Reprinted by Permission of Professor Chris Palmer - School of Communication, American University

Successful people tend to lead highly productive lives. They don’t waste time on television, gossip or other activities unrelated to their chief goals. They know what they want to achieve and they manage their time and organize their schedules to make it happen. To boost your own productivity, try these 12 suggestions:

Focus on what matters most to you in your professional and personal life. Your goal is to achieve congruence between how you spend your day and what matters most to you.

Be ambitious. Don’t let time, money and fear stop you. What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Create your own unique Personal Mission Statement (PMS). Your PMS describes what kind of person you want to be and what you want to achieve in life. It will give you a sense of purpose and meaning. In creating your PMS, you are beginning to write the story of your life. Who do you want to become? What do you stand for? What matters deeply to you?

Put your goals in writing. Without written goals, your life is essentially drifting without focus. Goals turn your dreams into reality.