Successful people in any field tend to hold
themselves to a lofty standard. As a result, they often experience
disappointment or feel frustrated when their designs don’t immediately come to
fruition. If this happens repeatedly, it can accumulate into an overall feeling
of falling short of one’s potential. Highly intelligent, creative, and
visionary individuals in particular are susceptible to this syndrome,
particularly in a world filled with distractions.

The following list draws on the ideas of Dr. Ned
Hallowell, a psychiatrist who specializes in attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD).
Set two
or three specific goals for each day.
Very few of history’s great achievements
materialized overnight. Many famous works of architecture, like castles and cathedrals
in Europe, required decades to build. Professional athletes, musicians, and
artists rehearse and train rigorously for years in order to attain a sublime
level of performance and make it look easy.
Even if the goals you set for yourself are ambitious,
demanding, or significant in scale, focus on the process, and divide major
undertakings into small pieces. This approach also offers a proverbial rope to
help you climb out of a productivity rut: rather than concentrate on a huge
task, direct your attention to a single component of the larger task. If you’re
overwhelmed by the thought of writing a book, try writing a few sentences
instead. You’ll have made progress already.
Establish
medium-term, long-term, and lifetime goals too.
Beyond your daily goals, you should likewise
establish two or three medium-term goals (for periods of two to three weeks),
an equal number of long-term goals (six months to one year), and lifetime
goals.
The key is to avoid taking on several big
projects at once—which tends to result in partially completed works, but no
tangible final product at the end of the time period in question.
Stay
disciplined around e-mail, social media, and other online time-consumers.
If you’re a curious, active thinker who craves
knowledge of the world, the internet is equal parts blessing and curse—the
former, because an immense quantum of information and insight is available at
your fingertips; the latter, for the same reason.
E-mail and social media are arguably the worst
offenders, because as we see updates from our friends, new messages in our
inbox, and replies to our tweets, we feel the urge to read and respond to those
communications. For the sake of productivity, however, it’s important to resist
the temptation to reply to online messages as they arrive.
Barring exceptional circumstances, try to
reserve a time slot of about an hour each day in which you respond to e-mails,
reply to Facebook messages, read news headlines, scan through your Twitter
timeline, or whatever. For the remainder of the work day, steer clear of these
potential time-leeches.
Devote
yourself to projects that are consistent with your priorities.
If you’re a naturally enthusiastic and generous
person, you may have a tendency to stretch yourself too thin. Realistically,
life is full of worthwhile opportunities and undertakings for which we either
don’t have time, or toward which we simply cannot devote enough effort to
instill pride and satisfaction.
In that light, it’s important for you to
prioritize endeavours that are consistent with your ambitions and passions.
This will require you to politely decline some proposals. In other words,
sometimes you need to say “No” in order to say “Yes”.
Be honest with yourself, and with the person who
is making a request of your time and commitment. Rather than agreeing to do
something right away, offer to think about it and get back to h/er. If for
whatever reason you don’t feel up to the task, decline the offer by saying
“This looks like a great idea/worthy project, but I just don’t think I’ll have
the time to do it justice.”
By steering away from over-commitment, you’ll
avoid disappointment, and free up time for the things that are most important
to you, both personally and professionally.
For more information, check out Dr. Hallowell’s website,
and this 2014 interview by life coach Marie Forleo.
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