Introduction
Achievers and non-achievers have some things in common, but their choices in life separate them into their respective statuses. Achievers know how to use time to get what they want, while non-achievers misuse their time and wonder why they are unhappy, poor, and depressed.
It all starts with the way we manage the resources God has blessed us with. Time is a precious gift from God. A day is a common grace to both believers and unbelievers alike.
While Sunday opens the week, Monday opens the working week. The way we use our Mondays (for those whose working week starts on Monday) will determine how productive the rest of the days will be.
In this short instructional write-up, I want to share five tips on how to make the most of your Monday to affect the rest of your days and become absolutely productive.
Here we go…
1. START YOUR DAY WITH GOD
Understanding that there is a God who grants us life and breath to live each day will humble you to go before Him in prayers and seek divine guidance. At least dedicate some minutes of your precious morning to the most important person in your life – God.
How do you start your day with God?
a. Kneel down and pray: Kneeling is a posture of humility before a higher authority. You acknowledge His sovereignty in your life and days. Commit your day and days into the hands of the One who rules in the affairs of men. Ask Him not to lead you into temptation but deliver you from evil.
b. Read your Bible and meditate: Spending a few minutes reading a hard copy Bible or listening to an audio Bible will give you kingdom insights about how to live your day and treat people who are made in the image of God. Bible reading is not a religious checklist but a mindset realignment. You are conforming your mind to the word of God.
These two tips will be enough to help you start your day with God. When you start your day with God, you are asking Him to go ahead of you and make all the crooked places straight.
2. SET CLEAR GOALS
I advise that you sit down to write down some key goals you want to achieve by the end of the week. Writing down goals helps you remember them more than just keeping them in your head. Your mind should be for thinking, not mainly for remembering.
How do you set and achieve your goals?
a. Where am I going in life? Never start writing goals for the week without keeping your life vision in check. A lot of people think just writing anything related or unrelated to their vision will make them productive. Your vision must inform what you do.
b. What do I want to achieve? Having your vision in mind will help you determine which goals to tackle during the week and each day. Force yourself to think of strategic activities that will get you closer to your life’s vision. Don’t settle for anything in life. Go for gold!
3. BE READY FOR MEETINGS
Many companies and organisations have strategic meetings on Monday to review progress and plan actions to achieve annual goals. Since you are part of the team, be ready in body and soul to give your best at meetings. Since you have asked God for grace, appear sharp and give your best.
How do you do that?
a. Be ready to report: There is no virtue in working without being able to give an account of what you have done. Have your own unique ways of presenting your report, whether through PowerPoint, a well-typed and printed report, or a verbal presentation. Be ready like David in the Bible, who gave a standard and world-class report of his exploits in the wilderness.
b. Be ready to contribute: After giving your report, don’t sit passively. Sit upright and be present in the meeting. What you say may solve someone’s problem or bring revenue to the organization.
c. Be ready for new tasks: Be ready to take on new tasks. It’s shocking when people run away from responsibilities. The only way you become recognized, like biblical Daniel who took up the challenge to interpret the king’s dream, is to ask for new roles and immerse yourself in them. Embrace new tasks to grow.
4. SEE TO PLANNED ACTIVITIES
Mondays can be very busy, and you may not touch everything you set out to do. Don’t let that worry you. Just know how the day goes and identify pockets of time to tackle your planned activities. If you don’t attend to what you planned, you procrastinate to another day, which may bring its own troubles.
How can you tackle your activities?
a. Don’t tackle too many things: You may be scared to do anything if you have too many things to do. Just mark off a few important activities you really want to accomplish before the day ends. It is better to do something than nothing.
b. Do something: Nike’s slogan says it best: ‘just do it’. Instead of thinking so much about what you must do and doing nothing, take something from the list and do it. It may be as simple as making a call to a customer—do it!
5. REVIEW YOUR DAY AND GET GOING
The last tip is to review your plans after each day. I have the practice of removing what I do from my list. It doesn’t matter how little the task may be; it means a lot to me. It signifies that I didn’t waste my time during the day.
How do you do this?
a. What did I do and not do? The first question to ask when reviewing the day is what you did and did not do. It will reveal your achievements for the day. You might be surprised at how you used your precious time. Assess your list before you do so.
b. What must I do? This question helps you know that God’s mercies are available for the next day. God is gracious enough to give us another day to continue working. Note down what you did not accomplish, and plan how you will tackle those tasks the next day.
CONCLUSION
Life cannot be lived haphazardly. You must master how you use your time to get what you want in life.
God has abundantly blessed us with wisdom to navigate the terrain of life and make the most of our Mondays, which can positively affect the rest of our week. Productivity comes when we use our time for the goals we want to achieve.
What have you learnt from this article to help you become productive? Share with us.
Eric Otchere writes daily content to help people make the right choices in life. Connect with him via otchereeric@gmail.com.
Inspiring Net 