The Power of Being Present

This week has been a rather productive one for me. Working on new book, getting ready for several upcoming programs and starting some new marketing initiatives. When I look at why my productivity has been higher, I can draw a straight line to several proactive steps I have taken:

• I normally keep some type of music (streaming radio station, CD, mp3 player) playing in my office. This week I refrained from listening to anything that had words (talk shows, songs, etc.). If I had anything playing it was instrumental music-or nothing at all. I found that I could achieve a higher level of mental focus. Even though I think I'm not listening to the song and the words-I am.
• I have been proactive with my dietary habits. I've limited by food and liquid intake after dinner so that I sleep more soundly and can get up earlier to get things done.
• I've broken down my tasks into smaller steps. I have intentionally avoided certain tasks because they seemed too big to tackle in an hour or 30 minutes (like "rewrite book chapters"). But when I write down "rewrite closing to chapter 8" that is less daunting and I actually accomplish the task.

Lastly, I've kept my focus on my purpose and constantly asked myself, "Is what I am about to do the best use of my time?" If the answer was no, I have tried to move it to a more appropriate place in my schedule, delegate it to someone else or in some cases, simply delete it.

What do you find that helps you stay more productive and get the things done that really matter?