Engaging in High Value Activities.

High-value activities are those that move you closer to accomplishing your business goals and ultimately impact your bottom line. By understanding the value of your time and where you decide to focus your efforts, you can make measurable progress towards getting real work done, while you keep your business running.How often do we after a long day at work,sit back and reflect on what exactly we engaged in during the day?Then we realize,that we just did routine work or responded to requests,without actually putting some thought into it,or asking what is the outcome or value of what you did.Time does move,even when we are doing nothing with it.It is easy to engage in many activities during the day,and get so busy doing low value work that do not tie into the vision of your life.

Watching TV,browsing on your phone,catching up with gossip,drinking,shopping,driving can seem like mindless activities which do eat into our time. We have to differentiate between high value and low value work.Executing on a clear and compelling life strategy is the surest way to a happy, fulfilling life.Are you working just for the sake of working?Are dating just because others are dating?Are you doing your masters just because others are doing it?What phase of life are you in?Do you know why others are doing what they are doing?Do you have similar goals and outcomes?Are you sure?Stop being busy and start being systematic.What activities generate the highest returns?We must identify them and relentlessly focus on them,avoiding all other distractions.

Planning-This is the first step, but also the easiest to overlook.Annual,monthly,weekly,daily and hourly planning. There’s a higher probability that good stuff will happen if you take time to plan first.Define the most important tasks first.Use this planning time to figure out where, when and how to get done what you want to get done this week. As is the case with most things, Planning gets better when you give it your all, so try to use the whole allocated time.

Creation-Build skills,experience or expertise.Write, build, cook, brew beer, whatever. For but the key here is to start making a habit of creation.Apply what you have learnt towards building something.

Service-Our most important human need is to contribute — to give of ourselves to others. Commit time each week to doing something for someone else.Volunteer.If you’re not sure what to do, here’s an even easier idea: Look around you and find someone to help. Could be a coworker, a friend, a mom or dad, a brother. Anyone you care about who could use a hand.It doesn’t matter if it’s hugely important work or something mundane. Just make it clear that your help comes with no strings attached.

Reflection-Translate what’s happening in and around you into a true understanding that you can build on/take with you. Our lives are so busy we may be inclined to pile our experiences up on top of one another and expect them to magically coalesce into real meaning. That doesn’t happen without reflection.How to use the time:

• First and foremost, create a space (time and environment) where you can hear yourself think. Unplug the devices. Be “unreachable” for the time allocated.
• Actively reflect: Companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter are now teaching their employees meditation. A long walk in the woods with pen and paper works well, too.
• Document it. Simply capturing some of the thoughts that surface is a great way to build on the exercise over time.

Celebration/Fun

I don’t know when and how people start associating having fun with irresponsibility, but that’s got to stop. When you do something good, celebrate it. On any given week, your successes may be large or small, but celebrate each and every one.

How to use the time:

• Do something you enjoy doing. Hit the driving range, happy hour, a ballgame, a concert, read.
• Be grateful. Celebrate the fact that you’re a lucky guy (or gal). Anyone reading this blog has been given more gifts than most.

Bring people together. A number of my clients claim the money they will make will be used to bring friends together.

"Efficiency is doing things right and effectiveness is doing the right things" – Peter Drucker. The right things in your business are your High-Value Activities (HVAs). Your HVAs are the activities that either generate revenue directly or indirectly enable you to generate revenue.For instance, if you’re a web designer, designing and coding websites is an HVA that generates revenue directly, and showcasing your designs in a portfolio is an HVA that indirectly enables you to generate revenue because it’s a marketing activity. The more of your HVAs you do, the more effective you are, and the more effective you are at delivering to your clients and bringing them in, the more money you make.

Unfortunately, many of the activities we do during our workdays aren’t HVAs. As contrarian as this may sound, spending a lot of time on social media isn’t an HVA unless you’re a social media expert. Checking email to correspond with clients could be an HVA, but doing it to the exclusion of the work that you’re being paid to deliver isn’t.

If you want better results with less effort, replace low-yield work with High-Value Activities. 

Think about your activities as you would an investment: your TEA (Time, Energy, and Attention) is what you pay, and the return is what the activity does for your business. The more of your TEA you invest in HVAs, the more return you get for your investment.Don't mistake activity for achievement.Whether you’re a corporate warrior, lead a small team in a garage, or you are a one-person band,, there’s a strategy that works:Focus on the highest value activities.Say no to low value activities and focus on higher value outcomes.Articulate the strategies and priorities clearly.

Do a few things well.The few the better,so that you can channel your focus.You try to be all things to all people and soon realize that you are not doing anything well and pleasing no one. Whether it is your personal or corporate life, to succeed requires clear strategies and goals. The fewer goals and strategies you pursue, the better. Ask yourself: Would I rather do a lot of things at a mediocre level or would I rather do fewer things at an excellent or outstanding level?”Keep your eyes on the prize, but check whether you are actually making progress in the right direction. Blind commitment to strategies that are not working is a drain on the organization’s people and its assets.”New challenges, issues, and distractions will compete for your attention on a daily basis.

The Warrior Leader rises above the noise and finds the higher ground through fierce focus on the vital few outcomes and essential activities that really matter.