As we approach the end of another full-on curve-ball of a year, it’s always a great time to have a little reflection and perspective about what has gone on in the last twelve months and what we have achieved. 

I am a true Fan of a Plan and I keep a bullet journal, so at the start of the year I write down things I would like to achieve in the year ahead.  These can be specific things such as read one book a month, to more open to interpretation things such as career development. By writing these things down I can look back periodically and review to see if I’m working towards those goals. 

As with anything, as time goes on enthusiasm can wear thin on some areas, so what do you do to keep up the motivation? Well, maybe one idea is to turn to the motivational quotes. 

It’s true, there are some motivational quotes that I actually hate (apologies if ‘live, laugh, love’ adorns a wall in your house), but some can help you to think a bit deeper about your own situations and get you productivity mojo back in full swing. 

Here are a few that I like to refer to: 

Focus on being productive instead of being busy – Tim Ferris (American entrepreneur and self-help book author). Do you ever find yourself being overrun with things you are doing, but you feel like you are getting nowhere? Ask yourself – am I being productive? We all have a million and one things we need to be juggling in our professional lives but are any of them actually progressing? Take time to sit down and plan out your day, allow yourself time slots for when you are going to get certain tasks done, that way you can monitor your productivity and keep on track with the important things. 

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing – Walt Disney (he of the movie business fame). We are all guilty of talking about things that we are going to do, or even worse WERE going to do, but this just takes up valuable time from the actual doing. Without going on a rant about it, there are people in this world that will tell you in detail just how busy they are… well the news here is stop telling people how busy you are and get with the doing! If you have time to tell me about it, you could be spending that time actually getting it done. Be more Nike! 

If you commit to giving more time than you can afford to spend, you will constantly be running from time debt collectors - Elizabeth Grace Saunders (time management coach). I love this quote – it really helps to focus the mind about what time you have. Overcommitting on your time will eventually lead to burn-out and both your mental and physical wellbeing will suffer. Make sure you are realistic with what can be achieved in the timescales that you have. Never be afraid to call upon extra resources or help when you need to. 

Understanding your employee’s perspective can go a long way towards increasing productivity and happiness – Kathryn Minshew (CEO and Co-founder of The Mews, a career development platform). I work in internal communications, and have a lot to do with employee engagement. Minshew really hits the nail on the head here with leaders needing to be able to understand where their employees are coming from. Leaders need to spend time with teams and understand what is important to them. Try to look at things from their point of view, what are their hobbies and interests, what news source do they use. It is only by getting to know the makeup of your workforce that you can action changes that they will truly see as being of benefit to them. If you crack this, you will have a happier and more productive workforce. We do this sort of mapping for our customers, and we should be doing the same for our workforce. 

I hope you all find the ‘live, laugh and love’ in this festive season and return feeling refreshed and ready to get stuck in to whatever 2022 will bring. Happy Planning! 

P.s.: If you want some other free tips for your personal life, check out the Self Series blog – out fortnightly on Tuesdays, courtesy of Make Me A Plan’s Wellbeing Expert, Lauren Willoughby. Browse the latest edition here:https://www.makemeaplan.com/news/