When it comes to productivity hacks, I’ve tried most of them, and read about even more. There are somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1,329,487 of them out there. Business coaches and mentors have made entire careers out of teaching all of these various hacks.
Some of them work better than others, but there’s one in particular that’s better than most.
Action Items
When I’m working with a coaching client, the last part of our session is always a reminder to create Action Items.
All the information in the world, regardless of how valuable it may seem on the surface, is utterly useless if it’s not put to use. In oder to do that, you need to create action items.
Learning new information is useless if you’re not creating action items. Click to Tweet
When I was attending WoVoCon 2, I spent most of my time taking notes in sessions. On Sunday, after the conference ended, I went back to my room, sat at the desk, and began turning those notes into action items.
How was I going to apply the information I learned? How was I going to put it to work? What practical steps was I going to take?
I created a list of Action Items.
Put It To Use
If you’re working with a coach, attending a conference, participating in a webinar, or taking online course for the purposes of self and professional development, well done! You’re already ahead of the crowd and making sound investments towards to your success.
Just don’t let it end with attendance or participation.
Take what you’ve learned, create a list of action items, and start scheduling time in your calendar to get them done. While you’re at it, don’t forget to throw in accountability!
