Your mind is where your reality begins. Most of us don’t know how to think productively however – how to turn our thoughts and dreams into something concrete.The obstacles are many – procrastination, lack of motivation, fear of failure. It’s important to not forget, however, that our thoughts ultimately blueprint our destinies. I’ll take a look at complementing a thought with tricks to make your thoughts turn into a reality. So without further ado…
1. Connect it with the bigger picture
If anything sounds like it’s not worth it, remember this: someone will read your eulogy one day. Let’s suppose they held the entire list of all your thoughts. The thoughts that produced great change. The thoughts that snowballed from little habits into bigger effects. Even the thoughts that didn’t account to much. Will they be able to tell the underlying patterns? What causes will prove that your life was dedicated to something bigger than yourself? All of your thoughts are categorized in one mysteriously interconnected network, so let loose and don’t be afraid to associate a thought with your own grand visions for the future, the world, life, and even the universe itself. This will cement a more imaginative plan into something more concrete. You may also feel more motivated to start doing, knowing that your thinking isn’t isolated and random, but a good representation of everything you want to be!
2. Practice productive procrastination
Side projects are important. They’re the stuff you throw yourself in when no one is watching, and the pastime you would rather dabble in than do work. Despite this, procrastination is still the epitome of lacking productivity, right? Enter a more refined type of procrastination: productive procrastination. Find a few little projects you’re ready to get started in. Work on the one which feels more appealing, then bump to another when you’re sick of that one, and then jump back to the other one in a virtuous cycle. Productive procrastination can drastically increase your productivity, and you’ll feel like you’re actually accomplishing more.
3. Find the right group of people first
When surrounded with the right group of people, we’re much more likely to give reality to our thoughts. The right group of people are those who support your thoughts, challenge your assumptions, help you out when you’re stuck, and obviously steal your own ideas. Now it’s easier than ever to find them. The internet is packed with countless communities dedicated to countless interests, and that’s just one part. Meet-ups and clubs situated in a hands-on environment are available where you live, and if you can’t find one you’re interested in, why not start one? Upon surrounding yourself with positive influences, your thoughts will come alive and grow stronger than in isolation.
4. Categorize thoughts based on their value
There’s an unbelievable amount of stimuli rotating in your brain. That stimuli branches into the unconscious, and you’re supposedly left with little conscious ability to direct its power or flow. It’s obvious that we’re caught in ingrained patterns and impulses, and lost in the grind of unconscious thinking. After all, our brains often run on autopilot; we’re not hyper-aware of everything, nor will we ever be. Bring these scattered thoughts into the light with a spreadsheet and one week. Track a thought and a SMART goal to achieve it. You’ll soon notice an inquisitive pattern – and find out which thoughts to implement and the ones to throw out.
5. Use the SMART goal system
Good goal-making is a mark of the good life. Those who plan well live well. So why do people build their thoughts on less than adequate goals every day? Maybe it’s because not enough of them try the SMART goal system. This method incorporates specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-worthy steps into doing just about anything. You might want to lose weight. The typical response is to write it down and get excited about it. But how much weight needs to be lost before you can accomplish it? What can you use to track it? Is it attainable in circumstances like health and money? What date must be set to justify accomplishing it, and is it even realistic in that time-frame? Now you got a workout more intense than a marathon!
6. Remix productivity techniques
Hacking life is a modern technique. With so many productivity techniques to choose from in the 21st century, who wouldn’t feel overwhelmed? The first step is to learn more about productivity in general. Devour anything you can find – books, articles, blogs, clippings of magazines. Take a course and attempt a technique. Then try another. One of my favorite examples is to start a 25-minute timer in a Pomodoro fashion while working on productive procrastination. The possibilities are nearly limitless learning.
7. Track your life
Let’s finish with a habit-tracking app. Habit tracking apps are exactly what they sound like – they track your progress of keeping up with a habit over time. Choose a tiny habit that is very easy to change, and you’re much more likely to continue with it. Watch it expand over time. Observe the data. Then gradually increase it until you’re doing something you’ve always wanted to do every day. Don’t be afraid to experiment; you can also track elements like your mood, nutrition, sleep, exercise, goals, and to-do lists.
How do you turn your thoughts into reality?
