Get More Done In Less Time Using This Technique

Tracking your progress helps you determine if your actions are yielding the best results you want for your life or your business. James shares in this episode the technique he’s been using to improve his performance in surfing as well as business.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:15 — 3.1MB)

Video highlights:

00:38 – Are you keeping track?
01:34 – Why you should have a project system
01:57 – Make your next year a great one
02:15 – Two programs to look at

Download the PDF transcription

Transcription:

Hey, James Schramko here, and we are filming at Manly where I live, and I wanted to show you this. This is my surfboard. This is a tractor, and it’s the brand of JS. It’s not my name, it’s just coincidental.

James Schramko

Track your progress

In front of the tractor, you’ll see these little bars. This relates to progress. Every time I surf this board, I put a notch on the board. I’m actually creating this progress bar. My goal is to get to the end of this board. Why is that important? It’s important because I need to surf this board a lot to get good on it. I tend to switch boards around a fair bit, and my coach said he’d rather I stay on one board for a while.

On the way to mastery

So as I learn and develop, I’m single-tasking or single-boarding. That progress bar is showing me where I’ve been. So if I’m getting frustrated, I just look at the bar and I think, well I’ve surfed in big waves, I’ve surfed in small waves, I’ve surfed at different beaches, and I can see where I’ve been. So I’m getting a sense of gratitude for all the work I’ve put in, and I also feel more confident, because the more notches I get on this board, like a Westerner in a gunfight, I’m actually going to get really confident on this board.

“Be grateful for all the work you’ve put in.”

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When I go to big waves or hollow waves over reefs, I want to be confident on this board, and I want to surf well. So if we were to take this as a business metaphor, I do the exact same thing in my business. I actually create a project system. I archive things that I’ve achieved, so I can look back at them and see where I’ve come. I know where I want to be and how far it is. So I’ve got a specific point that I’m measuring to, and then I focus on that task. That’s been really effective for me.

“Look back at things that you’ve achieved.”

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Two programs to look at

Now I’ve been doing some hard work for you lately and reviewing some goal setting and action-oriented type programs because we’re at that time of the year in December where people start releasing these programs so that next year can be great. I just did a webinar about this in my own community.

If you want to check out the links, I’ve put two links. There are two programs that are available right now. I’ve looked through the material, and they’re both good. One I would say is high performance and the other one is good for the general sort of introduction to the topic.

So enjoy the content. Some of the trainings are really valuable, and they’re free. So if you’ll like that, then you’ll know enough to know if you want to get a course on this.

So for me, I’ll be back putting notches on my JS board and hoping to master this very difficult business of surfing. I look forward to having a fantastic year next year. I might give you an update when I reach the nose of this board, and I’ll tell you how much that’s improved my surfing, because I’m focusing on the process. The process for me now is more time on this board, one notch at a time.