Accomplish Something Each Day

Can you look back on your day's activities and feel satisfied that you have accomplished at least one thing on your to-do list? Many people suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression. Without trying to downplay the seriousness of mental illness which affects so many people it seems like many cases of such depression stem not from illness but inactivity.

We are happy when we feel accomplished and can see ourselves improving. A sense of purpose and direction can serve as an anchor in our lives. When we lack this motivation and guide we can slip into a rut that can be difficult at times to climb out of. The key is building and sustaining momentum which will carry us through the good and the bad times.

Set Long-Term Goals

Although it is unwise to live forever in the clouds of your own imagination have goals that you are working towards. A 5 year plan as dorky as it may seem can provide a target that your other goals can be built around. A goal can allow you to reward yourself as you hit road markers leading to it. Let your life and business both have 5 year plans with goals for the next 3 years, 12 months. From these develop a plan to achieve parts of your annual goals in each quarter, month and week.

Have a Process

Now that you have defined your goals and set some shorter-term horizons develop a system to stay focused and increase your productivity. For teams you may want to look at different methods to drive productivity like the Scrum Method. If you want to use a system check out the following video:

Scrum Process - Breaking Down Goals Into Parts and Achieving Higher Productivity

For individuals you may want to check out these methods:

Pomodoro Technique