How To Create A Simple Productivity Plan That Gets Results
By Shana Lynn Yao
“If you’re running east looking for a sunset, you’ll never get there.”
You're a high achiever, a hard worker, and a girlboss on with a mission. Somedays you feel like you're being pulled in a million directions and while you wake up with a plan of action, by the end of the day, you wonder what happened, NOT getting anything done on your list, and feeling, well...stuck.
I know that feeling well. Call it "ADD" or distraction - it's frustrating and just not necessary. And on top of that, not controlling it will leave you buried in OPP - (other people's problems), NOT producing results, and in the end, not living the life you were born to live.
You’re a hard working, intelligent, and purpose-driven entrepreneur - ready to change the world, make money, and live the laptop lifestyle. But lately, you feel like you’re drowning in information, overwhelm, and lacking focus. What should you do to bring you the results you want?
If that’s you, you’re not alone. More than 90% of new businesses fail in the first year. It’s a frightening statistic that can send shivers down the spines of even the most motivated and positive people. And when you are struggling to make money, those statistics speak an even louder truth.
STOP THE MADNESS. You’re intelligent, want to do good in the world and make money. And today, you are going to make a decision to turn it all around. To GET LASER FOCUSED, CLAIM the success you deserve, and GET IT DONE. All in 45 days.
“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.”
The Productivity Plan
It takes just 45 days to produce results. Results in your own self confidence, results in your business, results in your life, and results in your bank account.
The 45 Day Productivity Plan is for people who are ready to burn the boats. Take no prisoners, shut out the noise, and finally see progress. This is for impatient, high achievers who are tired of settling for ordinary.
The reality is, as a high achiever, every time you “settle” for less than you know you are capable of, you beat yourself up. It’s a cycle that keeps most people stuck in the endless loop of mediocrity. And mediocre, you are not.
Why 45 days? Because most goals are set at 90 days - which is great if you need and have more time. But genius, impatient entrepreneurs people rarely are willing to wait. This is about ACTION and FOCUS. So let’s dive in.
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER TEMPLATE >>>
1. GET AN OLD FASHIONED CALENDAR/PLANNER
Yes, you need to go OLD SCHOOL to accomplish this 45 day goal. Unless you are an organized tech junkie, WRITING (when was the last time you used a pen?) uses different neurological pathways in your brain. It engages your creative and logical mind, and according to Lifehacker, the RAS (reticular activating system) acts as a filter for everything your brain needs to process, giving more importance to the stuff that you're actively focusing on that moment — something that the physical act of writing brings to the forefront."
One study from 2010 found that the brain areas associated with learning "lit up" much more when students wrote. And surprisingly, this is because it develops “cognitive automaticity - the ability to think as fast as possible, freed as much as can be from the strictures of whichever technology we must use to record our thoughts,” cites Anne Trubek, associate professor of rhetoric and composition at Oberlin College in Ohio.
2. DEVELOP THE HABIT OF SUCCESS
The 45 Day Productivity Plan is dependent on your ability to stay focused on your own success. This means commitment to the achievement of your success goals. By taking part in this, you need to create the habit of success - literally setting up your daily schedule to accomplish what I call Incremental Laundry, the rituals and habits you need in order to make your goals inevitable.
NOT doing this will leave you unfocused and distracted, and you will NOT achieve your 45 day goal. You literally need to become the successful person you imagine yourself to be when you have the goal you are going for.
Important rules to remember:
The F*CK IT RULE: when you get caught up in self judgement, perfectionism, and overthinking, you need to apply the "f*ck it rule - this is the "just do it" anti-procrastination method for people who want results
NATO - No Attachment to the Outcome: Success comes from the act of DOING - you take on the "everything is a test" belief so you can avoid self judgement
FOMO - Fear of Missing Out - the only thing you should fear missing out on, is your own success
Incremental Laundry - Scheduling your important and tedious tasks into daily HABITS
“Tools like the F*CK IT RULE, NATO (No Attachment to the Outcome) and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and Incremental Laundry (turning your tedious tasks into daily habits) will make or break your fate.”
3. ZOOM OUT
Before you can start, you need to know where you are going. Not where you are going in 45 days - more like 4500 days.
Yes, you need to know your LIFE GOAL - your highest purpose. I call that your “Genius”. Your Genius is your end of your life goal - your reason for being and for having a business. It’s the combination of your greatest strengths, talents, and life experience combined into your “mission” or “message”.
Knowing your purpose is essential for high achieving, intelligent, purpose-driven entrepreneurs. Whether you know it or not, this is actually one of the reasons people get stuck in self doubt and distraction.
As stated above, Charles Koch said vision is one of the 5 dimensions of success - it's about understanding what and how the business can create the greatest long-term value for it's customers.
It is a fact that we, as humans, do more for others than we will ourselves. While many people are able to earn money as an entrepreneur without knowing their purpose, intelligent entrepreneurs who want to create change and make a difference in the world, often get stuck in self doubt and perfectionism. Because you know your potential and are concerned about others, you tend to be more judgmental of yourself.
In fact, your Genius solves an urgent problem for someone else. And if we, as humans do more for others than ourselves, when you discover your genius and use it in your business, it becomes your driving force that empowers your actions, focus, and accomplishments.
Money is the result of producing value for others. And since money is FLAT and has no value aside from the piece of paper it is printed on, purpose driven entrepreneurs that are focused only on money lose site of the value they want and need to create, hence not producing value, not changing lives, and not making money.
ACTION>>> KNOW YOUR GENIUS PURPOSE. WRITE THAT DOWN AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.
4. DEFINE YOUR SUCCESS
One of the reasons many intelligent people get lost in procrastination and turning to distraction to ease your overtaxed mind is not the lack of ideas - it's the FLOOD of your genius! Because you are so smart and have such a great vision for your life, you have TOO many ideas that are flooding your mind. And when you see the low level, ordinary conversations online, your mind can't comprehend. You've already achieved your success (in your mind), and people are talking about list building and funnels.
This CLOGS YOUR BRAIN with random, seemingly unimportant information. You are ready to change the world and now you have to worry about your list?
Let's unclog your genius. Below your Genius Purpose, write the up to 10 things you will be doing in your business when you are at your most successful this could be
Writing a book
Hosting retreats
Working with X people a month
Hosting a podcast
What will your business look like when you are living your Genius Purpose?
ACTION>>>WRITE DOWN UP TO 10 THINGS YOU WILL BE DOING IN YOUR BUSINESS WHEN YOU REACH YOUR OVERALL GOAL
5. SET YOUR 45 DAY MONEY GOAL
Woo hoo! Yes! I’m not crazy - while I just said to not focus on money, I meant not in reference to your purpose. Now we need to focus on the amount of money you need to be making at the end of 45 days.
Whoops! Let’s go back and read that - “the amount of money you NEED to be making…”
Yes, if your money goal was $100K in 45 days and you are making $1K barely now, we need to RESET THAT.
Trust me, if you are going for a goal that is outside of your comfort zone, NOT fathomable to your brain, you will literally avoid the actions necessary to make money.
Research has shown that humans are ONLY able to accomplish things they can actually see themselves doing. So while you may be picturing yourself sitting on the beach with your laptop, if you are not seeing yourself doing the actions necessary to reach that goal, you will never achieve it.
Your 45 day money goal needs to be specific, measurable, tangible and real. Take the MINIMUM amount you need to make a month, add a slight cushion so it’s comfortable. THEN you can set your “dream” amount. But for the purposes of the 45 Day Get it Done Success goal, you need to focus on the minimum number - or what I call your “MAGIC NUMBER”.
ACTION>>> CALCULATE YOUR *MAGIC NUMBER* AND WRITE THAT DOWN BELOW YOUR GENIUS PURPOSE GOAL
6. SENSORY OVERLOAD
You can't achieve something unless your brain actually believes you can achieve it and can SEE it. And in order to see it, you need to get in touch with how the goal FEELS.
What needs to be true for you for the solution to happen? What things will you see, hear, feel when you achieve your purpose drive money goal? What else will happen because of that?
Remember, this is NOT your "When I make $1 million dollars" vision. This is the vision of your 45 day goal achievement.
Write it down - what you will see, feel, and hear when you have reached your 45 day money goal. (i.e. I have $X in the bank. I can smell fresh flowers that I just bought at the store to treat myself and my home is clean with fresh towels from the cleaning lady. I can hear my clients telling me how much they appreciate the work I do.")
ACTION>>> WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU WILL SEE, FEEL, AND HEAR WHEN YOU ACHIEVE YOUR 45 DAY GOAL
7. YOUR BBF LEGACY CLIENTS
Who do you want to help? Who are your BBF's - Best Business Friends?
This is one of the most important things you need to know in order to have a successful business and accomplish your 45 day goal. Who is your BBF?
Most people make the mistake of trying to talk to EVERYONE. And this strategy works for NO ONE. While in your mind, you don't' want to eliminate opportunity, this is the exact opposite of what you need to do. No one can hear you if you are shouting in the air. Instead, you want to go DEEP. Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule? In fact 20% of people you speak to produce 80% of your results. So rather than casting a wide net, you need to decide who you are going to market to.
This is your BBF - not a "customer avatar". Who do you want to work with? I know for me, I only want to work with intelligent people who "get me" (if you've read this far, you GET ME!). My BBF Legacy Clients are FUN, intelligent, purpose driven, love dogs, and have a LIFE! They want a successful business AND a successful life. They are interested in results over likes. And they don't want to settle for less, are willing to do the work, and want to do so in style.
Who are your BBF Legacy Clients? Chances are, they are much like you.
ACTION>>> WRITE DOWN A BULLET POINT LIST OF TRAITS OF YOUR BBF.
8. SET THREE 45 DAY GET IT DONE GOALS
This is the FUN part! Looking at your purpose and your money goal - decide 3 things you need to do - to accomplish your Magic Number in 45 days.
For example:
CLIENTS: focus all of your efforts on your most profitable customers - your BBF Legacy Clients - who are they?
What have you ALREADY learned? What can you implement NOW using what you know NOW? What other things do you need to learn JUST AROUND YOUR GOAL
If you are trying to be seen, who are you attracting? What do you want them to buy? Do you have your solid foundation?
This requires some math on your part, but here are some guidelines
One goal should involve daily marketing (you need to promote what you do on a regular basis and get people into your "house" or email list). This marketing needs to teach your BBF's so it fulfills your highest purpose and their greatest needs. This marketing activity will promote your signature program so that you can reach your 45 day money goal).
One goal should be another marketing goal (another marketing channel you are going to master). This could be a podcast, a YouTube channel, a book you are writing. At the end of 45 days this marketing channel needs to be up and running. This marketing channel will support the first marketing activity - for example, you could do Facebook Live and then a podcast. Or Facebook Live and a blog post that you will promote everyday. This marketing goal should promote your signature program so that you can meet your money goal.
One goal should be something from your list you created in step 4. Writing a book? You need to take daily actions to ensure it gets done.
For example, your goals could be
1. Daily FB Live videos
2. To have a podcast up and running in 45 days (marketing), and to sell an existing signature program'
3. Develop a workshop or book.
The purpose of 3 instead of one, is to STOP FOMO. Yes, stop Fear of Missing Out on what others are doing by engaging your genius, fast thinking brain in 2 activities - both that will have a due date, both that accomplish your genius purpose, and both that are on YOUR OWN SUCCESS.
You will be actively marketing your money maker DAILY (getting out there to make money), and fulfilling your own purpose by creating and implement one of your success goals (fulfilling you), and working on a future purpose goal (engaging your genius mind).
ACTION>>>CREATE THREE GOALS - ONE DAILY AND ONE SUPPORTIVE MARKETING GOAL THAT PRODUCES YOUR MONEY GOAL, AND ONE LONG TERM GOAL AND WRITE THAT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE UNDER YOUR MAGIC NUMBER
DETERMINE HOW MANY OF YOUR CURRENT OFFERINGS YOU NEED TO SELL TO REACH YOUR MAGIC NUMBER
9. BRAIN DUMP!
Now we need to create an exhaustive list. No - not EXHAUSTING :) - an exhaustive and complete list of EVERYTHING you need to do to get your 45 day goals accomplished.
If you want to start a podcast, that is not a “To Do’. Your exhaustive list could include:
Hire a designer to design cover for itunes
Learn how to record a podcast
Buy recording equipment if necessary
Scheduled days of recordings
Plan who will do show notes
If your goal was to create a 7 day challenge, your list could be:
Choose subject for challenge
Write 7 days of content
Write emails
Create marketing plan for challenge
Decide what the goal of the challenge
Know who you are targeting
What will happen after the challenge?
You see - having an end goal needs ACTION STEPS to make them happen. NOT in your head, on paper.
ACTION>>>CREATE AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ACTION STEPS AND WRITE THAT BELOW YOUR TWO GET IT DONE GOALS
10. MAP IT OUT ON YOUR CALENDAR
This is about making your goals INEVITABLE. As the successful CEO I know you are capable of being, you need to actually schedule the dates these things will happen. Writing 7 days of content may take you 2 weeks and if you don’t schedule it in, you may never get it done.
ACTION>>> USE YOUR OLD FASHIONED CALENDAR AND WRITE DOWN THE DATES OF EACH ACTION STEP
11. PLAN YOUR INCREMENTAL LAUNDRY
What are the daily actions you need to take to keep your business running while you focus on these tasks? Things like networking marketing your program and services (yes that means selling).
Your incremental laundry should turn your marketing into a DAILY TASK. Remember, it is NOT “spammy” to promote your business. YOU HAVE A BUSINESS. Speak about it, link to it, and brag about it proudly.
ACTION>>> PLAN YOUR INCREMENTAL LAUNDRY AND TURN YOUR MARKETING INTO A DAILY HABIT
Meaningful Success
You see? You just created an action oriented marketing plan! A 45 day action plan to get you going and jump start your success.
Why does this work?
You are an intelligent, purpose driven person. Perfectionism, making meaning, and doing good for others is part of your DNA. That means that when you focus on things like “building a list” and “selling”, “funneling” random people into your process - you are going against the natural human condition of wanting to connect. It is the human condition for people to want to connect. Back in the cave man days, if you were singled out as an outsider, you literally could die and be thrown to fend the tigers by yourself.
Today, things like feeling “liked” on Facebook, accepted by others, and doing things like “selling” which cause you to face perceived judgement of others, is no different.
You were born to succeed. Trust your DNA and a proven model for creating success. Watch the FREE CLASS to finally Master Your Money Goals. Create the success you want and to finally, achieve your goals. Get instant access here:
So I want to hear - what is your goal to achieve in 45 days? Tell me below in the comments. And if you got value from this article please LIKE IT and SHARE IT with others so we all can get started not only getting more of what we want but helping others do the same. SUBSCRIBE to THE DAILY for more updates on living your best badass business and life.
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