Get more out of your time.

How often do you look at the habits of highly successful people for tips on how to do things right? I know I did. I found out, however, that my simply doing what the greats do isn’t always the best approach for me.

For example, as a researcher, writer and blogger I often thought the best way for me to become successful is to do as much as I can as often as I can. Basically, I was working nearly 24/7 to make my dreams come true but found out that all I really accomplished was to get burned out!

Is this the approach you take with your life coaching business?If so, take a good, long look at what you’re really doing. Is it worth it? Are you really getting more done? Or are you simply fooling yourself into thinking that more success means more hard work?

Now don’t get me wrong . . . hard work is important! Most successful people work VERY hard. The only difference with most of them, however, is that few of them think of it as hard work; in fact most truly successful people LOVE what they do! Its just that we’ve all been taught that the action (hard work) leads to the result (success), when in fact its the WAY in which the actions were taken is the biggest key!

Here’s what I used to do: I would make a list of what needed to be done and try to do it all as quickly as possible. Sound familiar? My goal – as it is with most folks – was to wipe that list clean . . . complete the “DO” List. While this sounds like a good idea – and for some people it is – it certainly didn’t work for me. And maybe it won’t work for you either.

The reason this approach often fails is that you will get so overwhelmed with all you have to do, you start to fall behind more and more until you eventually get burned out. It’s easy to fall behind when your standards are set high. As you’ve probably learned in life coaching, everyone works differently, and everyone has different skills. The key is to work with YOUR unique talents, not against them.

You can be infinitely more successful simply by focusing on a) what you’re good at, and b) what you love. Instead of trying to tackle life coaching, real estate, and network marketing all at once, identify what you’re MOST good at – and what you love the most – and focus on activities related to that one niche or area.

If you already know your niche, focus on grouping similar tasks together, and set a timer to get each one of them done. Then turn off the phone and don’t look at your email, Skype, Facebook, Twitter or other social media. These are mostly time wasters. Stick to the time. Will you run out of time without completing tasks? Yes, but then you will begin to see the value of each task as it relates to your overall success goal.

If you are allergic to timers (as I am), there is another solution: Keep an eye on how long you can work on your life coaching business before you get drained or less effective, and note that time. Do it for a week and see how long, on average, you can spend working on your goals without getting stressed out. If you find it easier to work during a certain times of day, focus your activities during that time. Split your goals into manageable, straightforward tasks that fit within your ideal work time and do them. This way, you’ll be sure to get things done every day without becoming overwhelmed.

What’s great about this technique is that it allows you to focus on your goals without being bombarded by outside pressures and stress. You can forget about all of the other stuff that needs to get done (eventually), and focus on what’s important in the moment – the manageable tasks you set for yourself.

By staying positive and focusing on each step, you feed your life coach business and overall success. This approach also minimizes self-sabotage and allows you to keep track of your progress day to day. You’ll be amazed by how much you can accomplish just by working with yourself instead of forcing yourself.

Remember, your goal is to use your work time wisely! You can start right now by checking out Dr. Craig’s free report for coaches. It has even more valuable life coaching tips for your life coaching business.

What do you think about this technique? Do you think you have something better? Let us know your thoughts below.