Establish a game plan!

One factor that all successful people have in common is effective time management. You may prefer to call it structure, setting the task, or a game plan. Whatever word or term works for you is fine. As long as you take it seriously and put it into practice, you are creating one of the basic principles of productivity.

It might be a good idea to think about this, and why this factor is so essential to success. Perhaps you can start by thinking about the opposite: ways that don't work. Even if you have a very small task to complete, if you don't manage your time properly, you may do it too late or not at all. You may be working on a deadline or have a task that you don't have a specific time to complete. If you don't have a game plan to get it done, the results will not be satisfactory. While procrastination and wasting time impedes productivity, the lack of effective time management can be just as destructive.

Increasing your productivity and getting things done means having a good game plan. First, you need to know exactly what needs to be done. Second, even if you don't have a specific deadline, you also need to decide when it needs to be done. The third step is to set about the task of getting it done.

You want to meet your goals whether they are short term or long term. You also want to be proud and satisfied with the results. When you are not content to simply "go with the flow" and instead take your game plan seriously every step of the way, you are almost guaranteed success, pride and satisfaction.

Structure and time management may come easy to you if they have been a part of your life. If you are not used to these concepts, now is the time to implement them in your daily life.