6 Ways You Can Achieve More Things In A Month Than In A Year

Becoming successful in life requires many qualities like talent, perseverance, vision, passion, and so on. But what usually distinguishes those who eventually become successful from those who just keep trying is that they are able to achieve their goals faster. In fact, they can even do things in just a month while others toil away for about a year with no results. Below, we look at six ways how you too can learn to achieve more in less time.

1. Learn to manage time better

We only have 24 hours in a day to do something in our lives. Considering that almost 7 to 8 hours will be used up for sleep, only 16 to 17 hours per day are available for you to utilize. How you utilize those 16 hours is what determines whether you will be able to achieve your dreams or spend your life just chasing them.

Time management is deeply connected to the concept of opportunity cost. In the most basic sense, the ‘opportunity cost’ is simply a comparison between two activities and determining which of those will benefit you more. Since time is limited, one has to choose an activity that offers the biggest benefit while utilizing the least time.

This is why it is necessary that you learn to manage time in a better way. By doing so, you will definitely achieve more within 30 days compared to those who never focus on time management.  

2. Daily, weekly, monthly targets

If you want to achieve things faster than other people, then you have to master the art of setting targets on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The targets set on a daily basis should help you achieve the weekly targets, and the targets set for the week must help you achieve your monthly targets. If you set up your targets in this manner, then you will easily be able to achieve anything you want by simply focusing on fulfilling the daily tasks.

For example, you want to learn how to create an illustration in Photoshop by the end of the month. To do so, you must systematically study the software. And, the best way to move forward is to first set up your monthly, weekly, and daily targets. The monthly target is already set – to learn how to illustrate in Photoshop. The weekly target can be set up as individual components of illustrations.

So, for week 1, you can aim to learn line drawing, for week 2, shading, week 3, coloring, and week 4, rendering.  Once done, you can set up daily targets. For the seven days of week 1, you can aim to learn drawing lines, then curves, then complex shapes, and so on. By such a systematic division of targets, you will eventually be able to learn how to illustrate in Photoshop.

3. Finish one task before moving to another

Some people have a habit of trying to do many tasks at the same time and end up not doing any single task perfectly. I used to be one of those people, always trying to fit a lot on my plate, slowly I started realizing it wasn’t helping anybody so now I am very considerate when it comes to choosing the tasks that I take on. This is something that will keep you from achieving your goals. 

As such, resist the tendency of doing multiple tasks at the same time. Instead, list the tasks on the basis of importance and finish them one by one. This will not only ensure that you finish all your commitments on time, but also that everything you do turns out perfect.

4. Control your thoughts

Many people have a habit of thinking too much all day long that it essentially takes up a big part of their time. Unfortunately, the things they are thinking of may not even be of any importance to them. Sometimes, it might even be completely outlandish. And such constant thoughts about useless topics will only stop you from focusing on the important tasks.

As such, it is necessary that you learn how to control your thoughts. Don’t let your mind wander aimlessly at anything it fancies. Just because you come across a news item that reports about a planet made of diamonds does not mean that you start thinking about it by ditching your work assignment. Finish your assignment first.  And then, if you have the time, you can indulge in thinking about the planet with a diamond surface.

5. Outsource tasks

There will be situations when you will be required to do some tasks that might take up too much of your time. When you compare the time you spend on them to the benefit you derive from finishing the tasks, you may find that it is a losing proposition for you to spend time to finish the task. As such, the best way to deal with this is to outsource it.

By doing so, not only will the task be finished by the deadline, but you will also have free time to complete other things you are interested in. Hence, outsourcing time-consuming tasks enable you to do more in a shorter period of time as compared to people who try to do everything on their own.  

6. Exercise daily

You should make it a habit to workout on a daily basis, preferably in the morning. This will relieve the rigidity in your muscles and you will start feeling more active. As such, you will be in a position to do all the tasks assigned to you in the best way possible. People who do not exercise tend to remain tired and lethargic all day long, which in turn, goes on to negatively affect their performance.

Consequently, such people tend to take longer for completing a task while a physically active person might finish off the exact same task in half the time or less. So, keep yourself fit, and you will definitely see a big change in the way you are able to meet your goals.

Takeaway:

Along with keeping yourself physically and mentally active and healthy, it is important to focus on your priorities first. When you know what you want, it is easier to have a tunnel vision toward achieving it and not being distracted by all the other activities that you can do.