2018 is going to be your year.

That’s what you told yourself during the first quarter of the year.

No holding back. You’re powering up this year!

But now you’re back at work and it’s already the end of March. What happened to January? And did February even happen?? And where has your motivation gone?

You have two choices, now. You can just coast along like you may have done last year, or you can rev up for a brilliant year. I’m hoping you choose the second of those, and I’m going to help you do it.

Why starting now is the best time for preparing.

If you’re struggling to get going this year, and you can’t seem to get a grip on your goals, March is probably a better time for you to make a start on things.

Sometimes we expect too much from ourselves early in the year. During January it’s hard not to be influenced by the season when your family is still on holidays and your brain probably stuck party mode. By the time we reach February, that time has gone. You’re back at work, the kids are off to school, and you’re trying to get back into a routine. Come March, you’re back to working at full speed and your mind can get back its focus.

So, if you’ve lost January, February and most of March, don’t beat yourself up. It happens to a lot of us, but now it’s time to move on.

Now is the time for motivation.

Going forward, we’re going to look at how to get motivated – how to engage yourself and your team in what has to be done. We’re also going to look at how to become productive and maintain productivity throughout the year.

So where do you start?

Let’s go back to the goals you set for the year. Remember back at the start of the year we looked at Goals vs Intent? (If you didn’t read that post, do it now!)  In it, we said “Our goals may be what we want to do, but our intentions are why we do the things that we do. Intention is the passion that drives us and fuels us to act.”

You also decided what you want to be known for, this year – your personal brand and reputation.

Now is a great time to go back and read what you came up with. Remember who you want to be, and what your intentions are for the year. Get your head back in the game. There’s a lot of motivation power in those decisions.

Now, once you’re clear again on where you’re heading and why all I want you to do this week is to book time with yourself each day. Every day, revisit your intentions and remind yourself who you want to be.

Here’s why it works.

This doesn’t sound like much, but what you’re doing is embedding those things into your brain once more, and that gives it a clear direction for thinking. It will respond by helping you notice things you can do or tools you can use to help you get there.

This is the basis of your productivity for the year. A recent study by researchers from Duke University found that the caudate nucleus in the brain responds so well to this type of action.

“…with repeated practice, environmental cues — such as a particularly busy intersection, or your boss’s office — can trigger the brain to jump directly into a more focused state, bypassing distraction and saving precious time.”

By regularly reviewing the intentions you set, you are giving your brain the cues you want it to focus on.

Ramp up your productivity.

Get your mind heading where you need it to go, and you’ll start making the right choices faster and more often. Just see what that does to your personal productivity.

If you’re serious about this year your year, remember to invest in your personal and professional development. Executive Coaching will help you boost the level of your performance and excel in your career. Let’s chat about how we can help you discover your full potential this year.