7 Tips for Being Productive and Successful

1 - Have a Victor Mindset

Most of us are stuck in the 'blame mindset' when we are faced with challenges. In this mindset, you may catch yourself saying things such as:

• Why do I have this problem?
• How long will I have this problem?
• Whose fault is it that I have this problem?
• What's wrong?

Using the above questions, makes you feel broken, stuck, and you'll lack choices. To create a victor mindset, ask the following questions instead:

• What do I want and when do I want it?
• When I get what I want, what else in my life will improve?
• What resources do I have available to help me with this challenge?
• Can I utilize these resources to the best of my ability or do I require extra help?
• What can do I now to improve the situation?

Using these set of questions not only helps you move forward, but it creates hope and allows you to have choices with your solutions.

2 - Start Small and Then Build Up

Successful companies and businesses will test a product or service first by offering it in beta phase or offering to a small percentage of users. Once its a win, they will build up from there. This is very similar for writers, entrepreneurs, facilitators, coaches, online marketers and creators alike. Where are you willing to start in an area of your life?

• If you want to build strength, can you start with 5 squats?
• If you want to release weight, can you start with replacing soda with water?
• If you want to wite a book, can you start with a blog?
• If you want to have a career in speaking, can you start visiting a Toastmasters club?

Complete this sentence:

I am ready to start______________________ so I can___________________________

3 - Improvise

Successful individuals are ready to acknowledge if an idea falls flat (even though it hurts) and they're also ready to improvise or tweak it until it's just about right or they will move on to the next idea. Improvisation is part of resolving challenges and makes you more resilient. Here's a great tip to help you with improvising:

Think of a mentor that has successfully done what you want to do and ask, "What would (name) do in this situation?"

4 - Have Consistency and Routine

Productive individuals have a consistent routine or system that keeps them focused and be more successful. For example, Arianna Huffington, Editor in Chief, AOL Huffington Post Media Group, practices Yoga and meditation in the morning before looking at her smartphone.

Gwyneth Paltrow stays so calm and collected despite the fact that she has a family, a movie career, a business partnership with Tracy Anderson and countless other engagements. She tells Elle Magazine about her nightly routine: "I use a lot of organic essential oils on my pressure points."

I have a routine for each weekday morning and my day starts at 4:30 a.m. Learn about my routine here.

5 - Celebrate the Small Wins

It's the small wins that keep your momentum going and gives you the motivation to keep doing what you are doing. It's when we don't celebrate the small wins, we feel like quitting or giving up.

Make a habit of having a small pocket-size journal in your purse, jacket, car or bed-side table. Write down small wins as 1-2 sentences in this journal - it's so powerful and especially useful for those downer days!

6 - Be the Fixer

A fixer is someone who delegates, outsources and asks for help. The mistake business owners or solopreneurs make is thinking that they have to do it all. You will not leap forward if you don't act like a CEO. If you are working women who is trying to start her business, ask for help from people you know.

Make a list of things you can delegate or outsource. Then go to websites like Fiverr or UpWork and find people who can do it for you. These websites have freelancers that start as low as $5!

7 - Use Tools to Keep You Focused

I've been following a lot of successful people and have noticed they use certain apps to keep them focused and productive. However, there are a plethora of other tools they use, but I'm only going to share three common apps.

Evernote - to store web links, random notes, stories, recipes, lists and more. You can also share notes with your team! Here's what my Evernote account has:

• My goals for the year and for every quarter.
• Links to articles or stories that help me when I have a speaking engagement.
• Ideas for blog or future web shows.
• Links to awesome recipes I'd like to try.

Nozbe - classifies projects and then helps you chunk them down into manageable pieces that you can delegate or keep track of. I use this for my projects such as a book, online course, event planning and product launches. This app is based on David Allen's system of 'Getting Things Done'.

Task and Cal - With 'Task and Cal', effortlessly manage your personal or business tasks for the following days and weeks, in synchronization with your iOS calendar. Only available for iPhone and iPad.