Ambition gives us the motivation to be productive during our workday, without it, we lack productivity. What is ambition? Ambition is defined as one’s desire or will to accomplish or achieve goals through a process that expects hard work, passion and determination. Enthusiasm helps us achieve our goals either personal or career-wise. Here’s six ways to keep your ambition and get the most out of your workday:
1. Make Mornings Count
Resist the urge to check your emails and phone calls first thing in the morning, instead focus on making a game plan for yourself for the day. How you start your day has an impact on how much you accomplish throughout the day. Spend your first our prioritizing your objectives or goals for the day or week, eating a healthy breakfast and getting in some exercise to help you get the most out of your workday.
2. Be Disciplined
Use the end of your workday to plan your next day by making a list of things that you need accomplished the next day or in the coming weeks. Update your calendar on events that need to be attended throughout the week. Keeping a to-do list and up to date calendar allows you to stay organized and see the work ahead of you for the next day or week so you can plan accordingly.
3. Prioritize Tasks
As you make your lists, prioritize your tasks into three categories: what needs to be addressed immediately, what has a mid-month deadline, and what can be left for later. Categorizing your to-do list helps you see the tasks or projects that require immediate attention so that you can focus on them. Keeping organized and on top of items enables you to get the most of your workdays.
4. Revisit Timeline
When you are setting timelines for yourself, make sure not to set unrealistic ones that could potentially see you fail. Be realistic and stick to your deadlines. Being truthful about your targets will help you finish your projects on time, and add to your productivity as you might to see time open up as your complete project that wouldn’t be completed if your timeline was chaotic.
5. Organize Emails
There’s an abundance of emails that come through in a day. Keep them organized to help yourself stay on track and not miss any. You can classify them into three different types:
Simple mail (ask for an appointment or to attend an event or meeting) – respond to these messages as soon as you check your calendar.
Informative emails – read them and mark them accordingly. For example, make a note to review at the end of the week.
Complex emails (seek descriptive information, suggestions, or ideas) – mark them as necessary and to follow up, also keep a reminder so you don’t forget about them.
Junk, or promotion emails you can delete right away. Keeping your emails organized can help keep you motivated to make the most of your workday.
6. Prepare for Meetings
You always want to be prepared for any meetings. If you know you have an upcoming meeting in the week, take time to write down points you need to discuss, doubts that need to be cleared and answers that you are looking for projects and tasks that are in progress. By being prepared for meetings, you ensure you are not wasting time.
Conclusion
Creating the most of each workday takes a deliberate effort starting from the moment your alarm goes off in the morning. Following these six steps, making morning counts, being disciplined, prioritizing tasks, revisiting timelines, organizing emails and preparing for meetings can help you keep your ambition and motivation to make it through the workdays. Stick to your tasks and keep yourself organized to get through your day.
