Strategic Productivity. How to plan more effectively

You cannot hit your targets if you do not set them first. You cannot increase your strategic productivity without a certain level of clarity of your goals and needs, and of course, without an appropriate plan, you won't be able to achieve them.

To be more specific, efficiency is doing things right while effectiveness is doing things the right way. There is no point in doing the right things if they do not bring you close to your goals.

The importance of long-term thinking.

Predicting your success stays on your ability to think on a long-term basis. By setting long terms goals it means you are saying no to infinite other options and possibilities. This is a good thing because if you remove other options you will be able to direct all your energy toward your goals. Once you know where you heading you will map out the steps you need to take and as a result, each action will have come more impactful.

We can associate strategic productivity with a game of chess where your main goal is to in, however, to do so, you will have to anticipate your opponent's moves. 

Same as chess games go for your goals, identify possible roadblocks and key moves and take action. Everything you will do will be linked to the future that you want to create. If you spend time thinking about where you want to be in 5 years and you map out your steps and take actions you will have a better chance to achieve them, rather than someone who doesn't and just do things aimlessly.

The power of compounding effect.

The compound effect is another main benefit of strategy productivity and effective planning. Doing a task daily will build momentum over time and make progress each day. Having small wins every day will boost your confidence and increase your motivation, so do not underestimate the compound effect.

Each day builds on top of each other, the progress might seem invisible at first, however, at some point, you will reach the tipping point. When reach the tipping point things will start to accelerate and your success will be exponential.

In short, you have to build momentum and activate the power of compound effect, by focusing on a few things consistently over long periods.

The power of focus.

When you work each day towards your most important goals, you will tap into the power of focus. With enough focus, you will be able to achieve almost everything.

Think of focus like an axe, if you try cutting down a tree by hitting it in 1000 different places will never fall down. However, if you focus all your hits in one place you will be able to cut down even bigger trees. With sharp focus, you can achieve anything you desire.

As Bruce Lee is quoted saying: "I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks one, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times".

Many people will apply the first scenario, they will try to hit a tree in 1000 different spots wondering why nothing happens and then is no wonder why most people fail to achieve their goals.

To return to Bruce Lee's quote, for example, someone who practices karate every day will have greater chances of improvement rather than if they trained erratic and not consistent, or try to learn 3 different styles at the same time.

Conclusion 

Well, strategic productivity means hitting a tree in the same spot until you bring it down. This involves:

• Focus on only a few goals at the same time
• Implement a proper strategy each time you approach your goals
• Make daily progress toward these goals by taking actions that are aligned with your strategy.

As a resource we have used the book:

Strategic Mindset: A 7-Day Plan to Identify What Matters and Create a Strategy that Works by Thibaut Meurisse