As you may know I believe that it is important sometimes to step back and take stock. One of the key attributes of successful people is that they are able to maintain a single focus on doing things that are important to them rather than falling into the trap of being busy being busy. It is so important in this modern world of distraction to make sure that you are working on your own priorities rather than being carried along on the tide of demands from other people, working to other peoples priorities.

I am going to give you some quick tactics that successful people have shared with me and that you can employ in your daily life to ensure that you have a stunning year.

1) Get a one page plan

Nobody hit a target that they couldn’t see, nothing magnificent was built without a plan. Design a plan for your year that you can look at every morning and that reminds you of what is important to you and energises you.  Make it really compelling.

How do you make something compelling? Well, the key is to develop a vision of what you want. Get a vision of specifically what you want to achieve this year. Make sure that you can visualise it, and visualise yourself achieving that plan. Visualise yourself in one years time being the way that you want to be. How does this look for you? How does it feel to be that way? Are you talking a certain way? Is anyone saying anything to you? See yourself in your minds eye having the things that you want to have and achieving your plan. How good does that feel?

Some questions to answer in order to get your plan together:

What is important to you for this year? Think of the contexts of health, relationships, personal development, career, finances, fitness, spiritual. What are the 5 things that need to happen this year for it to be a successful year for you? What do you need to happen this year for it to contribute significantly towards you reaching your destiny? What contribution do you want to make to other people this year?

Get your plan together and look at it every morning.

2) Build your library and read, read, read

Leaders are readers and victims love leisure. One very successful chief executive said to me recently “there is time in this world for everything as long as you manage your time to your priorities.”  Too many people get home after work in an evening and begin medicating themselves with wine and tv. One of the best ways to wind down, to silence the overworked mind is to pick up a good book and start reading.

Build a library of autobiographies from successful people of this age, biographies of successful people from other generations, we stand on the shoulders of our predecessors. Learn from masters of their craft, your craft, this is how we are going to make the world a better place.

3) Write a daily journal

This one single habit will transform your results. Use your journal to get to know yourself, write about your thoughts, your emotions, your plans. Do this first thing in the morning whilst consulting your one page plan. . This will help set the mood for your day ahead and bring clarity to you. Review conversations that you had the day before, objectives for conversations for the day ahead. Better self awareness will lead to better choices, better decisions and you will get better results.

4) Get fit for life!

20 minutes exercise per day will give you amazing results. Read the book “Spark! How exercise will improve the performance of your brain.” by Dr John J Ratey.  According to the latest research exercise helps relieve stress, anxiety, depression, it helps with addictions, ADHD, it slows down the aging process and it makes you more intelligent. Enough said!

5) Work in 90 minute blocks of time

Dipping in and out of emails, doing two things at once, these are habits that are going to keep you being busy being busy, you may feel like you are getting things done, but are you being productive? Plan week by week. List all the duties that you have for the week ahead (daily and weekly duties), all of your objectives that you have for the week, and put them in your diary so that you are working in 90 minute chunks. During each chunk of time focus only on the task at hand. Make sure that you plan time for your journalling, exercise, creative time, learning, and relationships.

6) Have some fun!

Build a portfolio of passions for your life, what sort of things can you get interested in and get involved in that are going to add an extra dimension to your life? Get interested in art, in music, in invention, in saving the planet, in different languages, in different cultures, in sport, in getting to know yourself. Get curious about all that you don’t know about what makes you tick, what makes others tick and about possibilities for the future.

So, there you go, six tactics that are going to get you to play at greatness this year. Your time is now, don’t fall into the trap of waiting for something to happen before you live the life that you want to live, become what you know you want to beome. Put these tactics into operation and start living your success NOW!