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One of the most prominent qualities of a high performer man or woman is action orientation. These high performers are always in a hurry to get their key tasks completed. These highly productive people take the time to think, plan, and set priorities. Then they act quickly and strongly toward their goals and objectives. They work steadily, smoothly, and continuously. As a result, they complete enormous amounts of work in the same amount of time that the average person spends socializing, wasting time, and working on low-value activities.
Flow State of Mind
When you work on your most important tasks at a high and continuous level of activity, you can actually enter into an amazing mental state called “flow.” Almost everyone has experienced this at some time. The high amount of time seems very less while performing the action in this flow state. Really successful people are those who get themselves into this state far more often than the average person.
When you’re in the state of flow, which is the highest human state of performance and productivity, something almost miraculous happens to your mind and emotions. You feel elated and clear. Everything you do seems effortless and accurate. You feel happy and energized. You experience a tremendous sense of calm and increased personal effectiveness.
In the state of flow, identified and talked about over the centuries, you actually function on a higher plane of clarity, creativity, and competence. You are more sensitive and aware. Your insight and intuition guide you and direct you to do and say exactly the right things at the right time. You see the interconnectedness of people and circumstances around you. You often come up with brilliant ideas and insights that enable you to move ahead even more rapidly.
Trigger Race Against Yourself
One of the ways you can trigger this state of flow is by developing a sense of urgency. This is an inner drive and desire to get on with the job quickly and get it done fast. It is impatience that motivates you to get going and to keep going. A sense of urgency feels very much like racing against yourself.
With this ingrained sense of urgency, you develop a “bias for action.” You take action rather than talking continually about what you are going to do. You focus on specific steps you can take immediately. You concentrate on the things you can do right now to get the results you want and achieve the goals you desire.
A fast tempo seems to go hand in hand with all great success. Developing this tempo requires that you start moving and keep moving at a steady rate. The faster you move, the more impelled you feel to do even more even faster. You enter “the zone.”
When you are not having a sense of urgency, you actually fill all the available time. In offices, I have seen that a person can spend his complete day on one small assignment. Just opposite to this, he can finish 5-6 or even more no. of important tasks in a day. The person who is having a busy schedule delivers more as he sets his mentality to deliver on their planned activities.
Build Up a Sense of Momentum
When you take continuous action toward your most important goals, you activate the Momentum Principle of Success. This principle says that although it may take tremendous amounts of energy to overcome inertia and get started initially, it then takes far less energy to keep going. The good news is that the faster you move, the more energy you have. The faster you move, the more you get done and the more effective you feel. The faster you move, the more experience you get and the more you learn. And feel more competent and capable at your work.
A sense of urgency shifts you automatically onto the fast track in your career. The faster you work and the more you get done, the higher will be your levels of self-esteem, self-respect, and personal pride. You will feel in complete control of your life and your work.
We all are having limited time to perform our activities. If we are slow in our actions, then if some mistake happens, we take a high amount of time to correct it. But if we are in a flow state and have a sense of momentum, then we are able to move quickly even through mistakes. We take corrective action more swiftly and keep on moving in pace towards our goals.
Do It Now!
One of the simplest and yet most powerful ways to get yourself started is to repeat the words “Do it now! Do it now! Do it now!” over and over to yourself. This is one form of short affirmation. Once you become habitual of this term, your mind (subconscious mind) will support you in this process.
If you feel yourself slowing down or becoming distracted by conversations or low-value activities, repeat to yourself the words “Back to work! Back to work! Back to work!” over and over.
For your career, nothing will help you more than to get the reputation for being the kind of person who gets important work done quickly and well. This reputation will make you one of the most valuable and respected people in your field.
Actions for You
- Commit yourself to develop a sense of urgency in everything you do to become a high performer. Select one area where you have a tendency to procrastinate and make a decision to develop the habit of fast action in that area.
- When you see an opportunity or a problem, take action on it immediately. When you are given a task or responsibility, take care of it quickly and report back fast. Move rapidly in every important area of your life. You will be amazed at how much better you feel and how much more you get done. (Content credit to ‘Eat That Frog!’ by Brian Tracy).
“Do not wait; the time will never be “just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” –Napoleon Hill
