Inspiring Will Smith Video – No Wonder He is So Amazingly Successful!

Here is an absolutely amazing Will Smith Video cut together from a bunch of his interviews on TV and from a few movies. What he says about success and achieving your dreams is spot on. Don’t be afraid to go get what you want, just know your goal, and work your ass of to get it. Don’t let people discourage you, if you want it, take the attitude that it’s already done, and now you’re just working your ass off to get there and show everybody that you were right.

This is a great video to visit if you start feeling discouraged. Keep your head up and remember, it’s already done, you just gotta work your butt off to get there and show everybody.

And never be worried about “dying on the treadmill.” Don’t be afraid to commit 100% to your goal and run full out faster, harder and longer than the other guy. The work will pay off.

What’s your Secret?
Ryan

11 Things You Should Do to Start The New Year Right

Here are 11 simple things you can do to get the new year started off with a bang. If you read this and come up with more, write them down, suggest them in the comments and by all means, do them yourself. 2010 has just begun, but it will be over before you know it, so why not make it your best year ever, and get it started the right way.

1. Clean House - Do you really need that old Tupperware? How many junk drawers do you have? clear them out and make them empty drawers, don’t fill them back up with more junk. If you have an empty drawer, let it be empty.

2. Follow a diet for 3 weeks – Even if you don’t struggle with your weight, follow a serious healthy eating plan for the next 3 weeks and then see how you feel. Chances are you’ll have more energy and be more productive and focused every day.

3. Follow an exercise plan for the next 3 weeks – Again, you may be fit or happy with your weight, but regular exercise can do more than just improve your looks, it can increase energy, mental functioning and increase overall happiness and contentment.

4. Write a list of all the goals you want to achieve this year – Create an action plan and post this where you will read it every day. Do just that. Read it every morning and night and stay focused.

5. Detox from Caffeine and other stimulants for at least 1 week – As many of you know, this is one of my favorite crutches. I love coffee, and I love to just sit and sip a cup at different times during the day. This is one of my greatest challenges, but I still detox for at least 7-10 days every year and see how I feel. Eventually I go back to drinking coffee because I love the taste.

6. Change Your Hair – You don’t have to opt for a new look if you don’t want to, but even getting a trim will give you the feeling of a new fresh start, and what better time to feel like a new you than the beginning of the new year.

7. Get rid of old clothes that you don’t wear – If you only wore them once last year, get rid of them.

8. Overcome One Fear – Last year I went in fresh water that I couldn’t see the bottom of. I am still terribly afraid of lakes and rivers, just the thought of being on a lake makes me sick to my stomach. I am a good swimmer, so this is just an irrational fear. I faced it by jumping into a pool in a stream. It was approximately 20 feet deep and scared me half to drowning. I breathed in more water than I should have, but I did it. Now I know I can. What fear will you face this year?

9. Go Somewhere New This Year - even if you just go somewhere new in your city, go there and enjoy the newness of it. If you have always dreamed of visiting France, make it happen this year .

10. Stop complaining for 21 days – This is a hard one. Keep a reminder and don’t complain, especially verbally about anything. If there is no action plan following the stating of a problem, then you are just whining. Quit being a baby and look for the good things in life, if you don’t like something, either accept it, or change it.

11. Start a Gratitude Experiment - For the Next 30 days, write down 3 things you are grateful for every night before bed. It may sound lame or silly, but the results will astound you.

These 11 things will help you get a fresh start and get focused for the new year. Some are simple and some are very very difficult (like no complaining) but following them and trying each one will break you out of old habits and get you started with new ones this year.

You will only live through 2010 once, why not make it your best year ever?

Happy New Year,

Ryan M Hall

What you see is What you…Think???

The Level of our Success is only Limited by our Imagination – Aesop

Everything you See is the Result of Your Thoughts, There is no exception to This Fact – A Course in Miracles

Quotes similar to these have been said by wise women and men throughout history, so what does it mean?

What you focus on you get.

That which you think, so shall you be.

Like attracts like.

It means that your thoughts can actually create your life.  Whether in a metaphysical sense, or a purely psychological sense, what you think opens or closes opportunity for you.  What you focus on can open doors and show you synchronicities that you may otherwise not have had available to you, and if you’re a believer in the law of attraction, what you think, your thoughts and feelings can even help to determine what people are around you in traffic and how they react.

So if your thoughts creat your life, what can you do to improve life?

Focus on things that truly bring you joy.  Not things that you think are supposed to make you happy, or things that kind of make you happy, but things (people, places and events) that actually bring a smile to your face or offer you some feeling of relief.

For me personally, I think of the people I love, my kids and family, I focus on playing with them, talking to them or just hanging out.  I also focus on my car, because I love my car.  It has been one of my dream cars for over 9 years, and I finally got it, and I drive it every day, if for no other reason than to go down the block and be in my car.  These are things that truly bring me joy.

What kinds of things bring you joy?  Focus on these things, not the problems with them, but the things you love about them.  Even if you think it’s all baloney, you will be in a much happier state for the time being, and isn’t happiness what we all crave so much?

If you really need a pep up, try to slip away to a private place, even if it’s just a public restroom, and take a few breaths and think about things that make you happy.

How can this change your life?

Well, happy and successful people tend to hang out with happy and successful people.  They all focus on things they love and enjoy, and do similar things.  Focusing on the negatives will only get you more negative people and experiences in life.  We all have bad things happen to us, it’s how you react that makes you who you are.

So try focusing more on things you love and less on things you don’t.  Do more things that are fun and less that aren’t.  It seems like simple advice, but if you walk into any office building, you will see that it’s much needed.

What you think shapes your life, your mood, and your focus.  Think Good thoughts, and focus on things  you want more of.  You will have more of them.

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan

I Have More Important Things to Do – The Gentle Art of Ignoring

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At the end of the day, most people who have big projects on their plates also have big to do lists on their desk. Each day, this to do list will have a few things crossed off, but more will be added for the next day, and then it the list is never actually done. So how do we remedy this? How can we get more done with the same amount of time we have each day? It’s often a matter of ignoring large chunks of our list.

Ignore my to do list?!? You must be insane!!!!!

Nope, not really, because I’m not talking about avoiding things, I’m talking about getting the big important things done first and ignoring that small easy stuff for a while. Think about it, if you get the big or scary stuff done right away, you will no longer dread doing it, and will be able to easily tackle the smaller, easier things that are filling up your list.

Below are a few simple tips you can use to get more important things done today and make leaps and bounds toward your goals.

Do the Worst First

As I mentioned previously, doing the worst, hardest, or most impactful thing on your to do list will free up your energy so that you can focus on easier things for the rest of the day. Renowned Author Brian Tracy says to wake up each day and “Eat That Frog,” do the hardest, worst list item first, and you will be ahead of 99% of the people who put it off indefinitely.

We all have at least one of these types of items on our list. It’s the one that makes us want to go watch TV or call a friend. The one we don’t look at because we’re “trying to get some of the quick stuff done first.” It’s always there though, and that’s the thing that separates people who get things done from those who don’t, the ability to swallow their fear and face those big list items head on.

If you have at least one of these things on your list, find it and face it. Do it now, or it will never get done. It should be your Only goal for the day, and until it is done, you can’t work on any other list items. Talk about putting a hold on your progress, if you want to get any of that other stuff done, and it may all be important, you need to finish that tough list item. You better get it done fast. In fact, you should get it done now, then finish reading this article, unless it involves calling someone and it’s 3 am. That might not be a great idea.

Ignore Interruptions for 1 Hour

Many of the highest achievers in the world use this technique, and it works wonders if you actually do it. It allows you to focus 100% of your energy on your target for a short period of time, and usually you will get more done during this time than any other time combined.

What you want to do is get rid of the opportunity for any interruptions. This means silencing the phone, turning off Youtube, shutting down facebook and the messengers, turning off the music if it has words that can distract you, and shutting your door so that it is just you and your goal.

When you do this and focus only on your goal, your entire mental capacity is spent only on that goal. Put a sign on the door and try to spend at least 1 hour achieving your goals. As long as you know what needs to be done, you can speed through your list and by the end of your hour, you will have done a full day worth of slow paced distracted work.

Some people call this an hour of power, but if you don’t have an hour, focus for 15 minutes. If you don’t have that, start with 5. After you have done this for a while, you will be unable to deny the power of focusing completely on your goal, and I am certain you will be able to find at least an hour in your day to tear through your to do list.

Set a Deadline

It has been proven by millions of college students that if you have a deadline, no matter how close it is, you can bust your ass and get what you need done. I know people who have had months to do a project and put it off only to finish it in two days and still get a good grade from the teacher. Since all of us have experienced this phenomenon in one way or another, why don’t we use it to our advantage?

I actually use this when I have to clean my house. I don’t enjoy cleaning, and because I have 3 kids here, plus me so realistically, 4 kids, the house get’s super cluttered very quick. So if I have to clean the kitchen, and it would normally take me about an hour, I set a goal to do it in 15 minutes. It is fun to see if I can do it, get’s the task done quickly, and is a nice challenge for me. By the way, I never go more than 5 minutes over my goal. I set a timer and I race the timer. It’s a great way to get the goal completed and off my list, and the house looks nice afterward.

This is another time when you are going to be forced to ignore all interruptions in order to meet your deadline. You must put the phone away and lock the door, you need this time to yourself. Doing this will allow you to have much more time to call back all the people who left you messages, and spend more time doing what you want.

Is there something on your list that is time consuming that you might be able to put on a deadline? Could you do it if you absolutely had to? If so, why aren’t you? It’s time to set a deadline and do it now.

The Art of Ignoring is something that the people around you will have to get used to. Some are going to be jealous because of your ability to achieve, and some are going to be hurt or annoyed that you ignored their call or can’t talk with them for a few minutes, but doing so will give you the chance to get more done than most of them will ever do in a single day.

Schedule a time today that you have at least 1 hour uninterrupted to achieve your goals, I guarantee that if you use the time properly, you won’t regret it.

I hope this finds you well,
Ryan

Find the Leaks in Your Day

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Ask anyone why they aren’t achieving their goals or spending their days doing what they love, and most people will tell you that they just don’t have the time. I know, I’ve always been one of these people. The problem is this just doesn’t make much sense.

If you take a moment to think about that phrase, I just don’t have time, it’s pretty obvious that we all have 24 hours in a day. The problem is that most of us don’t use those hours very effectively. Most of us waste our time messing around or if we are accomplishing, it’s usually low impact tasks.

Sure it might feel like you’ve gotten a lot done today, but have you actually taken a few moments and seen exactly where your time is going?

You can forget all the time management systems you see on the bookstore shelf and their promises of easily achieving 5 times as much as the next guy if you don’t even know where your time is going now. You may have some habits that just need to go out the window.

This is really a very simple exercise, but it can make such a huge difference in how much important stuff you get done each day and how much free time and energy you have at the end of the day. This will take relatively little work and can be as complicated or easy as you like it to be. You can use an excel sheet or fancy program, or just go with my favorite, a pen and paper.

Set up a log sheet, for me it’s a pen and paper I carry around during the day, and keep it with you everywhere you go. Now just log each time you work on something different, and each time you are interrupted or get on to check email or twitter or facebook. After just a few days, it’s very evident that most of us waste a lot of time checking social media or working on low impact tasks.

Now at the end of each day, make a list of all the high impact tasks you accomplished. These are things that are big, or make a big difference. The things you are usually avoiding with little tasks or time wasters. How many high impact tasks are there? It’s usually less than you thought.

When I first experimented with this in my own life, I was astounded. I found that no matter how hard I thought I worked, or how focused I thought I was, I was accomplishing only 1-2 high impact tasks per week! 1-2 per week! No wonder I never felt like I could make headway on my lists.

There were days when I felt like I had gotten a lot done and I figured I could relax the next day, but when I looked at the log, most of what I had gotten done was low impact menial tasks. Granted, low impact tasks often still need to be done, but getting them done would have been much more satisfying if I had already accomplished something big and important.

Since doing this time logging, I now try to start each day with 1 high impact task, I “eat that frog” as Brian Tracy says, and I am much more diligent about my time. I try to task any useless stuff for the end of the day when I am not as creative or energetic. Stuff like email, facebook, twitter, and other useless time wasters are all done at the end of the day. After all, these aren’t high impact tasks. Sure sometimes an email comes through that is high impact, but that isn’t often enough to warrant replying to all the low impact ones through out my day.

Think about it this way, if you were carrying 100 lbs and you had the opportunity to shed weight each day, which would you rather shed, 1 pound (email and other menial tasks) or 25-50 lbs. (bigger high impact tasks.) The answer should be obvious.

If it isn’t getting you closer to your goals or making a difference in you workload, why are you wasting so much time? It’s probably not your fault. You haven’t seen the leaks yet. Start logging your time and focus on working on more high impact tasks while cutting time wasters out of your life. It will make a huge difference in your productivity and your energy levels without much work.

Have a Fantasmagoric Day!

Ryan

Radical Action Plan: A Follow Up

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Last weekend was a very interesting one.  I got everything I wanted accomplished except for the goal “work 30 hours for work.”  I didn’t turn off the phone and my brother called to spend time with me.  We haven’t just “hung out” in months so I said sure as long as I get my goals done.  I spent most of the weekend just doing stuff with him, and I still got my goals accomplished.  I did them way faster than I even thought possible because I knew I wanted to go do stuff rather than take a long time on each goal.  Which really began to make it clear how quickly a person really can accomplish if the crunch is on.

There is a saying that many “high achievers” say.

The Task at hand will expand to fill the time allotted to accomplish it.

This becomes extremely obvious with things like long term homework assignments like speeches and term papers.  I know that whenever I had several weeks to do something, I would put it off until the last day or two and do it all at the end of the allotted time period.   So while I may have been given two weeks to write a speech, I would procrastinate and get it all done within a day or two.

This has become even more obvious in my life as I set goals for myself personally, and I have “interruptions” pop up.  I don’t mean real actual interruptions, but friends or family that would like to get together and who I genuinely want to spend time with.  Without a set schedule, these people know they can call me anytime of the day, and I’ll be around.  I could easily remedy that by turning my phone off from 8-5, however, the interruptions push me to get my projects done much faster than I previously thought I could have done them.

Which leads me to the question:

If I have a goal and I offer myself a very tangible reward following achieving said goal, doesn’t it stand to reason that I can accomplish the goal at a seeming superhuman speed if the reward is tangible enough?

I beleive the answer is yes.  This is something I am interested in testing.  I would like to challenge all of you to test this in your life as well.

I know from personal experience with dieting that if I kept in mind that I would get to cheat on a certain day, I would be more prone to stick to the diet until that day, knowing the reward was coming.  It was this exact thinking that helped me lose over 20 lbs. in 20 days.

Now my question is, can this apply to time management.  Can I “cheat”(play games, go for a drive in the hills, go to the lake, play guitar with friends, or just waste time) if I get my goal accomplished by X:XX time.

I will test this concept over the coming weeks.

Now, I challenge you to find one goal that you are dragging your feet on and ask yourself if you could get it done faster.  Could you get it done by the end of the month?  The week?  The day?  What if there was a big reward, something you really enjoy doing, for accomplishing this goal.  What if you didn’t allow yourself to “cheat” and have that reward until the goal was accomplished?  Could you do it then?

Write down all of the little and big projects you have in your life and pick one that is big, important, and really sapping your energy.  Now set a target and set a reward and see if you can do it.  If you approach it with enough seriousness, I guarantee you could do more than you ever thought you could.

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan

Radical Action Plan

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A couple of weeks ago, I went on a working vacation.  I call it that because I was working a little each day at my job while I was gone, but also because I was working on a music video that I’ve been waiting a year to film.  So it was very exciting to finally get that on film and to take time with my kids and friends.

One thing I noticed while I was on vacation is that whenever I was just wasting time with friends, I missed working on my goals.  It seemed that everything I was doing was just reminding me that I could be enjoying life a lot more if I would work just a little harder or be a little more focused when it comes to my goals.

I did so many things I love to do, and it was a constant reminder.  While I was gone I ate at great new restaurants, walked around a fun city with great friends, went to an aquarium, zoo and butterfly sanctuary with my kids, and so much more.  I got to spend time with my friends, go to the mountains, and spend time in some very beautiful and very wealthy neighborhoods.  I was surrounded by some of the best things in life and I got to see some of my favorite cars in the world.

In fact, it seemed that everywhere I looked, I was reminded of my goals and dreams.  It reminded me that I could be making more progress, but I haven’t been.  Instead, I’ve slacked off a bit and this vacation really put things into perspective.  So I decided it was time for some massive progress when I got home.

It was time to make a plan and practice some radical discipline.  I decided that I will give myself a 3 day time period to see what I can accomplish if I practice radical discipline.

By radical discipline I mean that I will force myself to  cut out all time wasters from my life for 3 days.  This means no-

-facebook

-myspace

-email (except for a few minutes before bed)

-TV (except during scheduled relaxation time before bed)

-Friends (no meeting friends on a whim) two scheduled meetings will continue as normal.

-random trips to run minor errands that could be tasked together.

This also means that I absolutely must spend the time I have doing the things necessary to make my goals each day.

As much as I have dreaded doing this, and no day more than today, I am certain the progress I make will be astounding. And I will push through a lot of emotional barriers I may have felt toward achieving my goals.

For those of you out there reading this, you probably know that I like to post my goals publicly, just so I have accountability.  So here is the goal list.  Goals must be accomplished by Tuesday night.

-edit daughters Kindergarten graduation video and post online for other parents.
-import music video – place in proper timeline with each location separated for editing.
-write sales copy for new exercise book – 20 Minute Slim -I just finished editing the book yesterday, it’s time to get it online.
-write sales copy for exercise book – 4 Minute Slim – this one has been sitting on my computer hard drive gathering e-dust and it’s time to get the sales letter written.
-post this post -if you’re reading this, I’m making progress.
-have a rough scene by scene outline of dramatic short film – this one has had me stuck for a long time, so I am going to just make up a rough outline as quickly as possible and see what I can do with it.  I have to have this and 3 other short films filmed and edited by August.  Time to get to work.
-work at least 30 hours at my job-  I control my schedule for the most part so I am able to work extra some days and spend less time working on days I have my kids.
-clean and organize house- it’s just messy!
-make changes to adwords campaign – keywords – new adgroup.

These are the major goals I must have accomplished by Tuesday night. I will assess my progress each day and ask myself at least 3 times a day, though I’m sure it will be more, “Am I doing what I need to do in order to accomplish my goals? Or am I wasting time?”

I will post progress after Tuesday.

Now it’s time for me to ask you?  Are you getting where you want to be with your goals? If not, maybe you should also take a day of discipline and try to get as much done as possible.  Even if you don’t get it all done, you will get more done than if you didn’t take a day of discipline.  How about it? Will you challenge yourself to do more today?

I will.  How about this, even if it’s not a day, take 15 minutes and work on your goal today with no interruptions.  If you do just that little bit every day, things will start to add up.  Post a comment to let me know that you did something!

Talk to you all soon,

Ryan

Move to Lift Your Mood

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Having a bad day? Feeling down or maybe just not in the best mood?  Maybe you’re just a little tired and feeling low, but can’t get a nap. There is something you can do that is better than that energy drink.  Move.  Seriously, get up and move, dance, walk, or run, but move.

Recent University studies have shown that movement can improve your mood. In fact several of these studies have shown improvement in the outlook of patients diagnosed with severe mental illness such as depression, bi polar disorder and schizophrenia.  At Indiana University, a study found that any physical activity throughout the day has a link to improvement in mood.  This study found that low to moderate activity was adequate to improve the mood of patients with serious mental illness.

The movement you engage in doesn’t necessarily have to be vigorous.  Getting up and going for a walk, even a stroll around the office every once in a while will improve the way you feel tremendously.  People tend to think of physical activity as exercise, it doesn’t always have to be, just get moving, move around, go fill up your water glass, do what you can to get moving.

Of course, if you have the opportunity for a little physical exercise, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  You will actually benefit more from a little exercise.  If you take a few minutes to jog or do some jumping jacks, your body will start to produce more endorphins and adrenaline, which will improve your mood tremendously, and increase your overall feeling of happiness throughout each day.  Studies have been shown that people who exercise every day feel better about where their life is now, and have a much better ability to focus on and achieve their goals.  Not to mention the fact that they are almost always in a better mood as a result of having exercised.

Whether you get out for a short walk around the office, or you have the opportunity to take a quick jog down the block, one thing is becoming clearer and clearer, moving will improve your mood.

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan

Overwhelmed! Part II

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In the last part of Overwhelmed! I talked about how busy I have become and some of the small changes I’ve made in my daily routine to get more done and feel more relaxed each day.  I focused on the small changes I’ve made to my “To Do” Lists, in Part II, I will focus on the small changes I’ve made in my life to feel less overwhelmed.

Take Time For You

This is an issue I have struggled with often in the past.  I tend to want to keep working until bed time then just go crash.  My thought process is usually that I have so much to do, and I already feel overwhelmed, so logically it makes sense to keep working to get more done.  The problem is that often I am burnt out at the end of a day, and therefore inefficient.  My thought processes are slower, and I have trouble focusing.  This is usually true for most of us at the end of a long day.

I know it may sound simple, and may even sound like common sense, but the sad truth is that most of us don’t take time to just enjoy being in the moment that often.  When was the last time you did your favorite hobby?  For most of the world, it was a while ago. When did you last sit down to read a book?  or watch a movie with the lights off and a bowl of popcorn (if you’re into it.)

As I said, most people don’t take much time for themselves each day when they’re feeling overwhelmed, logically, it doesn’t make sense, but it’s good to unwind and do something you enjoy, and if you’ve been taking care of your MIT’s each day, it won’t be as big of a deal to unwind a bit at the end of a day.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you spend all night just lying around, but if you even take 15 minutes and do something you like, it can yield tremendous benefits and really helps to lower your stress levels.  Some ideas if you don’t have something in mind are:

-Go for a walk.
-Go for a Drive (This is one of my favorites, driving is my happy place)
-Read a Book
-Play a Game
-Call a friend to catch up
-Watch a Movie (if you’ve got some extra time)
-Anything that is fun for you.

Just pick something that you enjoy doing, that isn’t work/list related, and do it.  The list is there because hopefully doing those things will help your life become more fun, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun in the process.  Enjoy each day, get the important things done and spend some you time doing you things.  It may not seem logical, but it’s worth it.

Meditate

It surprises me the number of people who shy away from meditation because of the stigma attached to it.  It especially surprises me because there have been so many studies here in “The West” that show the physiological and psychological benefits of meditation.  Countless studies have shown that meditation

-Lowers oxygen consumption in the body
-Decreases respiratory rate
-Increases blood flow and slows heart rate
-reduces blood lactate levels, reducing anxiety and anxiety attacks
-decreases muscle tension, the cause of many aches and pains
-Increases Serotonin, a mood enhancing chemical.  Low serotonin levels are associated with obesity, depression, insomnia, and headaches.
-Enhances the immune system
-helps to keep you relaxed during the day
-and so much more

The list is so long, I could keep going and going.  If somebody told you that you could spend 5-10 minutes per day just sitting in a chair, and you could receive these benefits, would you do it?  That’s all you have to do.  Sit down, somewhere comfortable, and relax, clear your mind and just focus on the sound of your breathing.  If those pesky thoughts about your “To Do” list sneak into your consciousness, just release them and focus on your breathing again.  If you are having trouble staying clear, close your eyes and focus on the end of your nose.

I require myself to do at least 5 minutes of meditation each day.  It’s nothing heroic, it’s just 5 minutes.  Take 5 minutes before bed or after you wake up and just clear your mind, it will help you feel more relaxed and more productive each day, which will definitely help you feel less overwhelmed.

Wake Up Early

I’ll admit it, I’m a night person.  I love staying up late and just getting things done, enjoying myself, reading, writing, and enjoying the peace of night.  Sometimes, I’ll get engrossed in a project and work on it until late, often too late.  When I wake up in the morning, I’m groggy and tired, and I just want to sleep.  So trust me when I say that waking up early isn’t necessarily my natural inclination.  That being said, I have noticed that on days that I wake up early, I get a  better start and I tend to get more done.

I’m not talking about waking up two hours earlier than usual, or even an hour earlier.  I’m just suggesting you wake up approximately 20 minutes earlier than you normally do.  This will get you started just a little earlier but isn’t such a huge deviation from your normal routine that it will disrupt your sleep patterns.

I have found that this extra 20 minutes gets my day started much better because I am ready and fresh earlier than I’m used to, so I can get started on my “To Do” List and my MIT right away. This little change can be such a big help to get your day started proactively so that you don’t become overwhelmed.

Go to Bed Early

I’m usually a burn the candle at both ends type of person, but because I was feeling so overwhelmed lately, I decided that I would actually follow my own advice and make these small changes in my life.  So, against my usual choice of staying up too late, I consciously went to bed early.  This isn’t to say that I went to bed extremely early, but I did go to bed early.  Again, this is about small changes in your life that can help you get more done and be less overwhelmed.   Being properly rested and relaxed can decrease the stress you are feeling tremendously.

I suggest that at first, you try to get ready for bed about 15-20 minutes early, this will make up for waking earlier.  I know that it doesn’t make much sense since you haven’t actually gained much time, but getting the earlier start helps you get your MIT sorted right away no matter how busy your mornings usually are, and getting to bed a little early will help you relax some so that you will be sleeping soundly much quicker.  If you intend to make these small changes permanent, you make up for the extra 20 minutes in the morning by settling down a bit early.  Even if you hit the mattress only 5 minutes early, you’re there early and getting settled down for bed.

Put it All Together

Take as many of these suggestions as you think can help you with your life and use them.  I have had great success with them, and I have found that the life changes that I have instituted have made quite a difference in my energy levels, my productivity and my overall feeling of overwhelm.

If you are feeling even a little overwhelmed, take a look at your life and find out where you can make some small changes that will cause a big difference.

I hope this finds you well,

Ryan M Hall

Overwhelmed! Part I

Photo by nicmcphee

It seams like sometimes in life, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.  I know this has been true for me lately.  I have gotten myself involved in more projects and “to do’s” than I feel like I can handle.  Some of this is my own fault.  I seem to offer help in areas that follow my passion.  This means that I am now involved with a feature film project, a television project, and a short film project, along with a few other small parts in other films that are being filmed in my area.

Of course, on top of this, I have this website, my Ryan M Hall site, and The 20/20/20 Diet site that I am currently maintaining.  I am promoting the Diet as well as redesigning the site and working on videos for the site.

Now, add to that an unexpected car repair, and a home repair, both of which I will be doing myself.  I work more than full time from home and I have 3 kids here with me all day.

It’s no wonder with all this going on, and more, I have begun to feel overwhelmed.  So last night, I said enough is enough, and decided that by the end of the week, I have to have some structure and I have to weed out some of the unimportant so that I can get these tasks off of my “to do” list and behind me for good.   But that begged the question, without revamping my entire day, or locking each day into a rigid schedule, how can I start to feel in control immediately, and start to get some relief from the list looming in my front pocket.

So, last week, I created an action plan that wouldn’t interrupt my daily routine, but would allow me to get more done, despite any interruptions that come about.

List it ALL

Take a deep breathe and list everything you need to do….everything.  This is perhaps the scariest part for me.  my lists go on and on, pages really, but list all of the important things you could do now.  Go ahead, and pause for a moment and get it all down on paper.  Get it done now before you lose your nerve.

When you take the time to list it all, you will purge it from your mental to do list, and allow yourself to relax considerably, just because you aren’t trying to keep it all in your mind.  This will literally allow you to take a load off your mind.

Once this is done, you will be much clearer and you can move on to the next step.

Give Each Task a Place

Sort your “to do” list.

Don’t just sort it, assign a place where you will get each task done.  My most common items are Computer-  Phone- Car-  House-  Video/Home-

This gives me the freedom to just glance at the list and prequalify what I can work on right at this moment.  So if I am sitting at the computer, I can glance down the computer list and check to see what I can work on.  Then I can pick something I can do at the computer, and start to work on it until I finish it.

Once this is done, you can find the most important task and get to it.

Choose Your MIT

Find the Most important thing you can do today on your list.  Scan the entire list and find the item that will make the biggest difference in your life, business, career etc.  This will be your MIT, your Most Important Thing to do today.  If you’re unclear as to which one is your MIT, because everything on your list is pretty important, ask yourself a few of these questions:

1) If accomplished only one thing today, what would be the most important?
2) If I accomplished one thing today, and only one thing, what would have the most impact in moving me toward my goal?
3) If I accomplished one thing today, what would I be happiest saying I accomplished?  What would I feel happiest crossing off my list?
4) What item on my list scares me the most?

These questions will help you narrow down your MIT for the day so that you can get to the most important first.  This alone will make a huge difference in your day, I know it has in mine.

Now that you have your MIT chosen, do it.  Make it the first thing you do today.  Treat it like it’s the only thing you have on your “To Do” list, and get it done.  This will free up so much mental energy just because you started the day out getting the most important thing done.  Often the MIT is the scariest thing because it is the most important and, whether you consciously know it or not, you spend a lot of energy thinking about it, even small little thoughts can add tension to the day.  Doing your MIT first will also start great momentum for the day.  If you have already crossed off the most important thing, you have the ball rolling and doing those “little” things is much easier.  Another benefit of finishing the MIT first is that you have finished your MIT, so now if you want, you can relax and enjoy the day a little more.  It’s up to you how you use this.  Remember, it’s all about getting more done and feeling less overwhelmed.  So pick your MIT and get to it.  Do it Now!

Above, I have listed the “To Do” List fixes I have put into place, but just as important are the small life tweaks I have made in my day to help me feel freer and less overwhelmed.  I will list these daily changes in Part II of the Overwhelmed Article series.  Remember as you start to institute any changes, that this is all about making small changes, tweaks, in the way you go about your daily routine to help you feel less overwhelmed.  Hopefully these small changes I’ve made will find a way to help you in your daily life.

I Hope this Finds you Well,

Ryan M. Hall