Remember, slow and steady wins the race. You can always do more than the minimum and I hope you will, but even small amounts of advancement add up. Too often we get caught up in the mental trap of believing that if we can’t commit a substantial amount of time and energy then we might as well not bother to take action at all. That is a myth.

Take a look at what you have identified as your current critical areas of focus and determine what your absolute minimums are.

What is the least amount of time, effort or action you need to take to see progress?

Each person will have different answers and only you as an individual can reasonably define what they are. It is also helpful to note which focus area they address. To get you started, here is an example based on my current focus list, of the absolute minimums that I must do with consistency; both to achieve progress towards my goals and also to feel satisfied with my life and work:

• Exercise a minimum of 20 minutes daily – physical health
• Write one hour – career
• Email my husband daily summary & encouragement – family
• Work a minimum of 6 hours each day during the summer – career
• Social media (10 Twitter posts and 1 Facebook post daily, update LinkedIn status weekly) – career
• Connect with at least one child each day (one on one time, phone call or email/text communication) – family
• Take 30 minutes of alone time (crucial to my sanity) – mental health
• Check in with my Facebook community (especially group for spouses of deployed military members) – friends

Your list may be very different and it should be since your life situation is dissimilar to mine. This list will then become a structure for new habits you want to implement. The amount and complexity is up to you, but remember to keep it reasonable or you won’t be able to maintain your momentum.

This is a crucial strategy in your quest for improved productivity, efficiency and success. The first and arguably the most important step is to determine what your critical core concentrations are, or rather what you want them to be. Take a look at your goals or think about your long term plans in each area of your life. To give you a frame of reference; think about what you’d really like to accomplish or what’s important in the next three months. I recommend re-evaluating quarterly as plans and priorities change. Consider all the relevant areas of your life and work:

• Self – mental, emotional & physical health – includes personal growth and creativity
• Relationships – marriage, children, family, friends
• Spirituality – in whatever definition that means to you
• Community – local or global, contribution
• Home – purchase and/or care
• Career – job, business, education
• Finances – income, investments, debt, retirement, etc.

To illustrate this, I am willing to share my personal and professional second quarter core list as an example:

Mental & physical health – Focus on increasing endurance and strength, eat to maximize energy and health, and take time alone every day to decompress.

Family – Focus on maintaining communications and reinforcing my relationship with my husband during military deployment and support and deepen the connection with my children.

Career – Focus on building my business, writing productivity and deployment books and building my reputation.

Finances – Focus on planning and conducting my savings and investment plans in a more disciplined fashion.

Friends – Focus on strengthening my network of support and companionship, both in-person and virtual.

Keep in mind that everyone’s list will be different and will vary depending on the life and work situation that you are currently in. My list will be different in 6 months and was certainly different last year. Also, many business owners create a separate list for their business as an entity in addition to their personal list.

Once you have this list save it, print it or write it on an index card, tape it to your desk, hang it on the wall, whatever you need to have a constant reminder. You will then use this list as the basis for setting goals, determining weekly and daily priorities and selecting which projects and activities make the cut.