. We justify not doing it. The secret of productive people is that they don’t procrastinate. They don’t come up with any reasons why they can’t. They don’t justify not doing it. It doesn’t matter what IT is. They just do it!

2. Prioritize.

Productive people also spend time prioritizing their tasks so that those that are most critical get to the top of the list. It’s good to make sure that we do the same thing also. Take time the night before to prioritize your tasks for the following day. See what a difference it makes in your day.

3. Do the most dreaded task first.

Let’s face it, there are many things we dread doing. Productive people are the same as we are. They have tasks they dread doing. The difference is that productive people get the most dreaded task done first. By getting the dreaded task, chore or activity done first, it’s over with! Then you can get on with those things you enjoy.

4. Have a CAN DO attitude.

Having a CAN DO attitude sounds simple, but we tend to overlook it. Productive people have an attitude similar to that of the book ‘The Little Engine That Could.’ If you know the story, you’ll remember the famous line, ‘I think I can, I think I can, I thought I could.’. Productive people go into things with that Can Do attitude instead of immediately thinking they can’t. Can Do = Productivity!

5. One bite at a time.

You’ve heard the old joke, ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!’ Productive people use this same principle when working on a project of any size. Break it down into manageable tasks. We can apply this same principle to all of our projects. Just figure out the things that can be broken down into manageable pieces and work one manageable piece at a time.

6. Schedule it.

One way that productive people make sure they get things done is to schedule time on their calendars. The thinking behind this is that if it’s not put on the schedule, too many other things can come up and crowd it out. So, follow the example of productive people and schedule your tasks on the calendar.

7. Avoid distractions.

Once you have something scheduled and it’s time to do it, do not answer the phone, do not answer the door, do not check email, do not…do not…do not. Stay focused on your task and you’ll be amazed at how much more productive you can be. Productive people do this daily. It’s part of why they are productive.

8. Change the focus.

Productive people have a tendency to think in a way that is counter to the norm. They think outside of the box. They don’t waste time thinking of all the ways something can’t be done. Instead, they ask `what CAN I do?’. It’s a matter of looking for things that can be done when everyone else is saying nothing can be done. This mindset also enables productive people to be very creative in their solutions!

9. Delegate.

Another secret of productive people is that they don’t try to do every part of a project by themselves. They aren’t afraid to delegate whenever possible. In fact, they are experts at finding people to do some of the job, whatever the job may be. Take a cue from people who accomplish a lot. Delegate wherever you can!

10. Get help.

Just like they delegate, productive people know when to ask for help. As in delegating, they don’t try to go it alone. When trying to go it alone, we end up doing far more than we should. Productive people not only know when to ask for help..they do ask for help when they need it. They don’t see it as a sign of weakness but rather, they see is as letting others use their strengths in areas we aren’t as strong.

11. Evaluate the value.

Another secret of productive people is that they realize that there is a difference between the things they should do, and the things they could do. There are many things we could do. What we need to do is follow the example of productive people and evaluate whether the task or project is something we could do, or something we should do. If it’s something you should do, then by all means, do it. If it’s something you could do, it’s very likely OK if you don’t do it.

12. About all else, have fun.

Make sure that you have fun in your day. Productive people manage time to be both productive and to enjoy the day. Don’t take it all so seriously. Do the work, but have fun doing it!