In last week’s article, we talked a little bit about how determining your high-payoff activities can help you get back on track to achieve your goals that you set at the beginning of this year. We’re halfway through the year now, so it’s the perfect time to refocus and reprioritize in order to finish the year strong. Your high-payoff activities are the ones that make the biggest impact toward achieving your goals.

High-payoff activities, often referred to as HPAs, are the critical tasks that generate the most significant results and contribute directly to our goals and objectives. These activities differ from the countless trivial and time-consuming tasks that can fill our days if we allow them to. By prioritizing and dedicating our attention to HPAs, we maximize our productivity, effectiveness, and overall success.

In order to prioritize your high-payoff activities, you first need to clearly define your goals and objectives. This helps you identify the tasks that will have the most significant impact on achieving those goals. It’s essential to regularly review and reassess your goals to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with your evolving aspirations.

When making time for your high-payoff activities, it’s also important to recognize the difference between urgent and important tasks. Tasks that are urgent need your immediate attention, but if you focus too heavily on them, then you won’t have time to focus on your important high-payoff activities. Focus on your important tasks rather than firefighting, and choose how you spend your time and energy.

The SEDO philosophy — or Simplify, Eliminate, Delegate, and Outsource — can help you come up with a plan to carve out more time for your high-payoff activities. Make a list of tasks and processes that you can simplify or eliminate. Then make a list of tasks that you can delegate or outsource to other people. This opens up much more time and energy for you to focus on what truly matters.

One of the most important ways to make sure that your HPAs are a priority is to eliminate unnecessary distractions. Distractions can be found everywhere these days, but coming up with a plan to reduce them is simple: Don’t start your day on social media or in your inbox. Do set dedicated hours where you close the door to your office and block time off just to focus on your high-payoff activities.

By prioritizing tasks that directly contribute to your goals, you can increase our productivity, efficiency, and overall success. Remember, success is not just about working hard; it’s about working smart. When you get clear on your high-payoff activities and make a plan to prioritize them, you put yourself back on track to accomplish your goals. Learn more at Achievable.com.