Our values drive our behavior. We also choose our values. Why not choose the best ones? Some values support our faith, others how we manage our money, still others how effective we are at achieving our dreams and goals. These I call Success Values. Let’s look at which Success Values help us be more productive.

First, what does it mean to be productive? We generally think of productivity as being able to get more done in less time, also known as being efficient. Productivity is not necessarily about cramming more work into less time. What does it matter if we get more done if they’re the wrong things?

Real productivity is about getting the right things done at the right time. These three Success Values will help you with maximizing real productivity in your life.

  1. Discipline – This one is obvious. We have to be able to set priorities and do them when we’re supposed to. Ultimate discipline is being able to force yourself to do what you don’t want to do when you don’t want to do it. On a more practical level, discipline means doing what you’ve planned to do or what must be done. Discipline is the key to all Success. It’s what helps you get on track when you’re off-track. It helps you create your plans and execute them.
  2. Dedication – Dedication to your goals is next. Achieving your goals will be hard, presuming your goals are truly worthwhile. Easy goals don’t need dedication and really aren’t worth concentrating on either. Hard goals, that stretch us and make us become better than we were are the ones worth pursuing. Those are also the ones that sometimes make you want to quit. That’s where dedication comes in. You have to be committed to the outcome you’re after. You have to be willing to throw all of yourself into your goals when necessary.
  3. Discernment – Discernment is how you know when it’s necessary to throw all of yourself into your goals. Sometimes, we get too caught up in the pursuit of our goals that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Our lives get out of balance because we let too much attention get focused on one area of our lives. Being able to discern what’s important is key to true success. Knowing when it’s OK to be unbalanced in our focus is just as important knowing when it’s not. Sometimes we have to spend our time in a single area temporarily. What’s important is knowing when to stop.

These Success Values are, of course, not the only ones that apply to productivity. They are a really good foundation to build on though.

For more information on Success Values, get my free report Timeless Success Values.